Sessions

Introduction and Consensus: PFD & ARFID Evidence-based Interventions for Key Developmental Stages

Cuyler Romeo MOT, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC

Session Summary
This workshop explores varying interventions for PFD-ARFID psychological management across the lifespan. Experts will discuss evidence-based intervention at key developmental stages while considering how feeding skill development and cognition impact treatment decisions. Case study presentations and a facilitated panel discussion will be leveraged to dive deeper into key considerations for psychological management as feeding skills and cognitive abilities continue to develop.

Learning Objectives
1. Identify three critical factors that impact psychological/psychosocial intervention selection for those with PFD and/or ARFID.
2. Compare and contrast psychosocial/psychological interventions for the very young child verses the adult with PFD and/or ARFID.
3. List 2 family support resources that address the unique psychological needs of those with PFD and/or ARFID.

Family Lived Experience

The Knight Family

Session Summary
Learning from the lived experience is an invaluable learning opportunity for any healthcare professional. Advancements in the inclusion of the family voice has led to policy changes, new programmatic designs, and improved service delivery models (Occupational Therapy Council, 2018). Understanding our families’ stories facilitates knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for providing comprehensive family-centered care (Arblaster, 2023).

In recognition of the value of the lived experience to all who work with children who struggle to eat, Melissa Ann Knight will generously share her account of the PFD journey as a mother who has raised two children with PFD and additional medical conditions. Attendees will dive into the complexities of navigating the service system through the parent lens as Melissa relays pivotal moments in her children’s care and describes how relationships with providers impacted their lives.

Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from Melissa’s children and husband as they describe the long lasting impact of interventions on their relationship with food and mealtimes at large. Melissa is a living expert who has advocated for the needs for her developing children to pave the way for a successful adult life. Their story will include recorded interviews, descriptions of daily life and key take aways every professionals should consider when supporting families with PFD.

Learning Objectives
1. Summarize the importance of integrating lived experiences into healthcare practice by identifying key elements of the family story and its relevance to family-centered care for pediatric feeding disorder (PFD).
2. Apply insights from the lived experience of families affected by PFD to enhance communication strategies, care planning, and advocacy efforts in participants’ own professional practice.

Building the Foundation: A holistic, interdisciplinary approach to infant feeding

Natalie Berriz PhD, BCBA and Melissa Andersen PhD

Session Summary
This talk introduces The Foundations Model, a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to feeding care for medically complex infants aged 0–12 months. Developed at Michigan Medicine, the model provides early, weekly hybrid follow-up—starting within one week of hospital discharge—and supports sustainable oral feeding through infant-led, developmentally and physiologically grounded care.

Learning Objectives
1. Identify the core components of The Foundations Model, including its physiological, developmental, psychosocial, and motivational domains.
2. Describe how early, interdisciplinary care supports feeding readiness and protects against the need for more intensive intervention.
3. Apply key principles of The Foundations Model to support feeding readiness and progression in medically complex infants within their clinical practice.

Parent feeding behavior and food acceptance in young children with and without ARFID, the moderating role of sensory perception

Christine Cooper-Vince PhD

Session Summary
In a sample of 86 Swiss 4–7-year-olds with ARFID and sub-threshold ARFID and age/sex matched healthy controls, we evaluated sensory perception and parent-child feeding behaviors during an experimental meal. Findings yield insight into the role of sensory perception in strained parent-child feeding interaction among young children with and without ARFID.

Learning Objectives
1. Describe current models of ARFID etiology.
2. Summarize the existing evidence regarding biological predispositions for ARFID phenotypes.
3. Describe how child sensory perception and parent feeding behaviors interact in relation to child food refusal.

Food Allergy and ARFID: An Underrecognized Clinical Complication and Conceptual Treatment Framework

Kaitlin Proctor, PhD

Session Summary
Emerging evidence points to an association between food allergy and ARFID. In this session, we review the current literature regarding this association, emphasizing unique risks for ARFID among children with FA. We then present an adaptation to an evidenced-based intervention aimed at reducing food avoidance/restriction among children with FA.

Learning Objectives
1. Describe the unique aspects of food allergy that increase risk for the development of ARFID
2. Compare and Contrast ARFID symptoms from medically necessary food avoidance when food allergy co-occurs with feeding concerns
3. Summarize proposed ARFID-focused treatment adaptations for children with food allergy

Micro Keynote: Preparing for NICU Discharge

Vincent Smith MD, MPH

Session Summary
The psychological management of PFD-ARFID across the lifespan points to a strong emphasis on the importance of early intervention. Dr. Smith will discuss evidence-based approaches at key developmental stages, beginning in infancy, and highlight how early identification and support—often initiated in the NICU setting—can significantly impact long-term feeding outcomes. Insights shared will include early signs of feeding difficulties, the critical role of multidisciplinary care in the neonatal period, and how early cognitive and feeding skill development shape treatment trajectories.

Learning Objectives
1. Identify 2 early signs of PFD-ARFID in infants and understand the implications of early intervention strategies initiated in the NICU setting.
2. List two evidence-based management approaches for PFD-ARFID across key developmental stages, with a focus on infancy through early childhood.
3. Analyze the impact of multidisciplinary care and the interaction between feeding skill development and cognitive growth on treatment planning and outcomes across the lifespan.

Micro Keynote: First Things First in Feeding Therapy: Prioritizing Curiosity and Safety

Marsha Dunn Klein OTR/L,MEd, FAOTA

Session Summary
In this insightful and practical session, participants will explore foundational principles that support effective and ethical feeding therapy. Attendees will learn to recognize the underlying reasons behind a child’s “no” during mealtimes and how to respond in ways that prioritize the child’s well-being. Strategies for preventing harm and fostering safety in current and future feeding interactions will be discussed, with an emphasis on preserving trust, honoring autonomy, and building strong therapeutic relationships. This session underscores the critical role of sensory and emotional safety as the starting point for therapy decisions—reminding us that curiosity, connection, and compassion come first.

Learning Objectives
1. Identify 2-3 reasons that a child might offer a refusal or “no” during mealtimes
2. List 2 ways to stop harm from continuing or occurring in future feedings
3. Summarize the importance of trust, connections, relationship, autonomy sensory and emotional safety as starting points for decision making for therapy strategies and apply them into practice.

Reduction in Feeding Problems Following a 12-Week Interdisciplinary Group Feeding Intervention

Olivia Hsin, PhD; Ayala Ben-Tall, PhD

Session Summary
The presentation will describe results from a published research study on an interdisciplinary 12-week group program for children with feeding disorders and their caregivers. Intervention was based on sensory integration, communication, and cognitive behavioral strategies to increase positive interactions with food and included both caregiver and child intervention components.

Learning Objectives
1. Describe two strategies that could be used in treatment for feeding groups.
2. List one potential benefit of a group treatment format for feeding.
3. Identify how a child’s thoughts and emotions could be related to their behaviors at mealtime.

Responsive Feeding Therapy for Children with Paediatric Feeding Disorder: Research insights and clinical applications

Valerie Gent BSpPath, MMedRes, PhD candidate, Dr Jeanne Marshall BSpPath, PhD

Session Summary
This presentation will explore existing understanding of Responsive Feeding Therapy (RFT) for children with Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD), highlighting preliminary research findings from a scoping review and qualitative study. Practical considerations for implementing RFT into clinical practice will be discussed alongside a case study of a school-aged child with PFD.

Learning Objectives
1. Describe 2 ways the WHO Responsive Parenting framework is relevant to feeding therapy for children with PFD
2. Summarize current research findings on the conceptualization and use of Responsive Feeding Therapy.
3. Apply Responsive Feeding Therapy concepts to a case study example, reflecting on clinical implications.

Occupational Therapy Supports and Interventions for ARFID

Maddie Duzyk OTR/L, OTD and Krystin Turner DHSc, OTR/L, SCFES

Session Summary
The presentation’s objective is to introduce a literature review completed by CCHMC’s Feeding, Eating, and Swallowing TRACK team and share clinical case studies using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) to provide evidence-based themes and interventions that support the ARFID population, within the occupational therapy scope of practice.

Learning Objectives
1. Describe interventions for the ARFID population within the scope of occupational therapy.
2. Summarize occupational therapy’s role in a multi-disciplinary team supporting the ARFID population.
3. Compare occupational performance and satisfaction before and after occupational therapy intervention(s) for children diagnosed with ARFID.

Formulation-Driven Treatment Planning for ARFID: A collaborative, individualized framework

Dr. Amy Talbot DClinPsy, MSc

Session Summary
This session introduces a practical, formulation-driven approach to treatment planning for ARFID. It supports collaboration across disciplines by integrating assessment data, family perspectives, and neurodevelopmental, sensory, and relational formulations to tailor intervention. Attendees will explore replicable tools to map complexity and improve outcomes across diverse clinical contexts.

Learning Objectives
1. Identify the key domains and components of a formulation-driven approach to ARFID treatment planning.
2. Describe how interdisciplinary collaboration and lived experience perspectives can enhance case formulation and treatment planning.
3. Apply a formulation mapping tool to a case example to illustrate how tailored treatment goals and plans are developed.

Family Lived Experience

The Hutchinson Family

Session Summary
Learning from the lived experience is an invaluable learning opportunity for any healthcare professional. Advancements in the inclusion of the family voice has led to policy changes, new programmatic designs, and improved service delivery models (Occupational Therapy Council, 2018). Understanding our families’ stories facilitates knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for providing comprehensive family-centered care (Arblaster, 2023).

In recognition of the value of the lived experience to all who work with children who struggle to eat, Melissa Hutchinson will generously share her account of her journey as a mother who has raised a child with PFD and ARFID. Attendees will dive into the complexities of navigating the service system through the parent lens as Melissa relays pivotal moments in her child’s care and describes how relationships with providers impacted their lives.

Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from Melissa’s child as they describe the long-lasting impact of interventions on their relationship with food and mealtimes at large. Melissa is a living expert who has advocated for the needs for her developing child to pave the way for a successful adult life. Their story will include recorded interviews, descriptions of daily life and key take aways every professionals should consider when supporting families with PFD.

Learning Objectives
1. Summarize the importance of integrating lived experiences into healthcare practice by identifying key elements of the family story and its relevance to family-centered care for pediatric feeding disorder (PFD).
2. Analyze the impact of provider-family relationships on health outcomes by identifying pivotal moments in the Hutchinson family’s PFD journey that influenced service delivery and long-term well-being.
3. Apply insights from the lived experience of families affected by PFD to enhance communication strategies, care planning, and advocacy efforts in participants’ own professional practice.

Conclusion: PFD & ARFID Evidence-based Interventions for Key Developmental Stages

Meg Simione, PhD, CCC-SLP

Session Summary
This workshop explores varying interventions for PFD-ARFID psychological management across the lifespan. Experts will discuss evidence-based intervention at key developmental stages while considering how feeding skill development and cognition impact treatment decisions. Conclusion and key takeaways from the day’s event and a facilitated panel discussion will be leveraged to dive deeper into key considerations for psychological management as feeding skills and cognitive abilities continue to develop.

Learning Objectives
1. Identify three critical factors that impact psychological/psychosocial intervention selection for those with PFD and/or ARFID.
2. Compare and contrast psychosocial/psychological interventions for the very young child verses the adult with PFD and/or ARFID.
3. List 2 family support resources that address the unique psychological needs of those with PFD and/or ARFID.