A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity

The overall goal of this procedure is to increase the number of foods a child eats without using escape extinction. This is accomplished by first determining the foods the child is currently eating. Next, a preferred food is placed on one side of a place mat while a target food is placed on the other, the child is then asked to complete a series of shaping steps that require interaction with the target food to gain access to the preferred food.

Successive steps of the shaping procedure are delivered until the child finally eats the target food. Ultimately, the child will learn to consume a new food that they were not previously eating. The main advantage of this technique over existing methods is that it avoids the use of escape extinction, which may be associated with challenging behavior and may have low acceptability.

For some families, demonstrating the procedure will be Jessica Weber. A doctoral student in my lab Begin by conducting a pre-treatment assessment to determine the tangible item that will be used as a reinforcer. Next, perform a food assessment to determine the likelihood that the child will eat certain foods when offered.

Present all foods in pieces that are small enough to consume in one bite, but large enough so that the child will need to chew it several times before swallowing. The participant and therapist should sit side by side at the table with a place mat in front of the child, and all food and tangible items on the table. Next to the therapist, select the most preferred food to use during the training phase to facilitate compliance during the shaping sequence.

The procedure consists of seven steps wherein successive approximations to eating are reinforced. Continue through these steps until mastery criteria are met. For the final step, use the next most preferred food identified in the food assessment for the shaping and sequential presentation procedures.

Next place the preferred tangible item on the right side of the place. Mat and present all seven shaping steps using the new food record. Yes or no data on compliance for each trial, introduce a simultaneous presentation phase when shaping and sequential presentation are not effective in increasing compliance.

Begin this phase by combining the two foods so that the non-preferred food is not visible to the child. Place the preferred tangible and edible items on the right side of the place. Mat, as demonstrated earlier, deliver the prompt.

Once compliance criteria are met, increase the size of the non-preferred food relative to the preferred food. Continue in this manner until the non-preferred food is presented alone, compliance with food identified as likely to be eaten 100%of the time is shown.Here. This panel shows compliance with food identified as likely to be eaten 80%of the time.

While this one shows compliance with food identified as likely to be eaten 60%of the time, compliance with food identified as likely to be eaten 40%of the time was low for the shaping and sequential presentation procedures, but improved after the simultaneous presentation procedure. Once mastered, this procedure can be used several times a week in an outpatient setting to increase compliance with eating and decrease food selectivity. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to carry out the shaping steps in order to increase compliance with eating without the use of escape extinction.