In this week’s episode of The Autism Mums Podcast, we talk openly about what happens when eating stops feeling simple and starts feeling scary. We unpack ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) and explore how it differs from 'picky eating, sharing our real-life experiences.Key TakeawaysIdentical packaging and familiar brands can build trust.Safe foods can be very limited, for some children under 10 itemsWhen anxiety spikes with transitions like back-to-school often shrink food choices.“They’ll eat if they’re hungry” advice can escalate fear and refusal.Texture, temperature, smell, colour and broken food can be deal-breakers.We've found reintroducing once-safe foods during calm periods and follow the child’s curiosity can sometimes be successfulMentioned in This EpisodeBEAT Eating DisordersARFID Awareness UK National Autistic SocietyConnect with The Autism MumsWebsite – https://theautismmums.com/Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theautismmumsFollow us on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@theautismmumsFollow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theautismmumsTranscriptVictoria Bennion:Hello and welcome back to the Autism Moms podcast. Today we're talking aboutsomething that many families quietly battle with every day. When eating stopsfeeling simple and starts feeling scary. You'll hear us mention ARFID quite alot.Natalie Tealdi: ARFIDis avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, which is more commonly known asARFID. It's a condition characterized by , the person avoiding certain foods ortypes of foods having restricted intake in terms of overall amount eaten orboth?Any anyone of any age can have a i. It occurs in children,teenagers, and adults. Although people with ARFID may lose weight or have lowweight, this is not a criteria for ARFID. It can occur at any weight and variesin different people.Victoria Bennion: Ifyou are wondering, is this just picky eating? We'll talk about a few signpoststhat could indicate it may be more. We'll share our family's [00:01:00] experiences and the ways we found tosupport our children. As always, we are here to share our own experiences inthe hope that they may be useful.Not to diagnose. If anything you hear raises concerns, do speakwith your GP or a qualified clinician. Natalie Tealdi: SoVictoria, I think you have the best knowledge out of both of us on this one. Doyou wanna talk a bit about yourexperiences? Victoria Bennion:Yeah. I can talk about our experiences. So my son doesn't have a diagnosis of aARFID, but in his autism diagnosis, he's noted as having ARFID behaviors. Thiswas explained to me as the reason was there very strict criteria that a childhad to meet to

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