Behavioral Feeding Intervention for a Young Child: Parent Training Beyond The Mealtime Routine

This case study describes a behavioral parent training approach to improve feeding compliance in a young child enrolled in a home-based early intervention program. An individualized treatment plan was developed using functional behavioral assessment to improve compliance across several family routines. Caregivers received coaching in prevention and response techniques targeted to the child's feeding and behavioral concerns and then implemented these strategies during natural family routines. Progress monitoring was completed by both the early intervention provider and the child's caregivers to track feeding skill improvement (i.e., number of bites accepted at mealtimes) as well as compliance with caregiver directions. Data across the intervention course demonstrate that widening the scope of intervention beyond the feeding routine was associated with improved feeding behavior as well as overall increases in compliance. Implications for addressing behavioral feeding problems as they relate to other behavioral concerns in young children are discussed.