Teaching Pill Swallowing to Children

The parent-oriented presentation is geared to demonstrate a scientifically-researched method to get children to swallow oral medication. This two-hour, interactive session looks at the difficulties families experience when a child is unable or unwilling to adhere to a medical regimen.

Basic behavioral principles are reviewed and applied toward the teaching of pill swallowing. Participants will be taught to discriminate between a child’s non-compliance versus skill deficits, and to recognize how the environment around the child can be altered to encourage pill swallowing. Child specific solutions will be described in detail so that they can be carried out at home.

These methods have not only been shown to be effective in person, but also through the use of telemedicine. Families who desire to conduct therapy via telemedicine are encouraged to contact CARD S.O.S. at (818) 345-2345 ext 268 to learn more about this possibility.

Katharine Gutshall is currently the Managing Supervisor of the Specialized Outpatient Services at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders. Ms. Gutshall has worked in a variety of positions in the field of behavior analysis, including applied research and clinical work; with individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities, of all ages, and their families and care providers.

Her career involved positions at both the Marcus Institute (now the Marcus Autism Center) and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Ms. Gutshall is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and she received her MA with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County under the mentorship of Dr. A. Charles Catania. Throughout her career, Ms. Gutshall has been actively engaged in research in applied behavior analysis and has published research articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Ms. Gutshall has taught for the University of Nevada, Reno’s BCBA track as well as at California State University, Los Angeles’ Masters program in Applied Behavior Analysis. Ms. Gutshall’s current research interests include pediatric feeding disorders and reduction of problem behavior.

We’ll provide the coffee, you bring your favorite GFCF treat!

7575 Carson Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90808
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