Feeding difficulties occur at a high rate in children with normal development and at a disproportionally high rate in children with developmental disabilities. Prolonged problematic eating, categorized as Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD), can result in poor physical growth and jeopardize overall health. Extant research on applied behavior analysis…

This dissertation was designed to determine which behavior analytic intervention was more effective in the treatment and reduction of mouthing non-nutritive substances in children diagnosed with autism. This study included four participants in an A-B-A reversal design with a component analysis across four intervention phases. The study…

Objective: Internalized weight bias is experienced by young women across the weight spectrum and contributes to the development of eating disorders. Interventions have demonstrated preliminary success in reducing weight self-stigma and disordered eating, but findings have only applied to individuals with overweight and obesity and little is known…

As eating disorders symptomatology often begins during adolescence, schools have a unique and essential role. Specifically, schools can be at the forefront in the intervention and prevention of eating disorders to implement programs that work. In addition, schools can reach students at individual and universal levels, positively impacting those at…

Body dissatisfaction is associated with numerous health consequences and is pervasive among college women. Effective interventions exist that reduce body dissatisfaction in college women by helping them resist sociocultural pressures to conform to the appearance ideal, such as the Body Project. Yet research is limited on whether social and…

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of the integrative, yoga-based, "Eat Breathe Thrive"™ (EBT) program as a selective eating disorder prevention intervention with female Division I student-athletes, a group identified in the prevalence literature at high-risk for eating disorders. The EBT program curriculum was adapted for…

Risk of disordered eating is high amongst college women in the U.S., often resulting in negative outcomes with regard to health, social functioning and psychological well-being. Disordered eating is associated with multiple aspects of emotional processing, such as emotion regulation, negative affect, and avoidance. Emotional processing…

Rationale: Binge eating puts individuals at risk for dropout of weight loss treatments and weight regain after treatment. However, treatments for binge eating have not been successful at influencing weight. To improve obesity treatment, research needs to examine binge eating with new theoretical approaches, interdisciplinary paradigms that span…

Behavioral feeding difficulties occur at a high rate in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and can have a serious impact on their overall health and development. Although there are a number of studies demonstrating effective strategies for addressing behavioral feeding difficulties in children with ASD, the majority of them have been…

SurvObjectification theorists suggest that one way for women to combat self-objectification is through participation in sport and exercise activities that encourage body competence. This two-part study investigates the impact of (a) motivation for physical activity and (b) type of physical activity on the outcomes of self-objectification, body…

Disordered eating has been recognized as a concern on college campuses, particularly among college women. Maladaptive perfectionism has consistently been identified as a risk factor for disordered eating, and may present challenges to effective treatment and intervention. As a result, increased effort has gone into developing intervention…