Treatment of covert food stealing in an individual with Prader-Willi syndrome.

One child with Prader-Willi syndrome kept sneaking food when adults looked away.

The team put bright warning stickers on off-limits cabinets. If the child opened one, an adult gave a short, firm “No, that food is not yours.”

They tracked every sneak for weeks to see if the words plus the sticker cue would stop the behavior.

The moment the stickers and reprimands started, the sneaking dropped to zero.

It stayed at zero through the last check, with no extra rewards or locks needed.

Dimitropoulos et al. (2024) later helped kids with the same syndrome through remote pretend play. Their work shows you can now reach families online, but the 2000 study reminds us a two-second reprimand plus a visual cue still works in person.

Scior et al. (2023) reviewed feeding fixes for children with autism. Their paper pools many studies, so it quietly includes simple tactics like the one here—proof that brief adult responses are part of the larger feeding toolkit.

Connell et al. (2004) cut hidden sexual behavior with attention-based FCT. Both studies show that when covert acts are kept alive by adult attention, a quick, consistent adult consequence can pull the plug.

You do not need fancy gear to stop food sneaks in Prader-Willi syndrome. Slap on a bright warning label and deliver a calm, immediate reprimand. Check for sneak drops the next day; if it works, teach parents to do the same.