A Conversation with Zoë Bisbing About ARFID & Neurodivergence

If your child has extreme food aversions, anxiety around eating, or struggles with a very limited diet, you won’t want to miss this conversation. Today we’re diving into ARFID — Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder — or as my guest calls it, “picky eating on steroids.” To talk about ARFID, I circled back to Zoë Bisbing, a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in treating eating disorders and body image concerns with an affirming, neurodiversity-friendly approach. In this fascinating conversation, Zoë broke down what ARFID is, how it differs from other eating disorders, and why she sees it as a form of neurodivergence in its own right. We talked about how sensory sensitivities, anxiety, and even trauma can contribute to restrictive eating, and how the pandemic exacerbated these challenges for many kids. Zoe also explains why traditional eating disorder treatments often don’t work for ARFID and why a child-centered, individualized approach is key to building a positive relationship with food. If you’ve ever felt frustrated, worried, or unsure about how to support your child’s eating challenges, this episode will give you some practical strategies and some new affirming perspectives that might change the way you’ve been thinking about these issues.