Incorporating Trauma-informed Care and Novel Populations 

Food selectivity is a pervasive problem among children and adolescents, particularly with individuals on the autism spectrum. In 2020, I described a model for assessing and treating food selectivity that leveraged synthesized reinforcers, choice-making opportunities, and shaping without escape extinction to increase consumption of novel foods. In this follow-up presentation, I will described on-going research on extensions of this model to novel settings and populations. Modifications to the model will be described when conducting the process in preschools and general education settings, and when working with individuals without robust communication and adolescents. In addition, I will discuss how feeding interventions can incorporate trauma-informed care commitments to increase safety and feasibility. Implications and suggestions for practitioners looking to address food selectivity in applied settings will be discussed.

Learning Objectives

1.    An attendee should be able to describe how to modify treatment procedures when working with individuals without strong language skills and with adolescents.

2.    An attendee should be able to describe how to incorporate trauma-informed care commitments into their interventions for food selectivity.

About the Presenter

Holly C. Gover

Dr. Holly Gover has been working with individuals with and without developmental disabilities in homes, schools, and clinics for the past eight years. She received her M.S. in Applied Behavior Analysis at California State University, Northridge under the advisement of Dr. Tara Fahmie. She received her Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis at Western New England University under the advisement of Dr. Greg Hanley, where she conducted research on the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior and food selectivity. Dr. Gover is passionate about evaluating treatments that allow clients autonomy within therapeutic processes. She continues to support practitioners and conduct research on treating food selectivity and associated mealtime behavior safely and effectively. Dr. Gover currently works at Ivymount School outside of Washington DC.