ARFID is a kind of eating disorder that most often develops in children and adolescents. Individuals with ARFID may avoid foods due to lack of interest in eating. They may also have an aversion to certain sensory characteristics of food, meaning they may be highly sensitive to the color, taste, temperature, or texture of particular foods. Additionally, individuals with ARFID may have fears about experiencing pain or discomfort while eating, such as choking. Unlike many other eating disorders, ARFID does not typically involve a disturbance in one’s body image.

Screening Tools for ARFID:

The Nine Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake disorder screen (NIAS) for children is a great tool to help see the signs of ARFID in your child. Individuals respond to each question on a scale from 0 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Subscales are each scored on a scale from 0–15, with higher scores indicating higher levels of each metric (picky eating, lack of interest, and fear). All items may also be summed to calculate a total score, ranging from 0–45, with higher scores indicating higher levels of avoidant/restrictive eating broadly.