TPP 432: A Conversation with Zoe 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 and the director of Body-Positive Therapy NYC who specializes in treating eating disorders and body image concerns with an affirming, neurodiversity-friendly approach. Zoë holds a Master of Social Work from New York University, a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College, and a certification in Family-Based Treatment from the Institute for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders. Today, she’s sharing her expertise on the unique ways ARFID presents in neurodivergent children.

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.

And a small ask before I play the episode — if you enjoy this episode, please hit the share episode button on your app and send it to a friend or post a link to it in a community of parents with neurodivergent children. I know that when families are struggling with complex challenges like ARFID, it can be difficult to find neurodiversity-affirming resources.

About Zoë Bisbing

Zoë Bisbing, MSW, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist, speaker, and content creator. She is the director of Body-Positive Therapy NYC, a group therapy practice, and Body-Positive Home, a learning and healing hub for parents and professionals who want to nurture a more embodied and inclusive next generation… and heal their own food and body stuff while they are at it. You can follow her on instagram @mybodypositivehome for bite-sized body-positive basics and body image healing and her forthcoming Substack, Body-Positive Home.

Zoë holds a Master of Social Work from New York University, a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College, and a certification in Family-Based Treatment from the Institute for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders. A native New Yorker, Zoë lives in a fiercely neurodivergent-affirming, body-positive home in Manhattan with her husband, three children, and two dogs.

Things you'll learn from this episode

• Why Zoe believes ARFID can be seen as a form of neurodivergence, distinct from other eating disorders
• How the pandemic has worsened mental health issues, including the prevalence and severity of eating disorders like ARFID
• The different ways that ARFID can present in children, including sensory aversions, anxiety-driven restrictions, and extreme selective eating
• How to differentiate between ARFID from anorexia or bulimia is crucial, including not driven by body image concerns but by sensory and other factors
• Why effective ARFID treatment must be individualized and prioritize the child’s comfort, autonomy, and unique needs

Resources mentioned

• Body Positive website
• Body Positive Therapy (serving residents of NY, CT, and NJ)
• Body Positive on Substack
• Zoë Bisbing’s website
• Body Positive on Instagram
• Body Positive Parenting with Zoe Bisbing and Leslie Bloch (Tilt Parenting podcast)
• Noreen Hunani
• Dr. Megan Anna Neff and Dr. Debra Brause on the Complex Relationship Between Traditional Therapeutic Modalities and Neurodivergence (Tilt Parenting podcast)
• Feelings and Body Investigators (FBI) ARFID

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices