In previous blogs I talked about some of the
applications of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and its use with autism. But I
also tried to emphasize that ABA is not synonymous with treatment for autism.
In fact, ABA can be applied to any situation where a behavior change is
desired. And of course, the principles and strategies can be applied in every
day parenting. Picky eating is a great example of this. The same systematic techniques combined with
positive reinforcement used to teach any skill can be used to address picky
eating. If your child has a severe aversion to a certain food item, start with
baby steps by breaking down each task into very small reachable components. For
example, you can start by just having the undesired food on the table. Get the
child used to having it there next to his other food and seeing other people
eat it. Once he accepts the food on the table, you can move on to having him
smell it, bringing it closer to his mouth. Remember that every successful step
needs to be rewarded with, for example, a bite of a preferred food it (i.e.
“First you smell the broccoli, then you can have Gold Fish.”).
Possible next steps can be to have the child lick
the broccoli, getting him used to the taste. After that, move on to taking a
bite. He may not even chew or swallow the food, just take a bite and spit it
out. Remember, we are breaking this down into tiny achievable steps. After the
child agrees to take a bite, you can move on to swallowing and so on and so forth
until the child agrees to eat the broccoli.
The same principles and strategies can be
implemented with problems such as brushing teeth, sleep in own bed, toilet
training, etc.
These baby steps may not be necessary with a
typically developing child. Most of the smaller steps can be bypassed and the
idea is simply to convey to the child that he at least needs to try the food
before saying he doesn’t like it. If the child tries and does not like it, he
can have a reward of something else to eat, then slowly move up towards eating
more than one bite of the food the child refuses to eat. Eventually, you will
be able to say to your child “you can’t have your dessert until you eat dinner”
and the child will get the point. Most
children will usually give in to eating something over going hungry.
Always keep in mind that some food aversions can
be related to allergies and should be checked with a doctor. Also, even adults
have food preferences so if your child really does not like a certain vegetable
there is no reason to ever force a food on a child. Be realistic with your
expectations and relax.
Good parenting almost always involves offering
choices and a loving approach that focuses on “the good” rather than “the bad”.
Love is the most powerful tool of
discipline.
Daniel Adatto, BCBA
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