Potential subjects aged 5 to 12 years with picky eating symptoms consistent with an ARFID diagnosis, as determined by the Pica, ARFID, Rumination Disorder Interview, a semi-structured diagnostic interview, will be recruited via social media and local doctor's offices. Eligible subjects will complete informed consent and an intake session. Participants will then be randomized to an immediate treatment group, in which they will begin treatment the following week, or a 4-week waitlist condition, in which they will wait four weeks to begin treatment. All participants will have the opportunity to receive the treatment, ARFID Parent Training Program or ARFID-PTP. ARFID-PTP was adapted from a seven-session parent-training for extremely picky eating behaviors to examine the efficacy of a two-session, virtual protocol on increasing food intake and decreasing selective eating. The two virtual treatment sessions will include psychoeducation, parent-training skills, and exposure protocol. There will be 5 major assessment time points: intake, end of treatment, 4-weeks post-treatment, 3-months post-treatment, and 6-months post-treatment.
This study aims to assess the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of a two-session, virtual parent-training exposure protocol for children ages 5-12 who experience picky eating consistent with an Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) diagnosis.