Frequently asked questions

The Arfid Clinic offers specialised feeding clinic services, including assessments, individualised therapy plans, and ongoing support for individuals with feeding difficulties via telehealth ( virtual).

The ARFID Clinic Australia is conveniently located virtually, providing easy access for residents across Australia. Simply login using the video link sent to you by our team.

Appointments can be booked by contacting our clinic directly via our website contact form.

You are able to use your NDIS funding to fund your assessment, and therapy sessions. We are only able to see self managed and plan managed NDIS clients. Participants are billed under the NDIS codes for psychology assessment and speech pathology assessment and therapy. Check with your Plan Manager if you are unsure what your child has been funded for. You can call our clinic for specific details about our billing codes and service agreements.

Your assessment session will be with a Speech Pathologist and a Clinical Pscyhologist who specialise in ARFID diagnostics. If required or requested you may be then linked in with a Dietician and any other appropriate professional  your child may need to see.

You will attend an online consultation via ZOOM. The ZOOM link is provided to you prior to your scheduled appointment.  A Speech Pathologist and a Clinical Psychologist will be present in the online consultation. They will collect a thorough case history and conduct a comprehensive interview regarding your child's development and feeding history. They will go through, in detail, the inventory of foods and drinks your child consumes and ask you about your feeding goals for your child. A diagnosis of ARFID may be provided should your child meet this diagnostic criteria. Other mental health diagnoses may also be provided if relevant and indicated. General advice and strategies will provided at the end of the assessment session as well as a letter detailing the outcomes of the assessment. If your child is a canditate for feeding therapy, we will offer this to you at the end of your session and book it in on the day where possible.

Children are not generally required to attend the assessment as it is quite a lengthy appointment and many children with ARFID can be quite reluctant and anxious to discuss their feeding challenges. It is not uncommon to see an exacerbation of symptoms (eating presentation worsens) when particular focus is given to it. It is for this reason we advise against bringing your child to the consultation.

However, in some cases whereby children are older and/or very comfortable to discuss their feeding challenges, they are encouraged to attend the appointments online.

No you do not need a referral from a doctor to attend our clinics. Any relevant reports or letters can be provided at the time you book your appointment, for our clinicians to review prior to your appointment with them.

Our clinics and feeding therapy services are telehealth only. This means we do not offer in person clinics. We have been piloting virtual clinics for 12 months with excellent treatment effects. Our clinics used to be run in person, however, we decided to make them virtual due based on the following consistent observations and parent reports:

- During your appointment you can show the clinicians food types and brands, eating environments, and realistic 'day in the life' information that will help to fully understand barriers and personalise supports realistically.

- Children with ARFID often present with comobird anxiety symptoms. Speaking about their difficulties, in front of them, can further exacerbate their anxiety symptoms and worsen their feeding presentation the following days after the appointment.

- Parents can recall with more accuracy, specific details and pertinent history required to make accurate diagnoses, without their child present and requiring their 1:1 attention.

- Less clinician directed treatment means more parental involvement in providing therapy. Empowered parents means less need for ongoing access to therapy which is cost and time efficient. Our goal is for parents to need us less!

- Increased therapy goal transfer compared to traditional clinic based therapies. Working in the child's natural environment via telehealth leads to longer lasting effects. It is not uncommon for children with ARFID to demonstrate improvements with food exposures in a clinical environment, and completely refuse this same exposure at home. Context matters!