Inappropriate mealtime behavior: the effects of noncontingent access to preferred tangibles on responding in functional analyses.
Free toys during a feeding FA can hide or boost problem behavior, so run toy-free conditions to see the real function.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Koegel et al. (2014) ran a feeding functional analysis with a twist.
They put a favorite toy on the table during every condition.
The goal was to see if free toys changed the results.
What they found
Most kids showed less screaming, gagging, or throwing food.
One child showed more problem behavior when the toy stayed in reach.
The toy acted like extra reinforcement and muddied the true function.
How this fits with other research
Saini et al. (2019) reviewed 86 feeding FAs and found escape ruled 92 % of the time.
Koegel et al. (2014) fits that picture, but only when toys were absent.
Saini et al. (2024) now offers a 10-minute screening FA that keeps the table clear; it still spots escape quickly without the toy confound.
Kirkwood et al. (2021) went a step further: after a clear FA they treated multiply-controlled refusal with matched DR plus extinction.
Together the chain is clear: control the environment, find the function, then match the treatment.
Why it matters
If you leave a tablet, car, or doll on the tray you may mask or magnify the problem.
Run at least one FA condition without any competing tangibles.
If you must include toys for safety or parent peace, add a toy-free probe later.
A clean FA keeps escape in view and saves you weeks of wrong treatment later.
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Join Free →Remove all preferred items from the table during the next escape condition of your feeding FA and compare the rate of refusal.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
An understanding of the functional variables associated with inappropriate mealtime behavior (IMB) is critical to developing an effective and efficient treatment for food refusal. To this aim, functional analysis methodology has been modified for the meal context, and previous research has shown that multiple sources of reinforcement maintain IMB. Functional analysis literature, related to severe problem behavior, suggests that access to preferred stimuli may abolish or compete with social reinforcers in some cases. The role of noncontingent access to preferred stimuli during the assessment of IMB has not been evaluated. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects noncontingent access to preferred toys/activities on IMB in the presence and absence of social consequences. The specific aims were to evaluate: (1) levels of IMB when the spoon is held stationary at the child's lips when preferred tangible stimuli are present noncontingently vs. absent; (2) levels of IMB when social consequences were provided contingent upon IMB when preferred tangible stimuli are present noncontingently vs. absent. For many participants, levels of IMB were reduced with the inclusion of preferred toys/activities; while for one, levels of IMB increased. Possible implications of these findings on functional analyses of IMB will be discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.08.016