Examining Relationships Between Family Mealtime and Feeding Outcomes in Young Children With Sensory Food Aversions

Examining Relationships Between Family Mealtime Routines and Feeding Outcomes in Young Children With Sensory Food Aversions

This study will examine the feasibility and preliminary effects of the Mealtime PREP (Promoting Routines of Exploration and Play) intervention package for young children with Sensory Food Aversions and their parents.

This pilot study will collect rich data from twenty participants on the feasibility and effects of a novel intervention, the Mealtime PREP, which has a dyadic focus on both the young child and the parent participants. The investigators will collect video recorded child meals in the home during a baseline period (under normal circumstances), during parent-training (while parents are practicing skills learned), and following parent training (when therapist support is withdrawn). This in depth examination of child meals will provide valuable information to guide the optimization of this intervention approach for future trials.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Child must meet all criteria of the diagnosis of Sensory Food Aversions

  1. The child consistently refuses to eat specific foods with specific tastes/textures and/or smells.
  2. Onset of food refusal occurs during the introduction of a novel type of food (e.g., the child may drink one type of milk but refuse another, may eat carrots but refuse green beans, may drink milk but refuse baby food).
  3. The child eats without difficulty when offered preferred foods.
  4. The food refusal causes specific nutritional deficiencies or delay of oral motor development.

• Parent is able to read, write, speak and understand English.

Exclusion Criteria: None