ARFID - Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder - 7th September 2026

Funded by the HSE National HSCP Office as part of a joint CPD funding submission with Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) and Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI), priority is for those employed in publicly funded health care settings. Before registering your interest in attending this course; please read the terms and conditions for attending publicly funded CPD events here 

Rationale and Course Overview:

Children and Adolescents diagnosed with ARFID may live with  neurodiversity, have behavioural issues or mental health conditions like  anxiety which contribute to the extreme refusal of food. Risk of  undernutrition, faltering growth, macronutrient and micronutrient  deficiencies are significant for these children. The behaviour can be quite  entrenched with an MDT approach being necessary and continued  ongoing care by HSCPs skilled in how to provide effective care to them.  This course will provide that underlying knowledge of ARFID by  healthcare professionals experienced in its treatment. While ARFID is  predominantly diagnosed in children or adolescents, it can also be  diagnosed in adults.

There are multiple factors which contribute to feeding challenges and  therefore it is an issue which is best addressed with a team focus. Providing  training for professionals around feeding will support professionals to  address the challenges of feeding with a more integrated team approach. 

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, participants will be able to: 

• Describe how feeding skills develop in infancy and early childhood.
• Identify reasons why infants and young children develop feeding difficulties.
• Understand the effect of feeding difficulties on parental anxiety and consequent feeding strategies.
• Assess efficiently a child’s feeding skills and developmental stage of food acceptance.
• Give advice to parents about feeding difficulties that is based on current learning theory and evidence based practice.

About the Presenters:

The course is delivered by Birmingham Food Refusal Services -

• Dr Gillian Harris is a Clinical Psychologist 
• Sarah Mason, a Speech and Language Therapist.

Both  have extensive research and practical experience in the field of paediatric feeding difficulties. They have worked together for over 20 years at Birmingham  Children’s Hospital UK to provide services for children with feeding difficulties  including Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). 

This training course is open to SLTs, Dietitians and Occupational Therapists who are employed by a publicly funded health service, as this training is supported by funding from the HSE National HSCP Office.