Treating food and liquid refusal in an adolescent with aspergergs disorder

Food refusal is a complicated condition that has both medical and social implications. In this study, a 16-year-old boy with Aspergergs disorder, dependent on gastrostromy tube feedings for 9 years, is treated with a behavioral intervention. The intervention consists of several components, including stimulus fading for both solids and liquids, a token economy for solids, and an escape prevention component for liquids. Before treatment, the participant consumes three different foods and water. After treatment, the participant is consuming 78 foods and 13 beverages. At the end of 14 days of treatment, all of the participantgs intakes are received orally, tube feedings are eliminated, and the patient has gained more than 1 pound on oral feedings. The intervention is generalized to both home and school settings, and maintenance of treatment gains is reported by parents 3 months after the end of treatment.