Multidisciplinary Treatment of Feeding Difficulties in Youth on the Autism Spectrum
Pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) refers to oral intake that is not “age-appropriate” and is associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial dysfunction (Goday et al., 2019). The role of behavioral health providers treating PFDs is to:
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Evaluate how both caregiver and child are responding to feeding difficulties and mealtime behaviors
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Assess why the behaviors are occurring.
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Determine how to motivate families and children
to participate differently in the feeding process
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Identify developmentally appropriate strategies
that promote positive mealtime experiences.