Reduction in Feeding Problems and Impact on Family Following a 12-Week Interdisciplinary Group Feeding Intervention for Children With Feeding Problems and Their Caregivers

Abstract

Caregivers and their children with clinical levels of feeding problems participated in Picnic Group, an outpatient interdisciplinary family group treatment program for children with feeding disorders and their caregivers at a large regional pediatric hospital. The manualized treatment is based on an interdisciplinary systematic approach that draws from sensory integration, communication, and cognitive behavioral strategies (e.g., classical conditioning, systematic desensitization, communication of automatic thoughts) to increase pleasurable interactions with food over a 12-week period and includes caregiver and child intervention components. Escape extinction techniques such as nonremoval of the spoon were not used in treatment. Caregivers completed measures focused on their children’s feeding behaviors and family strain at baseline and at the end of the 12-week intervention. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests compared measures between baseline and the end of treatment. Results indicated that at the 12th week, caregivers generally reported one less feeding problem, fewer specific types of eating and mealtime problematic behaviors, and decreased impact of feeding problems on the family. Children were able to work up a hierarchy of food interactions with more foods per group session than at the first session. Caregivers of children with a developmental diagnosis showed the most decrease in caregiver strain. Outpatient interdisciplinary group treatment can decrease feeding problems and caregiver strain in families with children with feeding disorders.