Very limited variety
Your child eats a small list of accepted foods, which may be getting smaller over time.
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
(ARFID)
When eating feels hard enough to affect growth, nutrition, or daily life, it may be more than just picky eating.
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When It’s More Than Picky Eating
Eating feels overwhelming
Your child may worry about choking, vomiting, allergic reactions, stomach pain, or other negative consequences related to eating.
Sensory differences
Texture, smell, appearance, temperature, brand, or preparation may make certain foods feel impossible to eat.
Low interest in food
Your child may rarely feel hungry, become full quickly, or need frequent reminders and support to eat enough.
Growth or nutrition concerns
Your child may not be gaining or growing as expected, may have nutrient deficiencies, or may rely on supplements to meet their needs.
Impact on daily life
Meals may take a long time, family eating may feel stressful, or your child may avoid school lunch, restaurants, parties, travel, or other food-related situations.
What is ARFID?
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder in which an individual limits the amount or variety of food they eat. This may be related to sensory sensitivity, fear of something bad happening when they eat, or a lack of interest in food or eating. Unlike anorexia nervosa, ARFID is not driven by concerns about body shape or weight.
ARFID can look different from child to child.
Children with ARFID can present with one, two or all three of the following clinical subtypes:
Sensory sensitivity
Foods may be refused because of their texture, smell, taste, appearance, temperature, or consistency.
Fear of eating
Eating may feel frightening because of choking, vomiting, pain, an allergic reaction, or fear that something bad will happen.
Low interest in food or eating
Your child may rarely feel hungry, become full quickly, forget to eat, or view eating as a chore.
How We’ll Work Together
1. It starts with understanding your child.
During your initial consultation, we’ll take time to understand your child’s full nutrition picture. We’ll review medical history, growth, eating patterns, sensory preferences, daily routines, and any concerns or goals you have.
2. An individualized, evidence-informed approach.
ARFID treatment focuses on reducing avoidance through gradual exposure. I use principles from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ARFID (CBT-AR), Family-Based Treatment for ARFID (FBT-AR), and the SOS Approach to Feeding to develop a treatment plan that best fits your child’s needs.
Exposure is individualized to your child’s needs. It may involve increasing food volume to support growth, building tolerance for sensory experiences, or gradually approaching foods and eating situations linked to fear or past negative experiences. Exposures are chosen carefully and with purpose. The goal is not for your child to eat everything, but to help them move toward enough variety and volume to support healthy growth, good nutrition, and participation in everyday life.
3. Small steps lead to lasting progress.
We move at a pace that feels safe, using graded, compassionate exposures that are done with your child’s consent and collaboration.
By reducing fear, anxiety, and avoidance, we create the conditions for your child to build trust, feel more in control, and move toward a more peaceful relationship with food, one step at a time.
4. Ongoing support.
In weekly follow-up sessions, we’ll work through exposures together to build your child’s confidence and support carryover at home. Because exposure is a key part of ARFID treatment, progress comes from both the work we do in sessions and the repeated opportunities your child has at home. At the end of each session, you’ll leave with a clear, realistic exposure goal to practice between sessions.
Together we’ll celebrate progress, troubleshoot obstacles, and make thoughtful adjustments along the way. Progress is measured by more than bites. We’ll look for meaningful changes such as less fear and distress around food, greater flexibility, increased variety or volume, improved participation in meals and social situations, and a better ability to meet growth and nutrition needs.
What Progress Looks Like
Greater food variety
More flexibility with foods, textures, flavors, brands, and preparation methods.
Greater sensory comfort
Improved tolerance of textures, smells, temperatures, and other sensory aspects of eating.
Less fear around food
Reduced anxiety, avoidance, and distress related to eating or trying unfamiliar foods.
More reliable nutrition
Improved intake to support energy needs, growth, and development.
Restored growth
For children who have experienced growth faltering or weight loss, support toward weight restoration and a healthier growth trajectory.
More freedom in everyday life
Greater ease with family meals, school, restaurants, travel, celebrations, and social situations involving food.