Melanie Potock

This 3 hour course explores the link between autism, ARFID and anxious eaters.

Autistic children are up to 5 times more likely to experience extreme picky eating than those children who are not autistic. Up to 50% of kids with ARFID have concomitant anxiety disorders. Strategies to help these kids overlap, with subtle nuances to consider when treating the whole child.  Let’s not ignore the challenges that parent’s face – this course dives deep into parenting strategies too!

Purchase Options

• Feeding Development: Understanding the Spectrum of Eating in Children – $60.00
  • Viewing period – 30 days from day of registration
  • Single registration for one viewer
  • CEU services provided by TalkTools®️ at no additional fee
  • Group discounts available for 7 or more viewers.  Contact Melanie.

Refunds, Extensions, and Cancellation Policy
Paid registration is valid for the specified period. No refunds are provided once the consumer has registered for the course.

Access to this course is subscription based and extensions are only possible for an additional fee.

The rights to this course are owned by My Munch Bug, LLC and it  is offered as a Cooperative Course with TalkTools®️.  Thus, the course does not fall under their refund and cancellation policy noted on the TalkTools®️ website.

Course Description: Understanding the triad of Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Autism and Pediatric Anxiety is crucial when addressing a child’s feeding difficulties.  The literature reports ARFID prevalence in the autistic population to be as high as 54%.  Studies also indicate that autistic children have a higher rate of anxiety disorders than those not on the autism spectrum.  As many as 50% of children diagnosed with ARFID have concomitant anxiety disorders.  Finally, autistic children are 5 times more likely to present with extreme picky eating than those not on the spectrum.

When treating children for feeding challenges, therapists must understand the nuances of anxiety, the spectrum of picky eating, and the overlap between ARFID, ASD and anxiety disorders. This course aims to provide foundational strategies for picky eaters, more hesitant eaters and the most extreme anxious eaters, while respecting the accommodations that may be needed for autistic children.

Course Instructional Level: Intermediate

Course CEU Amount: .3 ASHA CEUs

Learning Outcomes:

The participant will be able to:

1. Summarize the relationship between ARFID, autism and anxiety disorders.
2. List 5 strategies to help anxious eaters explore new foods.
3. Integrate customized accommodations into feeding therapy sessions for autistic clients.

Timed Agenda:

• 5 minutes: Introduction and Disclosures
• 15 minutes: Understanding the Spectrum of Pediatric Anxiety and Picky Eating
• 30 minutes: The relationship between ARFID and Pediatric Anxiety
• 15 minutes: Parenting the Picky Eater
• 60 minutes: Parenting the Child with ARFID
• 20 minutes: Feeding Therapy for Children with ARFID
• 30 minutes: Feeding Therapy for Children with Autism and ARFID
• 5 minutes: Closing Thoughts

TOTAL: 180 minutes

Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP is a feeding specialist and international speaker who presents a variety of live ASHA approved courses listed on her website www.MelaniePotock.com or www.MyMunchBug.com.   Melanie treats children with feeding challenges from birth to age seventeen years while balancing her career as an author and media expert on parenting and feeding children.

Financial: Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP is the author of Responsive Feeding, Adventures in Veggieland and the co-author of Raising a Healthy Happy Eater: A Stage-by-Stage Guide to Setting Your Child on the Path to Adventurous Eating, for which she receives royalty payments. She is the co-author of Baby Self-Feeding: Solid Food Solutions to Create Lifelong Healthy Eating Habits and was paid to write the book but does not receive royalties.. Melanie is the executive producer of the children’s music CD titled Dancing in the Kitchen and receives royalties. Ms. Potock owns My Munch Bug, LLC and the online educational courses and profits from registrations online. Ms. Potock is an international speaker who presents a variety of courses and is paid to present these courses at various virtual and live events. She owns a therapy practice for the assessment and treatment of feeding challenges in children and is paid for that service. She may receive a stipend for some articles that may appear online or in magazines.

Non-financial: Melanie Potock is a past-contributor to the American Speech Language Hearing Association’s blog, The ASHA Leader, and she was not compensated. She may not receive a stipend for some articles that appear online or in magazines and this varies month to month, depending on media needs. She is the co-author of Dr. Yum’s Preschool Food Adventure, a preschool food education curriculum and does not receive compensation for her role in the creation or support of that program.

Melissa LaPlant, MS, CCC-SLP  a certified P.E.T. (Parent Effectiveness Training) Instructor and Parenting Expert. She is a bilingual speech pathologist with over 25 years of experience helping children and their families.  “Missy” is passionate about coaching parents, and helping them get in touch with their BEST PARENTING. Melissa empowers parents with the tools to feel confident, successful, and maintain a strong relationship with their child while, at the same time, creating safe boundaries to allow kids to grow and thrive.  She incorporates these tools into her feeding therapy practice, which includes autistic children, extremely anxious eaters and kids with ARFID.

CEU Information