Event Details

Food selectivity is common among children with and without disabilities and can be highly stressful for families. It is, however, amenable to treatment, and this treatment need not rely on intrusive procedures.

In this course, attendees will learn about an assessment and treatment process that focuses on empowering the child in mealtime situations and then shaping progressively braver food-related choices, using synthesized reinforcers, emphasizing client choice, and without the use of escape extinction. This approach has been demonstrated to increase the variety of foods consumed without evoking problem behavior or routinely eliciting negative emotional responding (Gover et al., 2023). Modifications for specific client needs and considerations for performance-based decision-making will be discussed.

Note: This assessment and treatment process is suitable for clients who have been medically cleared to receive behavioral intervention for food selectivity (i.e., there are no identifiable medical explanations for eating problems) and who are able to chew and swallow table-texture foods.

Attendees will be able to:

1. Describe a safe and comprehensive behavioral assessment process for understanding variables influencing selective eating and mealtime problem behavior.
2. Articulate why reliance on escape extinction may not be in line with the values of Today’s ABA.
3. Describe the three phases of the treatment process: Bite-shaping, meal-building, and extension to parents/caregivers.
4. Describe the core components of treatment: Shaping using synthesized reinforcers, with embedded choice-making opportunities and prompting, and without the use of escape extinction.
5. Describe ways in which choices may be offered to clients with differing skill sets, such as those with limited choice-making and/or verbal repertoires.
6. Describe the types of prompts to be considered, including conditions under which physical prompting should and should not be used.
7. Describe problem-solving tactics to consider when progress slows or stalls.

Attendance in this presentation meets the requirements for 4 BACB CEUs.

About the Presenter

Dr. Kelsey Ruppel, BCBA, LABA

Dr. Ruppel’s work focuses on the practical functional assessment and skill-based treatment of problem behavior, as well as preventing the development of severe problem behavior in young children with autism.

She began her career as a teaching assistant in a specialized school for students with developmental disabilities and eventually served as a school-based special education teacher, BCBA, and curriculum supervisor. She has also implemented and supervised in-home ABA programming, taught courses as a faculty fellow at Western New England University, served as the Associate Director of Dr. Hanley’s Life Skills Clinic at Western New England University, and served as a BCBA at an inpatient hospital program for children with severe problem behavior.

Kelsey has served as a consultant to a range of organizations, including schools, in-home and outpatient clinic providers, and residential programs.

Event Schedule

Friday, September 20, 2024

9 am – 1 pm Pacific Time

Cost, Discounts, & Bursaries

Early Bird Rate until June 27, 2024: $175

Regular rate starting June 28, 2024: $200

CEU Rate: $20 (i.e., 5 per Unit) for BCBAs = $195 (Early Bird Ticket) and $220 (Regular Ticket)

*Last day to register is September 16 at 11:59pm, 2024

Group Discounts

Registering 3 or more attendees at a time? Receive a 10% discount!

Friends of ACT Receive 10% Off

Join here to become a Friend of ACT. This FREE program keeps you up to date with all the latest events and resources from ACT, and provides a 10% discount on a single ticket for all events.

Bursaries

ACT is committed to ensuring equitable access to all our events. Bursaries are offered to mitigate financial barriers to registration. Full bursaries are specifically allocated for Indigenous individuals or those affiliated with organizations supporting Indigenous communities. We strongly encourage you to apply for bursaries promptly as funds are limited.

Apply by completing ACT’s Bursary Form by September 13, 2024. If you identify as Indigenous, or work for an Indigenous organization, complete our Bursary Form for Indigenous Communities.

Donate to our bursary fund.

Please note that ACT cannot offer a bursary for the CEUs because they are provided by BC-ABA.

Autism Funding

If you intend to utilize your child’s Autism Funding to cover your registration fees, ACT can directly invoice the Autism Funding Branch on your behalf. However, if you’re paying upfront with the intention of seeking reimbursement, it’s imperative to obtain prior approval from the Autism Funding Branch.

For information on how to register with your Autism Funding, visit Workshop Registration Using Autism Funding.