Identifying feeding problems in mentally retarded persons: development andreliability of the screening tool of feeding problems (STEP)

Feeding problems are extremely common among individuals with mental retarda tion. Palmer, Thompson, and Linscheid (1975) estimate that 33% of persons w ith mental retardation have severe feeding difficulties or problems. Furthe rmore, the consequences of untreated feeding problems can be severe if not fatal. Despite these numbers, little has been done to systematically identi fy these problems. The Screening Tool of Feeding Problems (STEP) was develo ped as a means to identify feeding problems presented by persons with menta l retardation, and thus facilitate the process of identifying who would ben efit from some type of behavioral or medical intervention. Items included i n the STEP target feeding problems identified in the literature, in the are as of risk of aspiration, food selectivity, feeding skills deficits, food r efusal and associated behavior problems, and nutrition related behavior pro blems. The current study describes the construction of this scale, provides psychometric data including test-retest and cross rater reliability, and F actor analysis data. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.