Assistant Professor Britt St. John, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, has received funding through the ACT4Rehab K12 program to study the challenges families face when seeking feeding-related care for autistic children. The award will provide $270,000 over two years.
Many autistic children experience significant challenges with eating, including highly selective diets, difficulty developing feeding skills, and nutritional concerns. Many children meet the criteria for pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), a clinical diagnosis that describes feeding difficulties that affect a child's nutrition, health, feeding skills, or psychosocial well-being. Effective therapies are available, but families often face long wait times, limited provider availability, travel challenges, and other obstacles when seeking help.
Dr. St. John's project will examine how families navigate the healthcare system to find feeding-related services. Using family interviews, statewide mapping of available services, and input from families, clinicians, and community partners, the research team will identify gaps in care and develop practical strategies to improve access to treatment across Washington state. The long-term goal is to help children receive feeding support earlier and more easily, improving health, nutrition, family well-being, and participation in daily activities.
The ACT4Rehab K12 program supports early-career rehabilitation researchers as they build independent research programs focused on translating research into clinical practice and improving patient outcomes.
For more about Dr. St. John’s research, read: Designing solutions with OT - UW Medicine | Rehabilitation Medicine
Or visit the Thriving Families and Communities Lab webpage.