The neurodiversity movement has arrived. Our autistic adults are speaking up about their experiences with pathologizing autism- including society’s extreme pressures to participate socially through mealtime experiences.

Neuroaffirming feeding therapy aims to support individuals with neurodiverse conditions in developing healthier relationships with food. By prioritizing the unique sensory experiences and preferences of each person, this therapy creates a safe and supportive environment for individuals to explore their eating habits. Meticulously tailored to meet specific needs, neuroaffirming feeding therapy should acknowledge the diverse ways individuals perceive taste, texture, and smell of foods. Rather than desensitizing the child or individual, a neuroaffirmative approach works with the neurodivergent person to identify foods that could work comfortably with their sensory profile.

Neuroaffirming feeding therapy…

• Prioritizes predictability, the child or autistic individual maintaining control and agency related to what goes into their body.

• Utilizes the client’s current sensory profile to select and introduce new foods at their own pace.

• Includes input from the neurodivergent person about which environments, routines, and foods they feel most interested in.

• Prioritizes paying attention to interoceptive cues such as bodily sensations, including feeling hunger, feeling fullness, and feeling thirst.

This is NOT neuroaffirming feeding therapy:

• A desensitization approach to eating “non-preferred” foods

• Withholding preferred foods until new foods are tried

• Reward-based approaches: for example, e.g., “try 5 bites of (non-preferred food) and then you can have dessert”

• Praise for trying new foods or eating a specific volume of food

We’re still learning about Pediatric Feeding Disorder, Autism, Eating Disorders, and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Join me on my journey.

-Miss Steph