Errorless Guidance on Eating Behavior for a Child With Down Syndrome Who Had Inappropriate Behavior at School Lunch

Abstract

Study objective: Examination of effects of errorless guidance provided to a child with Down’s syndrome who spat out food and drinks during lunch at her special needs education school. Participant: A fourth-grade elementary school student with Down syndrome and intellectual disability who exhibited inappropriate behavior with others, such as spitting out food and milk and dumping the food from her plate onto the table. Setting: Lunchroom at her school. Intervention: Errorless guidance was provided about the inappropriate behavior of spilling milk and spitting milk and food toward people as follows: (a) a screen was placed in front of her; (b) after she swallowed some milk, she was given a small amount of food in a dish; (c) when she put food into her mouth, a teacher’s hands were held in front of her. Measures: Inappropriate behavior occurrence rate and milk intake. Results: 7 weeks after the introduction of the intervention, her inappropriate behavior ceased to occur; this change was maintained as measured in weekly observations continued for 15 weeks after the termination of the intervention. Her eating skills also improved. Conclusion: Errorless guidance, which is often used to teach behavior, was used to correct problem behavior that had been occurring during meals.