Show Notes
In this episode, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr Josephine Neale - Clinical Director for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services at the Priory and founder of Neale Health, the UK’s first fully online child and adolescent psychiatry service - joins Ben to unpack ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), a condition many people have never heard of but is increasingly recognised in autistic and ADHD individuals.
Josephine explains that ARFID isn’t about weight or body image, but driven by four key subtypes: sensory discomfort, fear and anxiety (often around choking or vomiting), low appetite, or a combination of these.
Drawing on her specialist work across autism, ADHD, and eating disorders, she breaks down why ND people experience food so differently, why ARFID is still often missed, and how eating difficulties can quietly build long before families know what’s happening.
This conversation offers clarity, compassion, and practical tools - whether you’re navigating ARFID yourself, supporting a young person, or simply trying to better understand ND eating differences.
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Host: Ben Branson Production Manager: Phoebe De Leiburné Video Editor: James Scriven Social Media Manager: Charlie Young Music: Jackson Greenberg Head of Marketing: Kristen Fuller
00:00 Introduction 00:48 Dr Josephine Neale: Her Background in Eating Disorders, Autism & ADHD 7:20 Why Mind & Body Are Often Seen As Separate in Eating Disorders: & Why That Can Be Problematic 11:26 What Is ARFID? (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Explained) 15:01 How Clinicians Assess ARFID 23:35 ARFID in Neurodivergent People: Autism, ADHD & Sensory Profiles 25:29 The Four ARFID Subtypes: Fear, Sensory, Low Appetite & Combined 29:40 What Causes ARFID? Understanding Roots, Triggers & Early Signs 31:13 ARFID Fear Subtype: Anxiety, Choking Fears & Avoidance 32:44 ARFID Low Appetite Subtype: Interoception & Reduced Hunger 34:38 ARFID Sensory Subtype: Texture, Smell, Taste & Food Aversions 48:23 Can ARFID Come and Go? Understanding Episodic Presentations 50:30 Did ARFID Exist Historically? Why Modern Life May Be Increasing Cases 55:36 Christmas & ARFID: How to Support People with Eating Difficulties 1:01:08 ARFID at Someone Else’s House: How Families Can Navigate Christmas Day 1:05:59 Dr Josephine’s Green Dot Badge
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Website: www.hidden20.org Instagram / TikTok / Youtube / X: @Hidden20charity Ben Branson @seedlip_ben Dr Josephine Neale @drjosephineneale www.nealehealth.com
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