Some children have heightened sensory processes that magnify and overwhelm their interaction with daily activities.
Over focus on tags on clothes, types of clothing material/textures, loud noises, wet grass on feet, sand/slime/dirt on hands, sensitivity to smells, socks & shoes, etc. are some of the signs that Sensory issues may be at play.
However some people have heightened sensory issues only with food. In this case the issue is probably not a Sensory Processing challenge, but more likely a hypervigilance around food that has been created due to a past negative experience. Often after ARFID Therapy, these ‘food’ related sensory issues diminish and/or disappear.
The fuel that drives ARFID behaviour is anxiety and stress. Heightened sensory processing can give extra attention to experiences around food (smell, texture, look, feel, crunch, slippery, colour, etc). If these interactions create negative or uncomfortable feelings, then a pattern of avoidance can occur and ARFID behaviours may start.
ARFID Therapy is designed to give a deeper understanding of how Sensory Processing challenges may have triggered ARFID behaviours, and encourage a lower (subconscious) reactive response through hypnosis.
The goal being that the person may still be aware of the increased sensory experience, but it is not as overwhelming, and therefore does not prevent them from exploring new food options.
