Treating food refusal in a child with Williams syndrome using the parent as therapist in the home setting

The present authors examined the effectiveness of a behavioural interventio n which included escape extinction and differential reinforcement of each b ite eaten to treat non-organic food refusal in a child with Williams syndro me. The intervention was implemented by the child's mother in the home duri ng normal meal schedules. The child was not allowed to leave the meal situa tion for a predetermined time period and was praised by the mother for each bite consumed. The intervention was evaluated using a multiple baseline de sign across meals (i.e. breakfast and lunch). The results demonstrate an in crease in food consumed and decreases in other inappropriate behaviours. Th e mother continued to implement the treatment successfully during follow-up assessments up to 3 months after the intervention. This is a minimally int rusive intervention in comparison to typical treatments for nonorganic food refusal in children with intellectual disabilities.