Table 2.

Example clinical assessment questions

Feature of interest	Questions
Differentiate from vomiting (rumination does not include retching)	Has the material come back up into your mouth during or after eating in a way that felt different from being sick or throwing up (vomiting)? How did it feel different from being sick or throwing up (vomiting)? Do you experience retching when the material comes back up?
Determine onset (usual onset <1 hr after eating, but can onset in relation to non‐food stimuli)	How long after eating does the material first come back up?
Repetitive nature (sometimes may only occur once, but usually is repetitive)	How many times does the material come back up once it starts?
Determine if classic rumination presentation (food material) or atypical presentation (non–food material)	What does the material taste like?
Determine whether regurgitation is habit‐based by identifying the presence of a premonitory urge (note that some young patients typically are unable to describe this)	Do you experience a sensation that tells you the material is about to come back up?
Functional assessment	Have you rechewed it, reswallowed it, or spat it out?
	• Spit out: if motivated by shape/ weight, assess for comorbid eating disorder (or refer for further evaluation)