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Broccoli Boot Camp is a comprehensive guide for parents of children who are selective or picky eaters, and can be used with children with or without special needs (e.g, autism or Down syndrome). It presents commonsense behavioral interventions to successfully expand children's diet variety and preferences for healthy foods.
The book starts with the simple premise that when children are encouraged to taste and consume tiny portions of new foods, repeatedly and with lessening resistance, they learn to accept and enjoy the foods as part of their regular diets. Real-life, compelling case studies and abundant research findings support the authors' advice on how to overcome a child's selective eating. It describes ways to increase compliance, factors to consider when choosing an intervention, and strategies to shape behavior.
Finally, five intervention plans are presented with step-by-step procedures, modifications, and tips on maximizing success. Parents can choose the intervention which works best for their family's circumstances. The book also contains forms to track data, incentives, and meals, and a behavior contract to use with older children. Broccoli Boot Camp gives parents the tools they need to promote healthy eating for their child as well as improve the family mealtime experience!
This second edition includes updated references, two new interventions plans, and an expanded discussion of nutrient deficiencies along with recommendations for preventing and treating them. Other updates include clarifications on modeling. There is also a guide for clinicians at the end of the book.
"Feeding their children is perhaps the most basic job assigned to parents but also one that can be the most challenging. The consequences of inadequate nutrition multiply quickly and the ways determined children can defy parental efforts to promote good eating habits are many and maddening. Although billed as a book for parents, and it is truly an invaluable resource for them, it is also a tremendous resource for the professionals who serve them."
-Patrick C. Friman, Ph.D., ABPP, Vice President of Behavioral Health, Boys Town Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, UNMC
"The book is brimming with good advice and stories about children who struggle with selective eating issues and their families. The authors’ wisdom, depth of knowledge, and experience is evident in their sensible recommendations."
-Claire Wurtzel, learning disability specialist, and co-educational director of the Hidden Sparks Program
"This is an incredibly well-researched, informative, and accessible resource for parents challenged by selective eating. Broccoli Boot Camp is a must read, whether your child is a picky eater or demonstrates more significant issues. This step-by-step approach, firmly grounded in applied behavior analysis and replete with practical strategies and case examples, is the soil in which real and lasting change can take root!"
-David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Association for Science in Autism Treatment
“Broccoli Boot Camp is the comprehensive guide for the treatment of severe selective eating. Detailed and precise, yet accessible and interesting, it empowers parents to fundamentally change the health trajectory of their child’s life.”
-Sabrina Freeman, Ph.D., author of The Complete Guide to Autism Treatments, Science for Sale in the Autism Wars, and Teach Me Language, and parent of a child with selective eating
Introduction vii
CHAPTER 1 Selective Eating 1
CHAPTER 2 The Role of Repeated Taste Exposure 13
CHAPTER 3 “Mealtime Battles” 19
CHAPTER 4 Do Not Become Preoccupied with Amount 29
CHAPTER 5 Adaptations for Children Who Are Underweight and Overweight 33
CHAPTER 6 Autism Spectrum Disorders and Selective Eating 39
CHAPTER 7 Sensory Issues and Selective Eating 45
CHAPTER 8 Diet Considerations 49
CHAPTER 9 Factors That Can Affect Eating 59
CHAPTER 10 Why and How Interventions Work: Components Used before Tasting 71
CHAPTER 11 Why and How Interventions Work: Using Reinforcement and Ignoring 89
CHAPTER 12 Before You Develop an Intervention 101
CHAPTER 13 Plan 1: A Structured Meal Plan Using Modeling, Praise, and Food Choice 107
CHAPTER 14 Plan 2: The Family Meal 115
CHAPTER 15 Plan 3: Plate A-Plate B 123
CHAPTER 16 Plan 4: Taste Sessions 139
CHAPTER 17 Plan 5: Taste Sessions with a Required Bite 147
CHAPTER 18 Hierarchical Interventions: How They Work and How Sometimes They Do Not 157
CHAPTER 19 Adaptations for Older Children 161
Conclusion 167
Appendix A Mealtime Data Sheet 170
Appendix B Food Exposure Data Sheet 171
Appendix C Taste Session Data Sheet 172
Appendix D Visual Supports 173
Appendix E Sample Behavioral Contract and Weekly Data Sheet 176
Appendix F Good Behavior Chart 180
Appendix G Helpful Nutrition Resources 181
References 182
Index 194
About the Authors 197