The Effects of Behavioural Skills Training on a Parent-Implemented Feeding Treatment via Telehealth

Abstract

Extensive research has established the effectiveness of in-person behavioural skills training (BST; i.e., instruction, modeling, rehearsal, feedback) to teach individuals to perform a variety of novel skills, including how to implement behaviour analytic treatments for food selectivity. To date, no study has evaluated the effects of a telehealth BST training package to teach parents to serve as primary interventionists and implement a feeding treatment with their child at home. We used a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effectiveness of a telehealth BST training package to teach parents to implement a sequential presentation and nonremoval of the spoon feeding treatment with their child in their home. We found the telehealth BST training package was an effective means of teaching parents to implement a feeding treatment and contribute to the existing literature on parent-implemented feeding treatments to increase children’s consumption of low-preferred food. Results are discussed within the context of treatment implications and suggestions for future research.