Why ARFID Is Rising: Autism, ADHD & the Eating Disorder Nobody Talks About

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.


If you would like to support us this Christmas please consider
gifting from the below link to spread awareness and carry on the
conversation:


https://www.hidden20.org/christmas-grotto


________


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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Ben Branson @seedlip_ben


Dr Josephine Neale @drjosephineneale www.nealehealth.com


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