Spup: a spoon taped to a cup used as a fading utensil¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 4 claims (3 for, 1 mixed) · 1 study (1 causal), q2 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The spup is a modified drinking utensil consisting of a large Maroon spoon taped to a blue cut-out cup, used to bridge spoon drinking and cup drinking. The article describes that "Fading consisted of altering the spup by retaping the bowl of the spoon 0.6 cm closer to the edge of the cup (Figure 1)," with extinction in place throughout fading and cup probes. It was the central material of the treatment for one child with intestinal failure.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Extinction implemented during fading sessions; advancement contingent on acceptance and mouth clean above 80% for three consecutive sessions

Constraints¶

• Evaluated with a single participant; the article did not identify which quality of the cup contributed to refusal

Target Learners¶

• children with pediatric feeding disorders who accept spoon liquids but refuse cup liquids

Target Learning Goals¶

• transitioning from spoon drinking to cup drinking

Claims¶

• Spoon-to-cup fading increased acceptance and mouth clean during cup drinking in a child with intestinal failure [+W]
• Cup-drinking performance was poor during early fading steps and improved only near the terminal step [+W]
• Cup-drinking gains were maintained at a 1-year caregiver-conducted follow-up [+W]
• Extinction increased spoon acceptance but cup mouth clean remained low before fading [~W]

Related Elements¶

Examples¶

• Choose fading starting points by identifying a response already in the child's repertoire

Key Sources¶

• Groff, R. A., Piazza, C. C., Zeleny, J. R., & Dempsey, J. R. (2011). Spoon-to-cup fading as treatment for cup drinking in a child with intestinal failure. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44, 949–954. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2011.44-949