The Efficacy of the Global Intensive Feeding Therapy on Feeding and Swallowing Abilities in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study
Antonella Cerchiari,
Carolina Giordani,
Silvia Franceschetti,
Serena Mazzafoglia,
Flavia Carosi,
Francesca Pizza,
Gessica Della Bella,
Massimiliano Raponi,
Marco Tofani
Affiliations
Antonella Cerchiari
Management and Diagnostic Innovations & Clinical Pathways Research Area, Neurorehabilitation and Adapted Physical Activity Day Hospital, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Carolina Giordani
Management and Diagnostic Innovations & Clinical Pathways Research Area, Neurorehabilitation and Adapted Physical Activity Day Hospital, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Silvia Franceschetti
Management and Diagnostic Innovations & Clinical Pathways Research Area, Neurorehabilitation and Adapted Physical Activity Day Hospital, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Serena Mazzafoglia
Management and Diagnostic Innovations & Clinical Pathways Research Area, Neurorehabilitation and Adapted Physical Activity Day Hospital, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Flavia Carosi
Management and Diagnostic Innovations & Clinical Pathways Research Area, Neurorehabilitation and Adapted Physical Activity Day Hospital, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Francesca Pizza
Management and Diagnostic Innovations & Clinical Pathways Research Area, Neurorehabilitation and Adapted Physical Activity Day Hospital, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Gessica Della Bella
Management and Diagnostic Innovations & Clinical Pathways Research Area, Neurorehabilitation and Adapted Physical Activity Day Hospital, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Massimiliano Raponi
Management and Diagnostic Innovations & Clinical Pathways Research Area, Medical Directorate, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Marco Tofani
Management and Diagnostic Innovations & Clinical Pathways Research Area, Professional Development, Continuous Education and Research Service, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
The present investigation aims to explore the efficacy of Global Intensive Feeding Therapy (GIFT) on feeding and swallowing abilities in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). GIFT was developed as an intensive rehabilitation approach, divided into 30 sessions for 2 weeks, three times a day. GIFT focused on (a) encouraging desensitization; (b) widening the food repertoire (in terms of both variety and quantity); (c) reducing inappropriate mealtime behaviors; and (d) encouraging the development of appropriate chewing and swallowing abilities. GIFT was preliminarily implemented among 11 children with a diagnosis of ASD. To measure the efficacy of GIFT, the Karaduman Chewing Performance Scale (KCPS), the Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI), and food repertoire were investigated using Wilcoxon signed-rank test in three different times: baseline (T1), after treatment (T2), and one month after treatment (T3). Using Bonferroni correction, statistically significant differences were found between T1 and T2 for behavioral issues, as measured with BAMBI (p = 0.007), as well as for chewing abilities as measured with KCPS (p = 0.005) and for food acceptance (p = 0.005). These improvements were maintained after a month of follow-up, thanks to the collaboration of families and/or primary caregivers. In conclusion, GIFT seems to be an effective approach to improving behavioral issues, food acceptance, and chewing abilities in children with ASD.
