An Evaluation of a Telehealth Caregiver Training Package to Treat Food Selectivity

Abstract

Telehealth behavioral interventions are increasingly necessary when in-person services are not accessible (e.g., due to geographic location, time, cost, and health and safety restrictions). There is a growing evidence-base for the effectiveness of telehealth interventions but few demonstrations of telehealth interventions for pediatric feeding disorders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a telehealth caregiver training package to teach caregivers to implement a feeding intervention, in their home as primary interventionists, to treat their children’s food selectivity. To address some previously documented caregiver concerns regarding some intervention procedures (e.g., nonremoval of the spoon or escape extinction) and ensure caregivers could safely/feasibility implement intervention, the intervention included differential reinforcement of bites consumed within a 3-minute opportunity. All three caregivers demonstrated high levels of correct performance following training and all children demonstrated increases in the number of bites consumed and decreases in disruptive behaviors. Findings suggest training caregivers via telehealth may be a viable option to treat some children’s food selectivity without first requiring in-person services.