Social validity in the field of applied behaviour analysis is the measurement of the social significance of goals, the social appropriateness of procedures, and the social importance of the effects of a treatment. There is a paucity of rigorous research on social validity measurement as it relates to feeding treatment. To our knowledge, this is…

Caregiver-led interventions have been implemented to improve food selectivity in autistic children. This systematic review assesses the meaningfulness of improvements in food, behaviour, and family outcomes, alongside the acceptability of said interventions. Four key academic databases were searched using key terms related to autism, food…

Feeding disorders exhibited by children with developmental disabilities, which include limiting food intake or refusing to consume solid foods, often result in poor health consequences. Interventions for feeding disorders vary in terms of their acceptability to children with disabilities and their families. One specific procedure, the…

This systematic review provides a synthesis of behavioral interventions for food selectivity (FS) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A multistep search strategy was employed to identify experimental studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1984 and 2015. Thirty-one studies met inclusion criteria. Participant…

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in the cognitive approach to eating disorders, which postulates that patients selectively attend to information associated with eating, body shape, and body weight. The unreliability of self-report measures in eating disorders due to strong denial of illness gave rise to experimental studies inspired…

The prevalence of childhood eating disorders is increasing in pediatric practice across the country. It is therefore important for occupational therapists to be familiar with current research, resources, and intervention strategies related to a variety of eating diagnoses. In this column we highlight basic definitions of a variety of eating…

For toddlers with feeding disorders characterized by oral-motor deficits and limited texture acceptance, would an intervention that specifically included at least one sensory processing component (e.g., tactile, proprioception) and an oral-motor component be more effective than only an oral-motor intervention? A scoping literature review was used…

Food refusal is a severe feeding problem in which children refuse to eat all or most foods presented and exhibit problems with growth. This review discusses the definition, etiology, and interventions pertaining to food refusal. The interventions utilized for food refusal typically consist of several treatment components. These treatment…

The primary objective of this review of literature was to examine the relationship of eating disorders and disordered eating among female collegiate athletes. Since the institution of Title IX in 1972, the Educational Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, female participation in sports has been consistently rising at all levels of…

This meta-analysis of eating disorder prevention programs found that intervention effects ranged from an absence of any effects to reductions in current and future eating pathology. Certain effects persisted as long as 2 years and were superior to minimal-intervention control conditions. Larger effects occurred for selected (vs. universal),…

Purpose: The purposes of this article are to define the nature of feeding difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), identify important components of the assessment and treatment of feeding disorders specific to this population, and delineate specific therapeutic techniques designed to improve assessment and treatment within the…

This article provides a practitioner-friendly synthesis of existing literature on family involvement in the management of dysphagia for school-age. Research reviewed includes family perspectives on programs, therapists, and characteristics that comprise effective family involvement in school-based dysphagia management programs. Also included are…

Presents an eating disorders continuum. Describes groups on the continuum by highlighting behavioral, cognitive-attitudinal, and self-esteem differences. Discusses relationship between continuum and developmental course of eating disorders. Presents prevention, early intervention, and treatment programs for various continuum groups. Offers…

Describes a school-based group intervention designed to address issues of body image, self-esteem, weight, and eating disturbances. This 10-session group provides female high school students with opportunities to explore their concerns about relationships, appearance, and what it means to be female. Provides descriptions of narrative techniques…

In recent years, bulimia nervosa has plagued young women and become a major issue in mental health care. Strategies for training counseling students so as to acquaint them with clinical research on treatments for bulimia are presented in this report. It reviews empirically supported treatments (ESTs) concerning eating disorders in order to…