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Behavioral Assessment of Pediatric Feeding Problems

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Handbook of Behavior, Food and Nutrition

Abstract

Pediatric feeding disorders are indicated if a child demonstrates eating behavior that results in insufficient weight gain or significant nutritional deficits, or if a child displays disruptive mealtime behavior that is distressing to caregivers. Feeding disorders are observed in approximately 25–45% of the general pediatric population and often have their origin in physiological conditions (e.g., anatomical or medical difficulties). However, even with adequate management of organic issues, mealtime behavior problems are frequently maintained by environmental factors, a circumstance that necessitates a behavioral approach to their evaluation and treatment. Behavioral assessment methods are utilized in both research and clinical practice to evaluate the nature and prevalence of feeding problems as well as to assess the relationship between mealtime behavior and environmental contingencies. A variety of tools and methods have been designed to identify the mealtime behaviors of young children that are associated with poor nutritional intake. These evaluation methods allow the user to gather information regarding presenting concerns, contributing factors, and maintaining stimuli. The most common methods for evaluating mealtime behavior include caregiver interviews, observational coding systems, and standardized caregiver self-report measures. Costs and benefits of each type of assessment are described in this chapter. As well, two observational coding systems and four caregiver-report measures are described in detail, including psychometric properties and indications for their use.

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Abbreviations

BAMBI:

Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory

BPFAS:

Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale

CEBI:

Children’s Eating Behavior Inventory

DINE:

Dyadic Interaction Nomenclature for Eating

GRSFS:

Global Rating Scale for Feeding Situations

IFS:

Infant Feeding Scale

MICS:

Mealtime Interaction Coding System

MOS:

Mealtime Observation Schedule

ORI-CEBI:

Oregon Research Institute Child Eating Behavior Inventory

STEP:

Screening Tool of Feeding Problems

T1DM:

Type 1 diabetes mellitus

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to acknowledge Jennifer Schneider for her assistance with this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing Center, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street & Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Colleen Taylor Lukens

Authors
  1. Colleen Taylor Lukens
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Correspondence to Colleen Taylor Lukens .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Nutrition & Dietetics, King's College, Stamford St. 150, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  2. Arizona Health Science Center, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public, University of Arizona, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Room 4335, Tucson, 85724-5155, Arizona, USA

    Ronald Ross Watson

  3. University of the West of Scotland, Ayr Campus, Ayr, KA8 0SR, United Kingdom

    Colin R. Martin

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Lukens, C.T. (2011). Behavioral Assessment of Pediatric Feeding Problems. In: Preedy, V., Watson, R., Martin, C. (eds) Handbook of Behavior, Food and Nutrition. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92271-3_215

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92271-3_215

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-92270-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-92271-3

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