Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42069640›Full record

ArticleJournal of eating disorders2026

The impact of the Schmetterling NBI Program on selective eating behavior: evaluation of creative therapeutic interventions across three families of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Sofya A H Bajaa, Basel Allozy, Martin Hautzinger, Ben Godde, Thomas Lang, Ahmed A Karim

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of eating disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Sofya A H BajaaDepartment of Psychology School of Business Social and Decision Science, Constructor University, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany. shassanybajaa@constructor.university.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-7465-9217
Basel AllozyPractice for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Berlin, Germany.
Martin HautzingerDepartment of Clinical Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6082-2602
Ben GoddeDepartment of Psychology School of Business Social and Decision Science, Constructor University, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9101-7286
Thomas LangDepartment of Psychology School of Business Social and Decision Science, Constructor University, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7016-4946
Ahmed A KarimDepartment of Psychology School of Business Social and Decision Science, Constructor University, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany. ahmed.karim@uni-tuebingen.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1763-1565

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently exhibit selective eating behaviors characterized by food refusal and limited dietary variety, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies and impaired family functioning. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Schmetterling Nutritional Behavior Intervention (NBI) Program, a creative behavioral intervention integrating established behavioral strategies with innovative components, including imitation chaining, shaping, and therapist-guided exoskeleton modeling. Three children (YW, RA, and JK) diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) participated in a single-case experimental design. The study employed the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, 2nd Edition (CARS-2) assessing autism symptom severity, while the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) measured changes in eating behavior. Substantial increases in food acceptance were observed across all participants, with the highest improvements in food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, and food fussiness. Tau-U analysis revealed large and significant intervention effects for both therapist-implemented and parent-implemented sessions. Although CARS-2 scores remained within the 'severe' classification range, notable percentage reductions suggested clinically relevant improvements in core autism symptoms. These findings support the Schmetterling NBI Program as an individualized, evidence-based approach to enhancing dietary diversity and reducing maladaptive feeding behaviors in children with ASD.

Indexed as

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)Creative therapeutic interventions with childrenEvidence-based practicesFood refusalNutritional behavior intervention (NBI)Schmetterling NBI ProgramSelective eatingSensory processing

Identifiers

PMID42069640
PMCPMC13162481

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.