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CASE REPORT article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Autism
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1455356
This article is part of the Research Topic Case Reports in Autism: 2023 View all 6 articles

Multicomponent intervention for severe food selectivity in autism spectrum disorder: a single case study

Provisionally accepted
Roberta Maggio Roberta Maggio 1Laura Turriziani Laura Turriziani 1Silvana Suraniti Silvana Suraniti 2Maria Graziano Maria Graziano 3Santina Patanè Santina Patanè 1Anna Maria Randazzo Anna Maria Randazzo 1Claudio Passantino Claudio Passantino 1Marcella Di Cara Marcella Di Cara 4*Angelo Quartarone Angelo Quartarone 4Francesca Cucinotta Francesca Cucinotta 4
  • 1 Other, Messina, Italy
  • 2 Other, Enna, Italy
  • 3 Other, Bari, Italy
  • 4 IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Messina, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Food selectivity is common in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The treatment used can be invasive and difficult to implement, necessitating the exploration of a multicomponent approaches. This study presents the case of a 9-year-old autistic girl with severe food selectivity, who ate exclusively liquid and semi-solid foods. A multicomponent intervention protocol was developed, including stimulus fading and positive reinforcement techniques, to increase acceptance of new textures and foods. Treatment sessions showed significant improvement in acceptance of semi-solid and novel foods, with a reduction in problem behaviors associated with mealtime. This study suggests that a multicomponent intervention can significantly improve food acceptance and reduce mealtime distress, proving to be a practical and effective treatment strategy in an autistic child. The case demonstrates the effectiveness of an integrated, individualized approach to treating food selectivity in children with ASD. The intervention led to an increase in food acceptance and a reduction in mealtimerelated distress, potentially improving the child and family's quality of life.

    Keywords: Applied behavior analysis, Feeding disorders, Food selectivity, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rehabilitation, intervention, Individualized treatment

    Received: 26 Jun 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Maggio, Turriziani, Suraniti, Graziano, Patanè, Randazzo, Passantino, Di Cara, Quartarone and Cucinotta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Marcella Di Cara, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Messina, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.