If mealtimes are stressful in your home, you’re not alone. Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience feeding difficulties, including refusing foods, eating only a very small range of items, avoiding certain textures, or becoming upset during meals. These challenges can affect not only nutrition, but also family routines and quality of life.
The good news is that research—especially from the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA)—shows that feeding skills can be taught. One helpful way to understand and support your child is to think of eating as a series of small, learnable steps, rather than a single skill.
Eating Is More Than Just Taking a Bite
For many children, eating happens automatically. For children with ASD, however, eating often involves overcoming sensory sensitivities, motor challenges, and anxiety. Instead of seeing food refusal as “stubbornness” or “picky eating,” it can be more helpful to view eating as a chain of steps, such as:
- Looking at the food
- Sitting near the food
- Touching or picking up the food
- Smelling the food
- Bringing the food to the lips
- Taking a small bite
- Chewing
- Swallowing
- Eating independently
- Tolerating and accepting new foods
Some children may be comfortable with early steps (like looking or touching) but struggle with later ones (like chewing or swallowing). Progress happens when we support each step, one at a time.
How Behavior-Based Feeding Support Helps
Behavior-based feeding interventions focus on teaching skills gently and systematically, using encouragement and positive experiences. Here are some key ideas from research that can help parents understand what effective feeding support looks like.
- Understanding Why Mealtimes Are Hard
Before starting any feeding plan, professionals often try to understand why a child avoids eating. Some children refuse food to escape uncomfortable sensations, while others may become upset because meals feel unpredictable or overwhelming.
What this means for parents: When we understand the reason behind food refusal, we can respond more effectively and compassionately—rather than pushing too fast or giving up entirely.
- Taking Small Steps Toward Eating
Research shows that children are more successful when food is introduced gradually. This might mean starting with just tolerating a new food on the plate, then touching it, then smelling it—before ever expecting a bite.
What this means for parents: Your child does not need to eat a new food right away to make progress. Even small interactions with food count as success.
- Using Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement—praise, preferred toys, or fun activities—can help children feel motivated and successful during meals. Studies show that rewarding small steps toward eating can increase acceptance of foods over time.
What this means for parents: Celebrate every win, no matter how small. A lick, a bite, or even sitting calmly at the table can be reinforced and built upon.
- Expanding Food Variety Over Time
JABA research supports the use of structured, step-by-step plans to help children accept new foods, textures, and flavors. These plans often combine several strategies to help children move beyond a very limited diet.
What this means for parents: With consistency and support, children can learn to eat more foods—even if progress feels slow at first.
- Parent Involvement Is Key
Studies show that children make better progress when parents are taught how to use feeding strategies at home. When caregivers understand the steps to eating and how to respond calmly to challenges, skills are more likely to generalize beyond therapy sessions.
What this means for parents: You are a powerful part of your child’s success. Learning simple strategies and staying consistent can make a big difference.
A Gentle, Step-by-Step Approach to Feeding
If your child struggles with eating, a supportive plan may include:
- Identifying where your child is in the “steps to eating”
- Setting realistic, small goals
- Encouraging interaction with food without pressure
- Reinforcing effort and progress
- Slowly building toward bites and chewing
- Practicing consistently at home
- Adjusting the plan as your child grows and changes
Final Thoughts for Parents
Feeding difficulties can be exhausting and emotional—but they are not your fault, and your child is not choosing to struggle. Research shows that with patience, structure, and evidence-based support, children with ASD can develop stronger feeding skills over time.
Progress may be slow, and that’s okay. Every step toward eating is meaningful. With the right support, mealtimes can become calmer, healthier, and more positive for your entire family.
Bibliography
- Piazza, C. C., Fisher, W. W., Brown, K. A., Shore, B. A., Patel, M. R., Katz, R. M., Sevin, B. M., Gulotta, C. S., & Blakely-Smith, A.
Functional analysis of inappropriate mealtime behaviors. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 36(2), 187–204. DOI:10.1901/jaba.2003.36-187.
— Foundational research on analyzing why feeding problems occur and how function-based assessment informs treatment. ERIC+1 - LaRue, R. H., Stewart, V., Piazza, C. C., Volkert, V. M., Patel, M. R., & Zeleny, J.
Escape as reinforcement and escape extinction in the treatment of feeding problems. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44(4), 719–735. DOI:10.1901/jaba.2011.44-719.
— Classic study showing how escape from eating can maintain refusal, and how behavior-analytic treatments can address this. PubMed - Rivas, K. D., Piazza, C. C., Patel, M. R., & Bachmeyer, M. H.
Spoon distance fading with and without escape extinction as treatment for food refusal. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43, 673–683. DOI:10.1901/jaba.2010.43-673.
— Demonstrates the use of stimulus fading strategies to increase food acceptance in feeding interventions. Brock University - Patel, M. R., Reed, G. K., Piazza, C. C., Bachmeyer, M. H., Layer, S. A., & Pabico, R. S.
Use of a high-probability instructional sequence to increase acceptance of food and decrease inappropriate behavior in children with pediatric feeding disorders. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 35, 527–537. DOI:10.1901/jaba.2012.45-527.
— Example of antecedent-based intervention for increasing food acceptance. ResearchGate - Najdowski, A. C., Wallace, M. D., Penrod, B., Tarbox, J., Reagon, K., & Higbee, T. S.
Caregiver-conducted experimental functional analyses of inappropriate mealtime behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 41, 459–465.
— Shows that parents can be trained to conduct functional assessments that guide behavior-analytic feeding plans. ERIC - Ahearn, W. H., Kerwin, M. E., Eicher, P. S., Shantz, J., & Swearingin, W.
An alternating treatments comparison of two intensive interventions for food refusal. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 29, 321–332.
— One of the earlier JABA feeding studies comparing intensive treatment approaches. PubMed