Functional analysis and treatment of covert food stealing in an outpatient setting.

Abstract

Covert food stealing is a serious problem behavior that can pose health risks to the individual and can be extremely disruptive for caregivers. Previous research on food stealing has been primarily conducted with individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome or intellectual disability in intensive residential settings, and this research has not demonstrated maintenance of treatment effects on food stealing in the natural environment. We conducted a functional analysis of food stealing and determined that food stealing was a covert behavior that was not maintained by socially mediated variables. We used discrimination training to establish programmed stimuli that signaled which foods should (or should not) be consumed in conjunction with parental descriptive feedback contingent on both correct and incorrect consumption. The treatment package effectively decreased food stealing in a 6-year-old child of typical development. The caregiver implemented the functional analysis and treatment and rated procedures and outcomes as high in social validity. According to caregiver report, treatment effects generalized to the home and maintained 8 weeks after in-clinic training sessions.

The Stealing Inventory: A preliminary investigation.

“…Insufficient trial duration may have hindered Wyatt’s stealing by failing to impact relevant EOs or to establish effective stealing timeframes (Simmons et al, 2019). Future investigators might evaluate an FA model for low-rate behavior (Kahng et al, 2001) to assess nonresponders or conduct parametric analyses of trial durations.…”

“…Also, repeated within-session theft opportunities may present other concerns (e.g., cost, undesirable food consumption, etc.). Trial-based FA methods (Bloom et al, 2011; Lambert et al, 2019; McCord et al, 2001; Simmons et al, 2019) involving single response opportunities may address these concerns. For example, both Simmons et al (2019) and Lambert et al (2019) used trial-based FAs and latency-based measures of food stealing, and the former arranged true alone conditions for covert responding.…”

“…Trial-based FA methods (Bloom et al, 2011; Lambert et al, 2019; McCord et al, 2001; Simmons et al, 2019) involving single response opportunities may address these concerns. For example, both Simmons et al (2019) and Lambert et al (2019) used trial-based FAs and latency-based measures of food stealing, and the former arranged true alone conditions for covert responding. Given the unique considerations for stealing as a target behavior, and the fact that no previous FAs of covert nonfood stealing have been published, optimal FA procedures are uncertain.…”

“…Simmons et al (2019) advised using longer trial durations for stealing than those typically used during FAs. Therefore, participants who did not steal during their FAs were exposed to a single 30-min alone trial.…”

“…The clearest examples of nonsocially maintained stealing come from studies in which individuals, when left alone, pilfered embedded edibles (e.g., Maglieri et al, 2000; Page, Finney, et al, 1983; Page, Stanley, et al, 1983; Simmons et al, 2019). For example, Simmons et al showed that a boy’s stealing was covert (occurred during alone condition trials but not during trials when a caregiver was present).…”