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Oct 14 2025

Autism and eating challenges

This course focuses on understanding and supporting autistic children with eating challenges.

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About the course


Feeding and eating problems are common in autistic people. Difficulties such as only eating a very few foods, not being able to eat at school, going long periods of time without eating or over eating and Pica (eating non-foods) can be difficult to understand and manage with parents and carers reporting feelings of anxiety, frustration and blame.

This course is written and presented by Dr Elizabeth Shea who has several decades of experience in the clinical and academic fields of childhood feeding disorders and in autism services.

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Where?

Live online

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Date and time?

14 October 2025

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How much?

Live online training on a scheduled date: £195 + VAT per person

Who is the course for?


This course is suitable for anyone who is working with an autistic child who is having difficulties with food. To get the most out of this training course, it is advisable to have a prior understanding of autism. (We offer an introductory online module on Understanding autism or a live online course on Understanding and supporting autistic people).

Although the course will focus on children and young people, the information may also be relevant to those working autistic adults as the developmental characteristics that cause the eating patterns in autism can persist into adulthood.

 

Training details and timings


Live online courses are delivered using Microsoft Teams 

Delegates will be sent joining links and handouts prior to the course. We have approximately 30 delegates on each group, and we try to be sensitive to individual adjustments that people may need, including cameras being optional and using the chat box for interactions. 

  • Our open access training is delivered live online, run in one day, from 9.30am -4pm. Regular breaks are offered.


Please note: As we have limited availability on this course, to try and ensure access, we will be asking individual organisations to only book a maximum of 5 places on a specific course.


 

Key topics

  • Using knowledge from academic and clinical fields of typical feeding development and childhood feeding disorders this one day workshop will examine and explain the common patterns of eating in autism. It will address a range of difference across the spectrum including specific issues relating to females.
  • Taking a developmental approach and using the new diagnosis of ‘Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder’ (DSM IV, 2013) the first half of the workshop will discuss how eating issues in autism relate to the characteristics of the condition itself.
  • The second half will concentrate on evidence and practice-based strategies for intervention. The workshop will take an interactive approach with opportunity for experiential based learning and discussion of participant’s own case or family examples.

Learning outcomes

  • Gain increased understanding of the causes of feeding and eating issues for autistic people
  • Increase your awareness of the impact of typical and atypical development on the acquisition of the skills for successful feeding
  • Develop knowledge of specific issues facing autistic individuals with food
  • Increase your confidence in the application of management and intervention strategies
  • Opportunity to share experiences and strategies with colleagues/other participants.

Costs

Live online training for individuals

Training on a scheduled date, £195 + VAT per person

Tell us more about your needs

We offer consultancy, in-house and bespoke training services for organisations.

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