ABSTRACT
Mealtime provides unique opportunities for close work between the children and the child-care staff of the residential treatment unit. In such families mealtime may be the emotional low spot of the day as interaction between parents and children are heightened due to the forced proximity of the dining area. Some children choose to skirt the issue by refusing to eat at mealtimes but gorge themselves at snack time or when they are allowed to buy food outside of the residence. While much consideration has been given to the pathological symptoms in relation to eating, surprisingly little has been written about the management of mealtime behavior in an institutional setting. Since most of the acting-out at mealtime is of a contagious nature, there is often a choice between removing the instigator and the boy doing the acting-out. In some ways mealtime gives the child-care worker a "captive audience" with the emphasis on the audience.
