Beyond Picky Eating: A Nutritional Lens on Neurodivergent Eating Challenges
Tracks
Jacaranda - In-Person Only
| Monday, September 28, 2026 |
| 1:30 PM - 1:50 PM |
| Jacaranda Room |
Overview
Court Garfoot, Court Garfoot Nutrition
Key Learnings
1. Screen for Nutritional Risk: Implement simple screening questions to identify feeding challenges and nutritional red flags in your initial assessments, understanding why this matters for regulation, development, and mental health outcomes.
2. Understand Feeding Therapy's Role: Learn how neuro-affirming feeding therapy addresses the biological and relational barriers maintaining restrictive eating, and how it complements sensory, behavioural, and psychological interventions.
3. Navigate Collaborative Care: Know when and how to refer to feeding specialists, communicate nutritional findings to families without creating anxiety, and integrate nutrition into multidisciplinary care plans.
Speaker
Court Garfoot
Clinical Director, Paediatric Clinical Nutritionist and Feeding Therapist
Juni Paediatrics
Beyond Picky Eating: A Nutritional Lens on Neurodivergent Eating Challenges.
Presentation Overview
When a neurodivergent child refuses everything except crackers, allied health teams often address sensory processing, anxiety, or behavioural factors. Yet many practitioners working with neurodivergent children lack the nutritional biochemistry lens to recognise when eating challenges signal underlying deficiencies that compound the very issues we're supporting: focus, emotional regulation, mood stability, and development.
Research shows almost half of ADHD children experience eating challenges and suboptimal nutritional intake compared to 11.1% of typically developing children. Restrictive eating creates a self-perpetuating cycle: limited food variety leads to nutrient deficiencies (particularly iron, zinc, and B vitamins) which directly impact appetite regulation, taste perception, and gut motility. Chronic constipation, experienced by many neurodivergent children, further reduces hunger cues and increases food aversion while nutrient gaps worsen concentration, emotional dysregulation, and developmental progress.
Neuro-affirming feeding therapy offers a pathway to break this cycle by addressing biological, sensory, motor, and relational factors that influence eating, expanding both food acceptance and nutritional intake without coercion or behavioural pressure.
This session is for practitioners who want to learn how to identify when restrictive eating patterns indicate nutritional gaps affecting neurodivergent wellbeing, and integrate nutritional considerations into affirming support.
Research shows almost half of ADHD children experience eating challenges and suboptimal nutritional intake compared to 11.1% of typically developing children. Restrictive eating creates a self-perpetuating cycle: limited food variety leads to nutrient deficiencies (particularly iron, zinc, and B vitamins) which directly impact appetite regulation, taste perception, and gut motility. Chronic constipation, experienced by many neurodivergent children, further reduces hunger cues and increases food aversion while nutrient gaps worsen concentration, emotional dysregulation, and developmental progress.
Neuro-affirming feeding therapy offers a pathway to break this cycle by addressing biological, sensory, motor, and relational factors that influence eating, expanding both food acceptance and nutritional intake without coercion or behavioural pressure.
This session is for practitioners who want to learn how to identify when restrictive eating patterns indicate nutritional gaps affecting neurodivergent wellbeing, and integrate nutritional considerations into affirming support.
Biography
Courtney Garfoot is a paediatric clinical nutritionist and feeding therapist specialising in neurodivergent eating challenges. She works with families navigating ADHD, restrictive eating, digestive issues, and developmental delays through evidence-based, trauma-informed and neuro-affirming approaches.
Courtney challenges the "they'll grow out of it" mentality by reframing selective eating through a neurodiversity-affirming lens that addresses causes rather than managing symptoms. She translates complex nutritional science into practical solutions that respect how different brains interact with food, helping families understand what's really happening beneath challenging eating behaviours.
