Pill Swallowing

---

Pill Swallowing Training

While the exact number is unknown, anecdotal observations indicate that dysphagia (swallowing difficulty) is prevalent in children, and even more prevalent among children with autism and developmental disabilities, often leading to treatment noncompliance and secondary problems unrelated to autism consequently exacerbating the symptoms of autism.

​Some children may not have the prerequisite skills for pill swallowing, while others may have developed conditioned anxiety from unpleasant past experiences. In most cases, this is not a critical problem, because alternative preparations such as liquid or chewable medications are readily available.
When alternative preparations are not readily available, other simple methods of administering medication, such as tablet crushing, opening the capsule and dissolving it in a beverage, or hiding it in food (e.g., apple sauce) are often utilized. However, when oral medications are a part of the treatment for a chronic illness and the medication is not chewable and cannot be dissolved or hidden due to an unpleasant taste or alteration in release mechanisms (e.g., extended release), the importance of pill swallowing skill increases dramatically. Moreover, anecdotal reports from parents indicate tooth decay as a result of extended liquid medication administration in the absence of adequate tooth brushing skills, further necessitating interventions targeting this skill.
NYBAPS provides evidence-based intervention to teach this critical skill

References

•  Babbit, R. L., Parris, J. M., Brierley, P. E., & Kohr, M. A. (1991). Teaching developmentally disabled children with chronic illness to swallow prescribed capsules. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 12, 229-235.
• Blount, R., Dahlquist, L., Baer, R., & Wouri, D. (1984). A brief effective method for teaching children to swallow pills. Behavior Therapy, 15, 381-387.
• Dahlquist, L., & Blount, R. (1984). Teaching a six year old to swallow pills. Journal of Behavioral Therapy and Psychiatry, 15, 171-173.
• Sallows, G. O. (1980). Behavioral treatment of swallowing difficulty. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Psychiatry, 11, 45-47.
• Yoo, J. H., Tarbox, J., & Granpeesheh, D. (2008). Using stimulus fading to teach a young child with autism to ingest a wireless capsule endoscopy. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. 67, 1203-1204.

Pill Swallowing Training

While the exact number is unknown, anecdotal observations indicate that dysphagia (swallowing difficulty) is prevalent in children, and even more prevalent among children with autism and developmental disabilities, often leading to treatment noncompliance and secondary problems unrelated to autism consequently exacerbating the symptoms of autism.  
 
Some children may not have the prerequisite skills for pill swallowing, while others may have developed conditioned anxiety from unpleasant past experiences. In most cases, this is not a critical problem, because alternative preparations such as liquid or chewable medications are readily available. 
 
When alternative preparations are not readily available, other simple methods of administering medication, such as tablet crushing, opening the capsule and dissolving it in a beverage, or hiding it in food (e.g., apple sauce) are often utilized. However, when oral medications are a part of the treatment for a chronic illness and the medication is not chewable and cannot be dissolved or hidden due to an unpleasant taste or alteration in release mechanisms (e.g., extended release), the importance of pill swallowing skill increases dramatically. Moreover, anecdotal reports from parents indicate tooth decay as a result of extended liquid medication administration in the absence of adequate tooth brushing skills, further necessitating interventions targeting this skill. 

NYBAPS provides evidence-based intervention to teach this critical skill

References

1. Babbit, R. L., Parris, J. M., Brierley, P. E., & Kohr, M. A. (1991). Teaching developmentally disabled children with chronic illness to swallow prescribed capsules. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 12, 229-235.
2. Blount, R., Dahlquist, L., Baer, R., & Wouri, D. (1984). A brief effective method for teaching children to swallow pills. Behavior Therapy, 15, 381-387.
3. Dahlquist, L., & Blount, R. (1984). Teaching a six year old to swallow pills. Journal of Behavioral Therapy and Psychiatry, 15, 171-173.
4. Sallows, G. O. (1980). Behavioral treatment of swallowing difficulty. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Psychiatry, 11, 45-47.
5. Yoo, J. H., Tarbox, J., & Granpeesheh, D. (2008). Using stimulus fading to teach a young child with autism to ingest a wireless capsule endoscopy. Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. 67, 1203-1204.