Abstract
Two methods of food presentation (simultaneous and sequential) were compared in an adapted alternating treatment design to determine effects on consumption of target foods for three children with autism in a school setting. Preferred and nonpreferred target foods were nominated by parents, and consumption of reported preferred and nonpreferred foods was directly tested. Preferred and nonpreferred foods were then paired together and assigned to one of two conditions. In the simultaneous condition, bites of preferred and nonpreferred food were presented at the same time, with the nonpreferred food placed behind or inside the preferred food. In the sequential condition, a bite of preferred food was delivered contingent on consumption of a bite of nonpreferred food. Consumption increased in the sequential condition for two out of three participants. Implications for treatment of food selectivity in a school setting are discussed.
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This study describes two simple interventions to increase consumption of nonpreferred foods that can be implemented in a classroom setting
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These data contribute to previous studies comparing sequential versus simultaneous presentation of foods by conducting the procedures in participants’ natural setting
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Results indicate the efficacy of sequential presentation of preferred and nonpreferred foods without the use of escape extinction
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Results also suggest further research comparing sequential versus simultaneous food presentation is warranted, given the few direct comparisons that currently exist and their overall mixed results regarding relative efficacy
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Data Availability
Data are available from first author upon request.
Notes
Video of Eva’s baseline sessions was not available.
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Author Notes
This manuscript was completed in partial fulfillment of a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis at Regis College by the first author. We thank Rachel Pinkhamn, Kendra Penney, Brittany Ashdown, and Kirsten Lally for their assistance in conducting sessions and scoring interobserver agreement.
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Davis, M., Slaton, J., MacDonald, J. et al. Comparing Simultaneous and Sequential Food Presentation to Increase Consumption of Novel Target Foods. Behav Analysis Practice 16, 1124–1137 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00789-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00789-x