For children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), feeding issues are common.

Research shows that 69% of children with ASD are unwilling to try new foods and another 46% perform rituals around their eating habits.

If your child has feeding issues, you’re not alone:

• 53% of parents in one research study say their child is a “picky eater”
• 59% reported their child eats fewer than 20 different foods
• 53% of parents reported their child is reluctant to try new foods

Feeding issues can make mealtimes incredibly stressful for both the child and the rest of the family.

Thankfully, many treatments and strategies can help, including ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy, which encourages nutritional health and food flexibility.

What Are Feeding Problems?

Positive experiences with food involve all of the sensory elements: sight, taste, smell, and touch (e.g.: texture, temperature) — elements that are especially important to kids with ASD. If any of these evoke discomfort, fear, or anxiety, it can make for strained mealtimes.

Children with ASD may not only have an aversion to a particular food and so refuse to eat it, but they may also engage in disruptive behaviors at mealtime. Behaviors such as leaving the table without eating the meal or refusing to use utensils and cups are common.

And if a child has difficulty using and understanding language, they may not be able to fully understand your expectations at mealtimes or be able to express their discomfort or dissatisfaction.

When Should I Be Concerned?

It’s always disconcerting to confront these issues, but what are some signs your child with ASD may need outside support?

Ask yourself questions like:

• Have I noticed significant weight loss in my child?
• Is my child showing signs of malnutrition?
• Is my child getting a wide variety of nutrients from an array of healthy foods?
• Is my child causing and/or experiencing significant anxiety around mealtimes?
• Do mealtimes in our household come with significant anxiety (for everyone)?

You’ll first want to rule out medical issues like stomach cramping, constipation, or food allergies.

Are there some developmental or behavioral issues influencing feeding difficulties? This can mean anything from sensory issues to accidental reinforcement of negative feeding behaviors (e.g.: allowing your child to leave the table if they become angry and upset).

But how do I know if my child has feeding issues or just isn’t hungry? Just because your child is a picky eater does not mean that they have a poor appetite. Many parents report that their children with ASD have a healthy appetite— but only for the foods they like. It’s important to keep a close eye on this concern so that one isn’t getting interpreted as the other.

Does Applied Behavior Analysis Help With Feeding Issues?

The short answer is yes. ABA Therapy for kids is a proven and highly effective strategy for helping parents and their children feel less anxiety around mealtimes.

What Is ABA Therapy?

Rooted in the science of learning and behavior, ABA Therapy for autism helps us to understand how behavior works, how behavior is affected by an environment, and how learning takes place.

It can help develop language and communication skills, increase focus and attention, cultivate positive social skills, and assist with things like memory and academic skills.

ABA Therapy also provides things like:

• Help with picky eating and other barriers associated with mealtimes
• Help sitting at the table while the family is eating a meal
• Encouraging the use of utensils and drinking from an age-appropriate cup
• Encouraging the use of napkins

ABA Therapy uses things like systematic desensitization, the Premack principle, and reinforcement to help normalize feeding.

How Does It Work?

ABA Therapy for autism can be tailored to meet a child’s specific needs and can take place in-home, one-on-one, or in a group environment, and helps kids develop crucial day-to-day skills.

There are three essential principles used in ABA Therapy:

#1 Reinforcement

This is the foundation of ABA therapy and is based on B.F. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning.

It is rooted in the premise that desired behavior can be positively reinforced to encourage its continuation, while undesirable behavior can be extinguished in the absence of reinforcement.

#2 Premack’s Principle 

This is an important element of ABA therapy.

It revolves around the idea that when given an opportunity to engage in behavior with a relatively high baseline probability, it’s possible to use that same opportunity to reinforce lower baseline probability behaviors.

For example, a child with ASD may have a strong preference for a particular food so there is a high probability that they’ll ask for it at mealtimes.

With ABA therapy, you can increase the likelihood a child will engage in desirable behaviors (like sitting at the table or using utensils) if they learn that getting to eat their favorite food is contingent upon those positive behaviors.

When implementing this procedure, you could instruct your child to first sit at the table and then they can have their preferred food item. For example, state, “First sit down, then chicken nuggets.” The preferred food would be withheld until your child sat down at the table.

#3 Systematic Desensitization

This therapy is based on the notion that avoidant behaviors often reinforce the phobia, often similar to a continuous loop. Systematic desensitization aims to break that cycle to achieve the desired results.

As an example, your child may have a strong, negative reaction to salad and so goes to great lengths to avoid eating it.

This avoidance behavior has an immediate payoff in that it significantly reduces their anxiety. So they learn to cope with feeding anxieties by avoiding foods they feel phobic about, thus making it difficult to try salad and other equally nutritious foods.

Systematic desensitization involves gradually and systematically exposing a child to a food (or object) they are phobic about so that over time they begin to tolerate it.

Where Can I Find ABA Therapy Near Me?

At GBC Autism Services, we provide ABA therapy to children with autism in the areas of Chicagoland, Peoria, Normal, Rockford, Springfield, Dekalb, and North-West Indiana. Our services include in-home and clinic-based ABA therapy, early intervention services, school consultations, and social skills groups.

The team at GBC doesn’t only focus on the behaviors that might be seen as weaknesses in children with autism. We accept and appreciate each child’s unique abilities and incorporate them into our programming. In fact, we love to learn about each child’s interests and strengths and only look to help them navigate the world better.

When you’re ready to talk, we are ready to listen.