Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern and is increasingly prevalent in recent years. There are a variety of risk factors for obesity in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To estimate the prevalence of obesity in children with ASD, a secondary data analysis was conducted on the nationally representative National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH; 2011-2012) archival database. Variables specific to ASD as well as body mass index were analyzed using a cross-tabulation analysis to compare a sample of children with ASD with a random control sample. The prevalence of obesity in children with ASD was 12.6% compared with 7.2% of children without ASD. Additionally, 9.3% of children with ASD met criteria for being overweight compared to 7.5% of those without ASD. These findings suggest that children with ASD could benefit from applied behavioral interventions to reduce risk factors for obesity. Specific recommendations for behavior-analytic treatment are discussed as well as recommendations for future research to better understand these risk factors.

Pediatric feeding disorders are

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Recent research suggests supine positioning for sleeping infants is the safest position to prevent breathing related difficulties; however doing so can significantly increase obstruction in apneic infants resulting in decreased sleep quality. We implemented a multi-component treatment package compromised of antecedent interventions and parentmediated social reinforcement to increase lateral positioning in a premature infant with obstructive sleep apnea. Results indicate that the intervention increased lateral positioning in the participant by over 80 % in the final phase of the study, indicating efficacy of the intervention. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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