Engaged Eaters Program-Early Development (EEP-ED) Delivered via Telehealth for Young Autistic Children: A Clinical Case Study.

This study looked at a feeding program called EEP-ED delivered online for a 28-month-old autistic toddler with eating difficulties. The program taught parents strategies to help their child at mealtimes. The child learned to eat 14 new foods and drink and eat independently. The mother felt more confident, less stressed, and was very satisfied with the online program. This suggests telehealth feeding programs may help autistic children and reduce family stress around mealtimes.

This case study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of the Engaged Eaters Program-Early Development (EEP-ED) delivered via telehealth for a 28-month-old autistic toddler with feeding difficulties. The caregiver-mediated intervention focused on family-centered feeding goals measured using Goal Attainment Scaling. Results showed successful achievement of feeding goals, including expansion of dietary repertoire by 14 new foods and achievement of independent drinking and eating. The mother reported high satisfaction with the telehealth delivery, decreased parenting stress, and increased parenting competence.

The study suggests that caregiver-mediated feeding interventions delivered via telehealth may be feasible and effective for addressing mealtime challenges in young autistic children.

Telehealth-delivered, caregiver-mediated feeding interventions show promise for young autistic children with feeding difficulties. May offer accessible alternative to in-person services while reducing parental stress. Requires larger controlled studies to establish effectiveness and identify optimal implementation strategies.

Single case study with one participant limits generalizability. No control group or standardized outcome measures beyond Goal Attainment Scaling. Sample size not clearly reported. Limited follow-up data to assess maintenance of improvements. Potential bias from parent self-report measures.

Feeding difficulties are associated with significant caregiver stress. Caregiver-mediated feeding programs in the family home may be appropriate for addressing the feeding challenges. However, very little literature reports on the feasibility and effectiveness of caregiver-mediated approaches for feeding difficulties. The aim of the study was to examine the feasibility and impact of the (EEP-Early Development (ED)-Telehealth for a young Autistic toddler assessing parent satisfaction, telehealth delivery mode, family-centric feeding goals, parental stress and perceived competence to improve his feeding outcomes, including his mealtime behaviors and increasing his food repertoire and equipping caregivers with strategies to manage challenging behaviors.

A 28-month-old autistic toddler with feeding difficulties and his caregivers participated in the EEP-ED, deliveredtelehealth. Feasibility was evaluatedparent satisfaction and telehealth delivery questionnaires pre- and post-intervention. The primary outcome was family-centred feeding goals measured using Goal-Attainment Scaling (GAS). Family-centric feeding goals were achieved, including increasing the child's dietary repertoire by 14 new foods and achieving independent drinking and eating.

The mother reported high satisfaction, decreased parenting stress, and increased parenting competence. Caregiver-mediated interventions deliveredtelehealth may be a feasible and effective approach to address mealtime and feeding challenges of young autistic children.