Interventions for Increasing Acceptance of New Foods Among Children and Adults with Developmental Disorders: A Systematic Review

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 49; no. 9; pp. 3504 - 3525
• Main Authors: Chawner, L. R., Blundell-Birtill, P., Hetherington, M. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.09.2019; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Acceptance; Adults; Analysis; Autism; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Change; Child and School Psychology; Children; Children with disabilities; Desensitization; Developmental disabilities; Developmental disorders; Diet; Dietetics; Eating Habits; Environmental Influences; Family Influence; Food; Food habits; Health aspects; Intervention; Learning; Neurosciences; Nutrition; Operant Conditioning; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Program Effectiveness; Psychology; Public Health; Systematic review; Eating behaviour; Developmental disorder; Dietary variety; Selective eating
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04075-0

People with developmental disorders (DD) often display high levels of selective eating, which can result in micronutrient deficiencies. It is therefore essential to explore ways to increase dietary variety in this population. To identify different types of interventions promoting increased acceptance of new foods or dietary variety for DD populations and to determine their effectiveness. Thirty-six studies met criteria for inclusion in the review. Twenty-two types of intervention were identified with 34 studies being reported as effective and 33 of these incorporating components drawn from learning theory. Multi-component interventions centred on operant conditioning, systematic desensitisation and changes to environment and familial practices were reported as effective for individuals.