The present investigation aims to explore the efficacy of Global Intensive Feeding Therapy (GIFT) on feeding and swallowing abilities in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). GIFT was developed as an intensive rehabilitation approach, divided into 30 sessions for 2 weeks, three times a day. GIFT focused on (a) encouraging desensitization; (b) widening the food repertoire (in terms of both variety and quantity); (c) reducing inappropriate mealtime behaviors; and (d) encouraging the development of appropriate chewing and swallowing abilities. GIFT was preliminarily implemented among 11 children with a diagnosis of ASD. To measure the efficacy of GIFT, the Karaduman Chewing Performance Scale (KCPS), the Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI), and food repertoire were investigated using Wilcoxon signed-rank test in three different times: baseline (T1), after treatment (T2), and one month after treatment (T3). Using Bonferroni correction, statistically significant differences were found between T1 and T2 for behavioral issues, as measured with BAMBI (p = 0.007), as well as for chewing abilities as measured with KCPS (p = 0.005) and for food acceptance (p = 0.005). These improvements were maintained after a month of follow-up, thanks to the collaboration of families and/or primary caregivers. In conclusion, GIFT seems to be an effective approach to improving behavioral issues, food acceptance, and chewing abilities in children with ASD.

Background: Children with Down syndrome (DS) experience more difficulties with oral motor skills, including chewing, drinking, and swallowing. The present study attempts to measure the preliminary effectiveness of Global Intensive Feeding Therapy (GIFT) in DS. GIFT is a new rehabilitation program addressing the specific difficulties and needs of each child, focusing on sensory and motor oral abilities. It follows an intensive schedule comprising 15 sessions over 5 consecutive days, with 3 sessions per day. The principles of GIFT are applied with specific objectives for DS. Methods: GIFT was preliminarily implemented among 20 children diagnosed with DS. To measure the efficacy of GIFT, the Karaduman Chewing Performance Scale (KCPS), the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI), and the Pediatric Screening–Priority Evaluation Dysphagia (PS–PED) were used. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test before (T0) and after intervention (T1) and at one-month follow-up (T2). The effect size was also measured for specific outcomes, using Kendall’s W. Results: Our findings revealed that children with DS showed no risk of dysphagia according to the PS–PED (mean score 2.80). Furthermore, statistically significant improvements in chewing performance were observed, as measured by the KCPS (p < 0.01), as well as in texture acceptance and modification, as measured by the IDDSI post-intervention (p < 0.01). For both the KCPS and IDDSI, a large effect size was found (Kendall’s W value > 0.8). Parents/caregivers continued using GIFT at home, and this allowed for a positive outcome at the one-month follow-up. Conclusions: GIFT proved to be effective in the rehabilitation of feeding and swallowing disorders in children with DS, as well as for food acceptance.