Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy for ARFID Treatment
While individuals of any age can develop
avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), this condition typically evolves in infancy or early childhood. Those diagnosed with ARFID experience extremely selective eating behaviors beyond what can simply be considered “picky eating.” These sensory-based disordered eating behaviors severely limit one’s ability to intake enough calories and essential nutrients to grow, develop, and function properly. At Thrive, an occupational therapist is a part of a multidisciplinary team that helps clients and their families heal from ARFID through integrated care. Occupational therapy can offer valuable insight and interventions around sensory modulation, oral motor skills, mealtime positioning and patterns, and food-related phobias and fears. Treatments used to assist individuals and their families recovering from ARFID include:
- Comprehensive evaluation, which encompasses a standardized sensory processing assessment, a Beckman oral motor assessment, child interview, parent/caretaker interview, and a complete list of currently tolerated foods
- Further investigation into the cause(s) of selective eating habits, including medical history and environmental influences
- Coordination between the family and treatment team to develop an individualized treatment plan and adjust as needed
- Implementing sensory modulation strategies to increase comfort receiving input from one’s environment
- Building skills for increasing self-feeding and introducing medical and adaptive equipment as appropriate
- Practicing Beckman oral motor exercises to improve oral motor function
- Graded exposure to varied foods
- Family education sessions exploring contributing factors to selective eating, effective mealtime strategies, home practices for improving sensory regulation and oral motor skills, and caregiver coping strategies
- Establishing mealtime routines and encouraging practices for more pleasant and productive mealtime patterns