ESCAPE AS REINFORCEMENT AND ESCAPE EXTINCTION IN THE TREATMENT OF FEEDING PROBLEMS

• Published in: Journal of applied behavior analysis 2011-12, Vol.44 (4), p.719-735
• Main Authors: LaRue, Robert H., Stewart, Victoria, Piazza, Cathleen C., Volkert, Valerie M., Patel, Meeta R., Zeleny, Jason
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allied Health Personnel; Attention; Baby foods; Behavior; Behavior Modification; Behavior Problems; Behavior Therapy - methods; Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Child Behavior; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Developmental Disabilities; Disabilities; Diseases; Eating Habits; escape; escape extinction; Escape Reaction; Esophagus; Etiology; Extinction, Psychological; Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood - psychology; Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood - therapy; Feeding Behavior - psychology; feeding disorders; Female; Food; food refusal; food selectivity; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Gastroesophageal reflux; gastroesophageal reflux disease; Humans; Infant; Learning Processes; Male; Medical sciences; Mouth; Negative Reinforcement; Ostomy; Other diseases. Semiology; Outcomes of Treatment; pediatric feeding disorders; Pediatrics; Positive reinforcement; Probability; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reinforcement (Psychology); Studies; Therapists; transplant; Treatment Outcome; Treatments
• ISSN: 0021-8855; 1938-3703
• DOI: 10.1901/jaba.2011.44-719

Given the effectiveness of putative escape extinction as treatment for feeding problems, it is surprising that little is known about the effects of escape as reinforcement for appropriate eating during treatment. In the current investigation, we examined the effectiveness of escape as reinforcement for mouth clean (a product measure of swallowing), escape as reinforcement for mouth clean plus escape extinction (EE), and EE alone as treatment for the food refusal of 5 children. Results were similar to those of previous studies, in that reinforcement alone did not result in increases in mouth clean or decreases in inappropriate behavior (e.g., Piazza, Patel, Gulotta, Sevin, & Layer, 2003). Increases in mouth clean and decreases in inappropriate behavior occurred when the therapist implemented EE independent of the presence or absence of reinforcement. Results are discussed in terms of the role of negative reinforcement in the etiology and treatment of feeding problems.