Feasibility and Need for a Parent-Implemented Picky Eating Intervention for ASD

Food selectivity or “picky eating” is a common behavior found in the majority of children; however, unlike typically developing children, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have not only a higher rate of picky eating behaviors, but those behaviors extend well beyond the developmental norm (Sharp et al., 2013; Bandini et al., 2017; Suarez et al., 2014). At this point, there are no easily implementable interventions for picky eating in children with ASD that can be performed at home by the parents. However, Tiny Tastes is an intervention that showed increased vegetable consumption for typically developing children between ages of 3-7 years (Cooke, 2010). The aim of this study was to determine the need and feasibility of a parent-implemented intervention like that of Tiny Tastes for picky eating children with ASD by surveying parents of children and adolescents with ASD. Results indicated that the majority of parents of children with ASD do see a need for a home-based intervention and are wanting to participate in trial studies of such interventions. Results also indicated that a Tiny Tastes-like intervention for children with ASD is feasible; however, future studies are needed to determine necessary alterations to fit the specific needs of the ASD population.

Author

• Rainsdon, Alexandra

Language

• en

Keyword

• autism spectrum disorder
• feeding intervention
• autism
• picky eating
• food selectivity
• tiny tastes

Date created

• 2020

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Speech-Language Pathology

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Wallace, Gregory

Committee Member(s)

• Barrett, Laura
• Krok, Windi

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/bv73c1301