Date of Award

8-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Behavioral Analysis

First Advisor

Jonathan K. Fernand

Second Advisor

Brian Fisak

Third Advisor

Kimberly N. Sloman

Fourth Advisor

Leslie Matuszewich

Abstract

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) along with other feeding disorders are prevalent in both neurotypical children along with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. Children with feeding challenges often exhibit inappropriate mealtime behavior (IMB) to avoid consuming non-preferred foods. It is pertinent to determine the function of IMB in order to create an efficacious treatment; one such assessment is the functional analysis (Iwata et al. 1982/1994). Iwata et al. (2000) taught students how to implement a functional analysis of self-injurious behavior using behavioral skills training. Since the assessment’s development, it has been extended to various single subject designs and topographies, including IMB. This study aims to replicate Iwata et al. (2000) by using BST to teach novel behavioral therapists how to implement a functional analysis of IMB. The results indicate that BST worked to increase accurate implementation of a functional analysis of IMB across all participants.

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