Impact of Behavioral Feeding Intervention on Parent-Child Attachment in Young Children

Impact of Behavioral Feeding Intervention on Parent-Child Attachment in Young Children

The primary objective of the proposed study is to determine whether behavioral feeding intervention impacts mother-child attachment in infants and toddlers with feeding problems. The investigators propose the following hypotheses:

• Behavioral feeding intervention will not significantly impact parent-child attachment.
• Behavioral feeding intervention will not significantly impact parent-child unstructured play interactions.
• Severity of feeding problems will decrease after behavioral feeding intervention is implemented.
• Behavioral feeding intervention will have either no significant effect or a significant positive effect on general child behavior.

Inclusion Criteria:

Caregiver Based

• Mothers
• Conducts feeding intervention ≥75% of the time at home
• Understands and speaks English

Child Based

• 12-14 or 30-48 months old at initial assessment
• Clinically significant feeding problem
• Self-initiates movement
• Can be left alone in a room for 3 minutes
• Capable of initiating eye contact