Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Pediatric Rumination Disorder: A Single Case Experimental Design

Abstract

This report presents the single case of Liam, a 10-year-old boy with rumination disorder (RD) and subclinical symptoms of anxiety. The primary aim was to explore the effectiveness of habit reversal therapy (HRT) in reducing regurgitation frequency in a young child. The secondary aim was to explore whether modular cognitive-behavioral techniques, based on idiosyncratic cognitive-behavioral formulations tailored to the child, may further augment the effect of habit reversal therapy on regurgitation frequency. An A-B-C design was utilized to compare regurgitation frequency and emotional distress across baseline, intervention (primary and secondary), and follow-up phases. Results demonstrated that HRT adapted for children was an effective approach to reducing regurgitation frequency. Self-monitoring alone and additional anxiety management skills provided further benefits to regurgitation frequency though to a lesser extent. Research on pediatric RD remains scarce, particularly regarding treatment for children of a younger age with additional psychological difficulties within clinical settings. Results from the current case study suggest that HRT adapted for children with RD and additional internalizing symptoms in a real-life clinical setting was feasible, acceptable, and effective. More research needs to be conducted on standardizing age-appropriate treatment adaptations for young children with RD and on exploring whether and which cognitive-behavioral techniques provide further meaningful reductions in regurgitation frequency.