Do you have a child who struggles with eating most foods – or eating at all? Learn more about how to sign up for Stanford University’s study on Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).

The Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences invites children ages 6-12 with a diagnosis of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and their families to participate in a Family-Based Treatment (FBT) vs. a manual Non-Specific Care (NSC) research study. To participate, your family will undergo FBT or NSC with required medical management. Each eating disorders treatment regimen consists of 14 one-hour telehealth sessions over the course of 4 months. The study will be conducted by doctoral-level, highly skilled therapists.

Many kids with ARFID can only tolerate a select group of foods

What is ARFID?

ARFID, previously called “Selective Eating Disorder,” is an extreme version of picky eating. Unlike anorexia and bulimia, ARFID is not caused by body image anxiety. Fears of choking and vomiting, tolerating a limited range of foods, and expressing disgust toward most food textures are common causes. It often occurs alongside anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder and impairs normal growth. Left untreated, the disorder can extend into adolescence. Experts estimate that up to 22.5% of children receiving treatment for eating disorders suffer from avoidant and restrictive tendencies.

Who can participate?

Children ages 6-12 with a current ARFID diagnosis
Must be able to speak English
Lives with one parent (the whole family is enrolled for treatment)
Medically stable for outpatient treatment
Prepared to make a 4 month commitment

How do I enroll my child?

For more information about the research study or to sign up, email Eliza at arfidstudy@stanford.edu or call 650-723-5521.

To help researchers make advances in ARFID treatment, we invite you to use the Share This Post buttons below and send this flyer to your loved ones. Try this caption on social media:

Do you have a child age 6-12 with food phobias and a narrow diet? @StandfordMed needs children diagnosed with #ARFID to enroll in an FBT vs. NCS #eatingdisorders treatment study. Learn how to sign up.