The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the use of sensory integration plus positive reinforcement would be more beneficial than the use of escape extinction plus positive reinforcement to increase overall acceptance of food and decrease negative mealtime behaviors in preschoolers with pediatric feeding disorders. Two preschool males participated in this investigation. The behavior being measured included the percentage of acceptance of undesired foods, duration of negative mealtime behaviors and the percentage of following sensory demands. The investigation took place at a pediatric multidisciplinary clinic in Bronx, New York. The investigation employed an alternating treatment design. Ultimately, the participants demonstrated positive changes in both conditions compared to the baseline. Both participants experienced higher acceptance of undesired foods in the escape extinction condition, and a decrease in negative mealtime behaviors, however, with several spikes and variability throughout. In the sensory integration condition, both participants experienced an increase in acceptance by the end of the investigation with very low negative mealtime behaviors. These findings support previous studies, which indicate that the use of sensory integration plus positive reinforcement is beneficial in treating children with pediatric feeding disorders to improve acceptance and decrease negative mealtime behaviors. This research also indicates the need for continued research with this population.
