The Autism MEAL Plan: Progress Toward Disseminating an Evidenced-Based Treatment for Food Selectivity in Autism

William Sharp, PhD, is a director of the Children’s Multidisciplinary Feeding Program, where he leads a multidisciplinary team of professionals whose mission is to enhance the overall quality of life for children and their families by providing evidenced-based, comprehensive care for children with pediatric feeding disorders and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). He is also an associate professor at the Emory University School of Medicine.

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There is a high prevalence of feeding difficulties among children with autism. The Autism Managing Eating Aversions and Limited variety (MEAL) plan represents a parent-training intervention that combines behavioral and nutritional elements to address food selectivity in children with autism. Following an implementation framework, this intervention is now poised for deployment in community settings. This lecture will provide an overview of the journey, including conceptualization, evaluation, and packaging for broader dissemination.

• Identify the most common feeding concerns associated with autism and the coinciding impact on the child and family
• Describe established treatment elements for feeding concerns in autism and the role of parent-training in the treatment process
• Discuss the use of an implementation science framework to support treatment dissemination into community settings

The Child Mind Institute Visiting Professor Lecture Series invites leaders in the field of child and adolescent mental health to talk about the latest research and treatment protocols. All events are open to the public. This year, all lectures will be hosted in-person and virtually over Zoom. In partnership with Northwell Health, continuing medical education (CME) credits for psychiatrists and continuing education (CE) credits for psychologists are available to registered course participants.

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