Date of Award

4-2026

Degree Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Malaika Worsham, MS, OTRL

Second Advisor

Abigail Voight, OTRL

Third Advisor

Holly Grieves, OTD, OTRL

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder are five times more likely to present with feeding difficulties when compared to the general pediatric population (Baraskewich,et.al., 2021). Pediatric feeding difficulties can include picky eating, restrictive diets, limited independence with feeding skills, and limited food repertoire. Not only can this effect the child’s nutrition and growth but can affect family members as they are additionally focusing on their child's socialization, communication, and regulation. When addressing feeding difficulties, occupational therapy services are provided 1:1 with clients while educating and supporting family members to improve carry over into the home. However, there is a gap in research on the benefits of facilitating group feeding sessions which can demonstrate a variety of benefits including reducing food related anxiety, increased willingness to try novel foods, enhance communication with peers, and positive behaviors. This capstone project focused on the development and implementation of a pediatric feeding group for children, specifically with autism, in an outpatient setting. Objectives for this project included facilitation of two feeding groups for 10 weeks, creating resources for caregivers and interdisciplinary team members on feeding strategies, use of feeing visuals created to enhance client’s participation, analysis of participation engagement/progress, and advanced clinical skills in pediatric feeding therapy. The results of the feeding group demonstrate the effectiveness of addressing feeding concerns in children, their socialization, regulation, and caregiver education.

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