Parent-child Interaction Treatment for Preschoolers with Feeding Disorders

Background: This study examined the immediate outcome of Feeding Disorders (FD) in preschoolers referred to the family treatment program Cerco Asilo. Method: 21 children (mean age [SD=1]: 39 months [1]; range 9-65 months) with a diagnosis of FD were included in the treatment for 24 weeks. Specifically, seven subjects were diagnosed with Infantile Anorexia (IA), nine subjects with Sensory Food Aversion (SFA), and five subjects with Feeding Disorder of Caregiver-Infant Reciprocity (FDCIR). Results: The great majority of patients with SFA and with FDCIR resolved the FD, whereas children with IA did not respond well to the treatment. Limitations: The study's main limitations are the relatively small sample size, and the lack of a control group. Conclusions: Findings suggest that changes in the parent-child relationship could generally promote FD resolution, other than IA. These data may have implications for clinical practice suggesting the need to develop ad hoc intervention protocols tailored to children with IA and their families.