Behavioral Therapy for Children with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Dependent on Tube or Oral Enteral Nutrient Formula: A Feasibility Study

In children with eating disorders, nutritional status and growth may depend on enteral nutrient formula. Ultimately, its goal is to introduce or reintroduce oral feeding. Japanese research on the treatment of tube or oral formula-dependent children is scarce. This study determined the feasibility of behavioral therapy for children with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and dependency on the tube or oral enteral nutrient formula in Japan. Medical records of children diagnosed with this disorder, dependent on the tube or oral enteral nutrient formula and who had received behavioral therapy intervention to withdraw from the formula were retrospectively investigated. We collected their characteristics at first visit and the caloric percentage from oral food intake six months after starting the treatment. In total, four patients (age range: 2-5 years) participated in this study. The feeding routes employed before the intervention were a nasogastric tube for one patient, a gastrostomy bottom for the other patient, and oral formula for the remaining patients (i.e., two children). At the sixth month of the behavioral treatment, none of the patients needed the formula, and the caloric percentage of required nutrition from oral food intake was 100%. Our data demonstrate that this behavioral therapy is feasible for children with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder dependent on the tube or oral formula in Japan.