Advisor(s)

Daniel D. Gould

Contributor(s)

Karen E. Gould, Pamela M. Olsen

Date of Award

2011

Date Accepted

8-2011

Degree Grantor

Northeastern University

Degree Level

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Applied Behavior Analysis

Department or Academic Unit

Bouvé College of Health Sciences. Department of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology.

Keywords

psychology, behavioral, autism, feeding problems, food selectivity, stimulus fading

Subject Categories

Food preferences, Nutrition - Psychological aspects

Disciplines

Health Psychology

Abstract

A preference assessment using foods from five food groups was completed to determine if a selective eater's preferences were related to the type of food or the texture of the food being presented. The results of this assessment suggested both type and texture selectivity, particularly within the fruit and vegetable food groups. A treatment package involving non-aversive procedures was then applied that included texture fading, blending, social praise, and altering the ratio of non-preferred to preferred foods presented sequentially. The treatment was successful in increasing the consumption of two solid fruits, and these results were replicated with two more fruits. Suggestions for future extensions of the treatment are presented.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Rights Holder

Juliana M. S. Marcus


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