Selective Eating and Autism

Earn 1 hour of continuing education by joining OT Potential after taking this course.

Course Description

Research suggests that anywhere from 46% to 84% of autistic children experience selective eating. 

And the downstream risks are substantial: selective eating is linked with nutritional deficiencies, psychosocial impairment, and increased risk of developmental and psychiatric comorbidities, with severity tied to how persistent and restrictive the eating patterns become.

In this OT Potential course, Britt St. John, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, joins us to break down what occupational therapy professionals need to understand—and do—when supporting autistic children with selective eating. We’ll begin with Britt’s story and key terminology (picky eating vs. selective eating vs. feeding disorders), then move into practical, evidence-based guidance for clinicians.

Together, we’ll focus on three core areas:

• Assessment: How to identify the nature and severity of selective eating, including available OT assessments and red flags that should guide clinical decision making.
• Caregiver collaboration: How to partner with families in ways that reduce stress, build shared understanding, and promote sustainable change at home.
• Evidence-backed treatment options: What the research supports, how OT interventions fit within interprofessional care, and when to refer on.

This course is designed for OTs and OTAs looking for clarity in a complex practice area—and for practical tools you can use immediately to support families navigating selective eating.

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OT Potential courses are presented as live webinars, then released on-demand video and audio via the OT Potential Podcast. Attendance in the live webinar will be indicated on your certificate. Learn more about how our courses help meet live webinar requirements, and OT CEU requirements overall.

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Learning Objectives

1. You will recognize assessments that OTs can utilize for selective eating in autistic children. 

2. You will be able to identify evidence backed- treatment interventions that OTs can utilize for selective eating in autistic children.

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Discussion (40 minutes)

1. Can you tell me the story of how you became interested in selective eating? 
2. Walk me through the language around selective eating. Is it different from being a picky eater? Is feeding problems the umbrella category you would use? 
3. What do we know currently about selective eating and autism? 
4. When does OT feel like the right fit for a selective eater? 
5. What made you participate in our clinical decisions support page project?
6. What assessments are available to us? 
7. What consideration should we make in interacting with caregivers? 
8. What are the main evidence backed options for treatment? 
9. When should we refer on? 
10. What would you like to see from this practice area in the next 5 years?

Live Q&A (10 min)

Closing (5 min)

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

• Caregiver-Implemented Feeding Interventions for Autistic Children with Food Selectivity: A Systematic Review
• Benefits and Challenges of a Telehealth Eating and Mealtime Intervention for Autistic Children: Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ Perspectives
• The Role of Occupational Therapy in Managing Food Selectivity of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about selective eating and autism in OT. The educational level is introductory.

Financial and Non-financial Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

We here at OT Potential have no financial stake in this topic.

Speakers

Britt St. John, PhD, MPH, OTR/L

Dr. St. John is an occupational therapist and assistant professor at the University of Washington Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. Dr. St. John’s research is focused on promoting the health and wellbeing of families, and their communities. Her current research is focused on understanding and addressing selective eating in autistic children, theoretical and contextual factors impacting family mealtime, and promoting the health and wellbeing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disability. She has clinical experience in outpatient pediatrics with expertise in partnering with families to address selective eating and build positive mealtime routines.

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011.

Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital. Sarah is the founder/owner of OT Potential. Read more about OT Potential here.

This course was designed to meet your continuing education requirements

We designed the courses in the Club to meet the requirements for “online” and “independent/self-study” courses. To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the US), check out our post, OT Continuing Education Requirements. If you are outside of the United States and have questions, please contact us.

We are proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider and to meet the requirements for your NBCOT renewal.

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