Joseph Vedora, BEACON Services
Robert Ross, BEACON Services
Kelly Kelm, BEACON Services

Children with autism and other disabilities frequently do not eat a variety of foods, eating only a few very specific foods. Additionally, many children are extremely resistant to trying different foods and attempts to introduce new foods often result in problem behaviors. This can have serious health implications for some children, as the foods they eat may not provide sufficient nutrients. Food refusal can also be extremely stressful for parents, and while effective strategies supported by research exist, these may be difficult for parents to implement. Our recent work with picture activity schedules suggests that this may be an easy to implement and viable alternative to other more complex procedures. We describe a case study in which introduction of a picture activity schedule significantly increased the types of foods eaten by a young boy with autism, and we offer suggestions for parents and educators interested in implementing such picture schedules.

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