Acceptability of Treatments for Food Refusal and Selectivity in Children with Autism

Abstract

This study examined the acceptability of two behavioral treatments for food refusal and selectivity. We examined the impact of written information and videos of the procedures on the acceptability of the treatments. Forty undergraduate students from Middle Tennessee State University and ten parents rated their knowledge of autism and feeding problems as well as treatments for those problems. Participants read a vignette depicting a child with autism exhibiting food selectivity, read information and/or watched a video about two treatment options, and rated the acceptability of each intervention option. Results indicate that perceptions of the interventions were more positive after exposure to information about them. No differences were found between parent and student groups regarding acceptability or willingness to implement the two interventions. Differential reinforcement (DR) was preferred over escape extinction (EE). Of those preferring EE, all were in the video exposure group.