Plate a-plate b: Use of sequential presentation in the treatment of food selectivity

This study examined the effects of sequential presentation of foods on increasing acceptance of novel foods in a 16-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder residing in a short-term behavioral stabilization unit. The participant ate only 10 foods and one beverage prior to treatment. The intervention involved presenting a plate containing pea-sized bites of novel foods (Plate A) and a plate containing spoonful-sized bites of highly preferred foods (Plate B). After the participant consumed a bite from Plate A, he chose a bite from Plate B and was given a preferred beverage. The intervention, involving sequential presentation and establishing operations without the use of escape extinction, was successful in increasing the number of foods eaten from 10 to 24 while not increasing his maladaptive behaviors.