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An Initial Evaluation of Trial-Based Functional Analyses of Inappropriate Mealtime Behavior

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Abstract

Treatment of inappropriate mealtime behavior (IMB) should involve a functional analysis to determine variables maintaining the target behaviors. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the trial-based functional analysis of IMB and assess correspondence of the results with a traditional functional analysis. The participants were two boys, ages 3 and 5 years old, diagnosed with developmental disabilities. A trial-based functional analysis and traditional analogue functional analysis of IMB were conducted with each participant, with the order of functional analyses counterbalanced across participants. The trial-based functional analysis resulted in differentially higher levels of IMB in one or more test conditions, indicating a social function of IMB for both participants. In addition, the results of the trial-based and traditional functional analysis corresponded for both participants. The subsequent function-based intervention, developed based on the results of the trial-based functional analysis, was associated with a decrease in IMB and an increase in appropriate feeding behaviors for both participants. The results of this study provide initial support for the use of trial-based functional analysis to assess the function of IMB.

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There is no funding to report for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA

    Abby Hodges, Stephanie Gerow, Tonya N. Davis, Supriya Radhakrishnan, Amy Feind, Nicole OGuinn & Christy Prawira

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  1. Abby Hodges
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  2. Stephanie Gerow
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  3. Tonya N. Davis
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  4. Supriya Radhakrishnan
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  5. Amy Feind
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  6. Nicole OGuinn
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  7. Christy Prawira
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Correspondence to Abby Hodges.

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Ethical Approval

Ethical Approval was obtained from the University's Review Board prior to the start of the study. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from the caregivers of all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Hodges, A., Gerow, S., Davis, T.N. et al. An Initial Evaluation of Trial-Based Functional Analyses of Inappropriate Mealtime Behavior. J Dev Phys Disabil 30, 391–408 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-018-9592-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-018-9592-2

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