Improving Healthy Eating of Children With Autism in a School Setting

Brief Summary

Detailed Description

Food Preference Inventory: A survey of food preference and eating habits, developed by the experimenter, will be provided to the parents/guardians of prospective participants. The Food Preference Inventory is anticipated to take between 10 and 20 mins to complete. The parent/guardian of the prospective participant is asked to return toe inventory to the school if 1) the parent/guardian gives permission for his/her child to participate and 2) if the child does not have a food allergy. General Procedures: Each day of the study (1-5 days per week), school staff will offer participants a small portion of a fruit or vegetable (about 1/8 cup) to eat during lunch time. The participant will have about 5 min to consume the item before it is recollected by school staff. Baseline: The fruit or vegetable is presented with the participants lunch. Eating the item produces no programmed consequences. Single Item Presentation: The fruit or vegetable is presented before the participants lunch (about 5 min). Eating the item produces no programmed consequences. Single Item Presentation + Modeling: The fruit or vegetable is presented before the participants lunch (about 5 min). School staff will model eating the food item. Single Item Presentation + Token Economy: The fruit or vegetable is presented before the participants lunch (about 5 min). Eating the item will produce a token (e.g., a sticker or hole punch). Once the student collects a few tokens (e.g., 3-5), he/she can exchange the tokens for a small price (e.g., pencil or crayon). Data Collection: Data will be collected by school staff. Staff will record whether each participant consume the fruit or vegetable item. Safety Procedures: School staff will monitor lunch - as they typically do.

Primary Outcomes