Evaluation of a food rigidity program

Over the last decade, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has risen to epidemic portions. Currently, 1.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with autism. The three domains that are affected by autism are social, behavioral, and commutative. Although there is currently no cure for autism, research has shown that young children with autism and other related disorders benefit considerably from intensive home-based behavioral intervention that has been founded on the principles of applied behavior analysis. This study examined the effectiveness of a food rigidity program, which uses a token economy and shaping to increase food acceptance in two children diagnosed with autism. Both participants demonstrated food refusal behaviors and were receiving applied behavior analytic-based services from a Non Public Agency (NPA) in Southern California. To evaluate the effectiveness of this program, data were collected by the behavioral therapist and was analyzed to see if the food rigidity program increased food consumption in two children diagnosed with autism. The effects of the food rigidity program were examined. The results from the evaluation indicated that the token economy and shaping intervention was effective in increasing food acceptance in both participants