Psychonutritional approach to a case of Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22544/rcps.v45i01.15Keywords:
Feeding and Eating Disorder, Eating Behavior, Behavior Modification, Behavior Therapy, Nutritional StatusAbstract
The psycho-nutritional approach is presented to modify food selectivity and change the diagnosis of malnutrition in a clinical case of a five-year-old girl with Avoidance-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in the context of confinement due to COVID-19. The initial evaluation led to the design of an intervention made up of eating behavior modification techniques with the following objectives: establish feeding schedules, establish meal frequency of 3-5 through positive reinforcement; and, acquire the behavior of trying and consuming new foods through mere exposure and chaining. Once the desired frequency and duration of these behaviors was obtained, the token economy technique was implemented for its maintenance. The extinction technique was used to eliminate other unwanted behaviors, such as spitting food, crying, throwing food, etc. The intervention lasted 30 days divided into 3 cycles of 10 days each; Treatment follow-up was carried out 30 and 60 days later; The final evaluation was carried out 6 months after the intervention. The results showed a sustained increase in the behavior of trying and consuming new foods. The timing and frequency of the eating episodes remained constant according to the stated objective. Behavior modification techniques were effective in observing changes in the girl’s eating behavior. At the end of the intervention, the patient reached the appropriate height and weight for her age.References
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