Eating · Assessment

ARFID Subtype Identifier

Sensory · low interest · fear of aversive consequences

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ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) is not about body image or weight. It's about the food itself — how it feels, whether eating is interesting, or what might happen after. Most people have one dominant subtype and traces of the others. Identifying the primary driver tells you where to start.

Client (initials only)

Date

Sensory sensitivity

'It looks / smells / feels wrong.' Restriction driven by textures, temperatures, appearance, smells, or specific brands.

Strong reactions to texture (slimy, lumpy, mixed).

Foods must be a specific brand, colour, temperature, or preparation.

Long history — often from early childhood.

Gag or spit if forced.

Lack of interest in food / low appetite

Eating feels like a chore. No urge, no pleasure, forgetting to eat.

Rarely feels hungry.

Fills up on a few bites, uninterested in more.

Weight loss / faltering growth without body image concerns.

Meals extended for hours, then abandoned.

Fear of aversive consequences

A specific fear — choking, vomiting, contamination, allergy, GI distress — narrows the accepted foods.

Often triggered by a discrete event (a choking episode, illness, witnessed vomit).

Only foods 'safe' from the feared consequence are tolerated.

Rapid onset — not a lifelong pattern.

Avoidance may generalize (public places, new foods, others eating).

Primary subtype (what drives most of the restriction)

Secondary features (traces of the other subtypes)

Impact — check any that apply

Significant weight loss or failure to gain (growing child).

Nutritional deficiency (labs, energy, hair, skin).

Dependence on supplements or tube feeds.

Marked psychosocial interference (school, work, meals with others).

One or more = clinically significant ARFID. Coordinate with medical and a dietitian familiar with ARFID.

Treatment starting points by subtype

Sensory: food chaining, texture ladders, systematic desensitization, OT collaboration.
Low interest: structured meal schedule, appetite-independent eating, energy density, medical workup.
Fear-based: CBT-AR / exposure with response prevention to the feared consequence; treat like a specific phobia around food.