Methods and systems for treatment of feeding disorders

Abstract

Methods and systems for treatment of feeding disorders in individuals by a multidisciplinary team comprising medical, behavioral, nutritional, and oral-motor skill professionals and/or specialists. For example, in one embodiment, a subject may go through treatment that comprises four phases/process: screening, assessment, intervention, and discharge. The screening process may determine the subject’s eligibility for the treatment. The assessment process may establish a baseline from which the specific treatment is determined. The intervention process generally implements the treatment through daily “doses” of treatment meal sessions. The discharge process may ensure that the treatment gains made during the intervention phase are carried into the subject’s daily life.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for treating one or more feeding behaviors in a subject, comprising:
 an electronic computing device configured to perform an assessment of one or more feeding behaviors of a subject and transmit the assessment to a feeding management system;   the feeding management system that is configured to receive the assessment from the electronic computing device and determine, based on a comparison of the assessment with one or more predefined rules, an intervention that will treat the one or more feeding behaviors of the subject, wherein the intervention comprises at least one meal session during which food is presented to the subject according to predetermined guidelines, and, in response to the intervention with the subject, intervention data is recorded using the electronic computing device;   the electronic computing device that is configured to record the intervention data and transmit the intervention data to the feeding management system; and   the feeding management system that is configured to: 
 receive the intervention data from the electronic computing device; and 
 determine, based on the intervention data, whether to conduct an additional intervention. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a caregiver electronic computing device. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the caregiver electronic computing device is configured to receive an evaluation from the feeding management system. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the caregiver electronic computing device is configured to transmit evaluation data to the feeding management system. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the additional intervention is appropriate if the intervention data does not meet a predetermine threshold. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the feeding management system is further configured to:
 provide discharge instructions for the subject.   
     
     
         7 . A method for treating one or more behaviors in a subject, comprising the steps of:
 performing, via a feeding management system, an assessment of one or more feeding behaviors of a subject;   receiving, via the feeding management system, the assessment;   determining, via the feeding management system, based on a comparison of the assessment with one or more predefined rules, an intervention that will treat the one or more feeding behaviors of the subject, wherein the intervention comprises at least one meal session during which food is presented to the subject according to predetermined guidelines;   record, via the feeding management system, intervention data in response to intervention with the subject; and   determine, via the feeding management system, whether to conduct an additional intervention based on the intervention data.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 performing a comparison of the intervention data and the one or more predefined rules; and   modifying the one or more predefined rules in response to the comparison.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 determining to discharge the subject based on a determination to not conduct the additional intervention; and   providing training information to a caregiver for the subject.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 determining a second assessment based on a determination to conduct the additional intervention.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the intervention comprises an inpatient intervention or outpatient intervention. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the inpatient intervention comprises more than one meal session per day. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the outpatient intervention comprises conducting the at least one meal session at least once a week. 
     
     
         14 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing device to:
 receive an assessment of the one or more feeding behaviors of the subject;   determine based on a comparison of the assessment with one or more predefined rules, an intervention that will treat the one or more feeding behaviors of the subject, wherein the intervention comprises at least one meal session during which food is presented to the subject according to predetermined guidelines;   receive intervention data in response to the intervention; and   determine whether to conduct an additional intervention based on the intervention data.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the at least one meal session includes a plurality of food items. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein at least one food item is randomly selected from the plurality of food items to present to the subject. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the predetermined guidelines comprise a form of presentation for the at least one food item. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the intervention data comprises an amount of the at least one food item consumed by the subject. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the intervention data comprises a response by the subject. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the predetermined guidelines comprise a consequence for a behavior by the subject.