Pediatric feeding disorders (PFDs) lack a universally accepted definition. Feeding disorders require comprehensive assessment and treatment of 4 closely related, complementary domains (medical, psychosocial, and feeding skill-based systems and associated nutritional complications). Previous diagnostic paradigms have, however, typically defined feeding disorders using the lens of a single professional discipline and fail to characterize associated functional limitations that are critical to plan appropriate interventions and improve quality of life. Using the framework of the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, a unifying diagnostic term is proposed: “Pediatric Feeding Disorder” (PFD), defined as impaired oral intake that is not age-appropriate, and is associated with medical, nutritional, feeding skill, and/or psychosocial dysfunction. By incorporating associated functional limitations, the proposed diagnostic criteria for PFD should enable practitioners and researchers to better characterize the needs of heterogeneous patient populations, facilitate inclusion of all relevant disciplines in treatment planning, and promote the use of common, precise, terminology necessary to advance clinical practice, research, and health-care policy.

To date, no standardized measures have been developed to evaluate the mealtime behavior of children with autism. The Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI) was designed to measure mealtime behavior problems observed in children with autism. Caregivers of 40 typically developing children and 68 children with autism completed the BAMBI, the Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS), the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS), the Youth/Adolescent Questionnaire (YAQ), and a 24-hour recall interview. The BAMBI demonstrated good internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, a clear factor structure, and strong construct and criterion-related validity in the measurement of mealtime behavior problems in children with autism.

The preponderance of evidence suggests positive effects of psychological intervention for the treatment of feeding problems. However, limited data and the paucity of studies using RCT methodologies limit conclusions that can be drawn regarding the efficacy of these interventions. Future studies using more rigorous research methods are needed to enhance understanding of these interventions.

These results offer preliminary support for parent-delivered massage therapy as an intervention for SCD pain.

An ABAC comparison of two treatment packages for food refusal, physical guidance and nonremoval of the spoon, was conducted with two children with limited food acceptance. Both of these treatment packages included prevention of escape from presented food. Subsequent to baseline, one of the two treatment packages was implemented for each child. The treatment packages were implemented ABAC for one child and ACAB for the other child. Once the percentage of bites accepted had increased to at least 75% with the initial exposure to a treatment package, that treatment was withdrawn with a subsequent exposure to the second treatment package. The results indicated that both treatment packages were effective in establishing food acceptance. Also, initial exposure to either of the two treatment packages facilitated acquisition of food acceptance during the second exposure. Parental preference of the treatment package may have been influenced by the order of exposure to the treatment conditions.

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Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are one of the prevalent co‐occurring issues in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), though the range of symptom frequency estimates varies dramatically across studies, which can limit the further research of GI issues in ASD as well as potential treatment strategies. The wide range of prevalence estimates is partly due to the lack of standardized, validated measures of GI symptoms among people with ASD. The goal of this study was to (1) develop a measure, which included non‐verbal and mealtime behaviors, to assess for GI symptoms and (2) evaluate its psychometric characteristics. This was accomplished by drawing on two existing tools, Autism Treatment Network Gastrointestinal Inventory and the Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory, and deriving new items, to create the “ASD Gastrointestinal and Related Behaviors Inventory” (ASD‐GIRBI). The ASD‐GIRBI was piloted in an online registry of families with a child with ASD. A psychometric analysis was carried out in a sample of 334 children aged 6–17 years with ASD, resulting in a 36‐item tool. The Cronbach's alpha for the overall scale was 0.88. Exploratory factor analysis identified a seven‐factor model (1. Bowel movement pain; 2. Aggressive or disruptive during mealtimes; 3. Particular with foods; 4. Abdominal pain and upset stomach; 5. Refusing food; 6. Constipation and encopresis; 7. Motor or other behaviors). Following validation in an independent sample with clinical evaluation of GI symptoms, this tool will be helpful for both research and clinical purposes.