The effects of a behavioral skills training and general‐case training package on caregiver implementation of a food selectivity intervention

Alaimo and team taught parents how to run a feeding program at home. They used behavioral skills training plus general-case training.

General-case training means parents practiced the steps with many foods, plates, and places. The goal was accurate follow-through later.

Parents hit high accuracy during meals and kept most of it later. Kids took more bites and had less crying or refusal.

The package worked for food selectivity and the gains held partly after coaching ended.

Burrell et al. (2023) later tested the same idea with autism families in the MEAL Plan. They found moms with more school and kids who talk more did best.

Richman et al. (2001) had parents do escape extinction plus praise years earlier, but without the clear BST steps. Their kids also ate more, yet parent errors were not tracked.

Aherne et al. (2019) showed some staff lose skill after BST unless they use a self-check. Alaimo added general-case training instead, and parents kept most of their accuracy.

You can copy this package next week. Teach the feeding steps with live model, practice, and feedback. Then run trials across different foods, bowls, and rooms the same day. This front-loads variability so parents are ready for real life. Expect fewer phone-backs and faster eating gains.