ARFID Treatment with a Responsive and Neurodiversity-Affirming Dietitian

 

Brianna Miluk: Hello, hello, and welcome to The Feeding Pod. This is your host. I'm Bri, Brianna Miluk, and I am a speech language pathologist and certified lactation counselor. I specialize in infant and medically complex feeding and primarily see patients in the home health setting, although I do have some that I see an outpatient or via tele practice.

I'm also an instructor at the university level and a PhD student studying communication and information sciences. I have a huge passion for evidence-based practice and supporting information literacy in speech, language, hearing, feeding, swallowing sciences, specifically as it pertains to social media and translational research.

This podcast is meant to share anything and everything related to being a pediatric feeding SLP, feeding therapist with. It's sprinkling in a little bit about working in academia, being a Ph. D. student, and how to access, appraise, and implement research into clinical practice. Some episodes may contain guests, and I'm already looking forward to some of those coming up, while others might just be me rambling about something that's been on my mind.

Regardless, my goal with this podcast is that you walk away not just with newfound knowledge, but with the inspiration to think critically and not be afraid of research. So, without further ado, let's get into today's episode. 

Welcome back to the feeding pod. This is Bri. And this week I am accompanied by Lauren Sharifi. Lauren is a dietician who specifically has a clinical focus on working with adults with ARFID. And she will- does work with children as well.

And I'll let Lauren kind of share her, her journey and her experiences there. But I'm so excited to have you here. If you haven't already listened to the ARFID episode, with Cassidy Arvidson, who talks about her lived in experience with it. I highly recommend you listen to that to compliment this episode because having the information from a professional standpoint is one aspect, but it's really important that we also listen to persons with diagnoses to better inform our clinical practice.

With that being said, Lauren, I'm so excited to have you here. I love that we like connected on Instagram and then like took a course together and like were able to kind of connect on there and I just, I'm so excited to have you for this. So why don't we start out by just giving us a little bit of about yourself. Like how did you, you know, get into the journey of becoming a dietitian? What led you to the ARFID route for a clinical focus and yeah. 

Lauren Sharifi: Awesome. Well, thanks for having me. I appreciate it. So yeah, I guess, I mean, it all kind of started back when I was in high school. I really had an interest in my cooking class, science classes, really liked helping people, but I knew I didn't want to be a nurse.

And my grandmother was actually a dietician, like back way back in the day. She was a dietician in a hospital and she actually then became a high school cooking teacher actually at the high school that I went to. So that's kind of where like I first was introduced to even becoming a dietician. So that's kind of like inspired at all and I ended up going to the University of Connecticut and doing their coordinated program, which was like, you basically do everything in four years, instead of doing your like degree in nutrition and then doing an internship after. So that was really nice. And then I started kind of working in hospitals. First doing some like inpatient work, then outpatient work.

And then I got and then I had my first son who's now seven, which is crazy. And I was like, I don't really do a 40-hour work job right now. And I got an opportunity to actually start a private practice within this, like, personal training company. They hired me on and I, like, worked part time. It was great.

Kind of dabbled in private practice, which is something that I had always really wanted to do, ultimately. So that was really a great experience. And meanwhile, having kids, like, had an interest in feeding kids. I got a lot of eating disorder clients. And I was, like, starting to get people with heart failure.

And, like. For, you know, because I graduated now, it's like 13 years ago. There like, ARFID was not a thing. So, I did not know anything about it at the time. So, had to really do a lot of research and I found like, there was nothing, there was like nothing out there like three years ago, I could barely find anything for patients, for providers.

So really like tried my best to like learn from my clients. Take in as much as I could. I took a couple of courses like over the past couple of years, more stuff has come out, which has been great. And so, yeah, that's kind of how it came. And I really was like, there's just nothing. And so, when I went into private practice, but a year and a half ago, I like left that private practice, started my own and was like, I'm just gonna full on ARFID, like there, there is, this is missing and we need, they need people to support.

Like learn and be able to better support them. So that's kind of where like The ARFID Dietitian was born. And kind of how I got to this place that I am at right now. 

Brianna Miluk: Yeah, I love that. It's so funny how like our journeys will lead us in directions we don't necessarily expect like different parts of life led you to like taking the private practice position, which then led you to having those clients and then it's like.

You know, you could never have like planned that journey for yourself. It just kind of happened, but I agree with you. I feel like there's such a lack of information on ARFID specifically. And I feel like because of the lack of information, the lack of awareness there's a lot of confusion around like management of ARFID, what it looks like in practice, how to best support these clients, who is best to support these clients, and that's something that you know, I, I see in the speech language pathology world, and, and I definitely want to clarify for any listeners here, as a speech language pathologist, we cannot diagnose ARFID.

We can be part of the, of the treatment team, we can play a role there, but we can't diagnose it because that is, that's- this is not in our scope. It is a mental health diagnosis. 

Lauren Sharifi: I can't even diagnose it. 

Brianna Miluk: Yeah. Has to be diagnosed by a psychologist or physician with that appropriate training. And so, I think it's- want to make that super clear.

But with that being said, I think because of that lack of information, people are like, okay, well then what is my role and, and what does that look like? And what does treatment look like? And how do we even approach this? So Okay, let's, let's go into a little bit more with, with some of your experience.

Now I know that majority of your clients are adults which is a little different for me because I am entirely working with pediatrics. However, what I think is really cool that adults bring is they tend to have more language around explaining what they're feeling and what's going on.

And so, I would love for you to share some of those experiences that, you know, have informed your practices that could in turn support informing the practices when working with pediatrics as well. 

Lauren Sharifi: Yeah. Yeah. So, I'd say like, yeah, I see about like 75% adults and then 25% are children. Primarily working with parents- the parents, unless they're like a teen or something. So. 

Brianna Miluk: I feel like across the board with PFD as well. It's like, I'm mostly working with the parents. 

Lauren Sharifi: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. It's hard to work with kids. Do they really want to work with us? Nah, probably not. Which is totally fine. So yeah, I, I, I definitely learned a lot from the adults that I work with because like you said, they have the language which kids don't and I think it's been interesting. So, like they'll say like what was really helpful for them or what harmed them. So, they can kind of, you know, communicate. And for a majority of my clients, like their parents did, they accommodated them. Like, they may not have been diagnosed with ARFID but they definitely had or were called a picky eater and, but their parents were really good about accommodating their needs and making sure they had safe foods at home, and they grew and they developed and now they're adults and are facing other challenges that are making eating more difficult for them.

So that's an off- the common experience that I found, like now they're in adulthood. And you know, they're, they're on their own and they have to make their food and it's, it's a, can be challenging at times. And then at the same time, like some people had really bad experiences and their parents whether it's their parents or actually doctors really shaming them for their eating and maybe their parents felt the shame, like why isn't my kid eating this way, and forcing things on them and really, you know, like, kind of actually breaking apart their relationships, so, you know, really, it's been helpful to help, you know, some of the stuff that I've learned, like, validating that information that I'm getting, like, yeah, we need to, you know, provide a lot of autonomy, and build connection, relationships you know, that can be really help them feel safe so that they're able to meet their needs around food.

Because otherwise it can make it like any of those, those relationships having that relationship trauma can make, you know, as an adult, even harder to, to eat and feed themselves, nourish themselves. 

Brianna Miluk: No, I think that resonates so strongly with me in the approaches I work on with pediatrics, with like responsive feeding practices and neurodiversity affirming practices. And I know I'm going to ask more about that in a bit. But I feel like, you know, what, what adults are sharing is that like, that approach, even in adulthood, is is what they feel you know, most supported in. It's, it's not forcing exposures. It's not forcing a desensitization. It's not giving shame. Like, you know, oh, they're, they're a picky eater and like writing it as if like, it's a bad thing, you know, like, like, pathologizing it in a very negative light when in reality, there's just some differences.

And I think that type of approach really focuses in on, like you mentioned, autonomy and connection between people and, or in pediatrics between the child and the caregiver and focusing in on, you know, attunement to yourself and your child and, you know, being able to advocate for what you need and acceptance, like self-acceptance of what's going on. And so, I love how, you know, it shows that like through the ages, like throughout the spectrum of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood that, you know, that remains true as something that, that feels supportive. 

Lauren Sharifi: Great. Yeah, for sure. 

Brianna Miluk: Okay, so with, with that, okay, we we understand kind of some of those main themes. So, when you are approaching clients with ARFID and, you know, someone's coming and saying like- And I'm thinking more of like what you just said, where they're like, okay, it's starting to influence other aspects of my life. You know, I don't have somebody by my side to help me make accommodations. What do you do? How do you approach those situations? And kind of like, what does, what does therapy sort of look like for you? 

Lauren Sharifi: Yeah. So yeah, especially with my adults, it's really understanding like what factors are impacting their eating. Is it their you know, executive functioning in differences where it's really hard for them to like, working memory, like pull from, like, what are my safe foods? What do I, what can I make? How can I even make this? So really helping support them in, like, how do I make, you know, support my executive functioning differences, seeing that and reducing some shame around, like, you don't have to, like, make food all the time.

And really helping them through a lot of, like, that. Acceptance around their eating differences, because they get a lot of shame put on them for not eating quote, unquote, normally and saying like, it's, it's okay. Like, you know, it's okay to have people support you with cooking meals. It's okay to you know, order the same thing. And the struggle is sometimes our accommodations aren't always like supported out in the world, which makes, whether it's from, you know, restaurants not supporting their, their needs or people judging them or commenting, so it can be so tricky. Like, it's coming at all angles.

And I often find with, like, my adult clients, like ARFID, it kind of ebbs and flows. So, like, they'll have, like, you know, life's good, they're relaxed, things are, things are going well, but then a stressor comes in, big life thing happens, and then eating becomes really challenging. So, a lot of the work is like, all right, what, what can I do when life is easier for me?

Like, can I try new things or, you know, what can I, maybe they're more challenging foods that I can that aren't so overwhelming when I'm calm? What are those foods? And then what are foods that I need to like put on my safe list when life is really hard. So really helping them navigate, like how do I nourish myself when things are easy and things are tough?

So that, that, that can be part of it as well. Just trying to think of other things that I help people with in the adult world. And yeah, I think like how can I, if I can't meet my needs through like fruits and vegetables are not accessible for me for sensory reasons, like how can I meet my needs in other ways through vitamins? And again, like you don't have to eat fruits and vegetables if it's not working for you, it's like too overwhelming. 

So how do I fit fill in the gaps in different ways? What do I need a lot of like support around like I can't prescribe medications, but there can be some medications out there that really help with appetite, especially if that's part of it, like really low appetite, nausea giving them some coping skills around managing anxiety to make eating easier for them? So, there's lots of different, different avenues that we can kind of explore depending on what they're struggling with at the moment. 

Brianna Miluk: No, that's really helpful. And I think that's super reflective of what I talked about with Cassidy and kind of like the different types of ARFID. And so, you know, depending on if there's more of an avoidant ARFID, a little bit more of restrictive or more aversive or a combination, like depending on specifically what's going on, is how you can kind of modify your treatment, which is really what we should be doing with all, you know, all clients that we're working with is like, okay, well, what works for you? And let me help you kind of get there.

So, I know that you incorporate a lot of neurodiversity affirming care into your approach. And so, I'd love for you to kind of talk about how you do that. You've already kind of gave us a little bit of nuggets to it. But how do you go about that? And do you feel that it can be separated? Do you feel that, you know, supporting clients with ARFID can be separated from a neurodiversity affirming lens?

Lauren Sharifi: Yeah you know, I think it's kind of, it's there, like, I don't know if we can separate, I feel like it's just like part of, part of the work and because I do, like, you know, I definitely want a big shout out to Naureen because she's been so great at, like, teaching us all of this information and I think it's like she even put it like no matter if you're neurodivergent or neurotypical, like our brains are different and like this approach can really support anybody.

And so, a lot of like the work that I'll do around that is really challenging a lot of like for parents like challenging typical feeding advice that's often very ableist and doesn't work for individuals with ARFID. I'll hear a lot of times from parents, like, you know, I follow this picky eating account and like it didn't work. I tried and like, is it me? Is it them? Like, why isn't it working? And feeling a lot of shame and like, in the end, just realizing, oh, like, this doesn't work. It just doesn't work because it wasn't meant for us and there's different ways we can do things. It's really challenging things and adapting it to like, you know, fit what works for that individual person.

Also, I feel like, like we've said before, really like, listening and validating our client's lived experience can really reduce a lot of shame, because whether it's from family member, friend, doctor, they get, like, shame from everywhere, like, this eating is going to cause this, or this is because of this, and, like, you need to fix this, or you're not going to get better, just so much shame, and in the end, like, you know, it's really the, probably the environment that needs to be fixed, not themselves and how we perceive different things. Like, I feel like food's like the easy scapegoat for like all of these things. So, you just fix that, let a good old eat that. It'll fix everything. But it's not, it's not the case. 

Brianna Miluk: I'm so glad you brought that up because I feel like, you know, so much of the like shame behind it and the shame that like whether the person with ARFID feels or the family like the caregivers, especially in pediatrics that they feel is just this like arbitrary societal pressure of like what a safe meal time or what meal times are supposed to look like or what types of things are, you know how it's quote unquote supposed to be. And a lot of that is rooted in ableism, like you mentioned, and you know, not understanding that like we can all have differences and different experiences with food and different experiences with certain foods compared to other foods and like. 

Lauren Sharifi: Yeah.

Brianna Miluk: All that, that variety in there and helping to really validate that and, and also, you know, elevate, elevate even more of the voices that continue to teach us about those lived experiences. So yeah. I'm, I'm just glad you mentioned that cuz it's like, maybe it's not you that needs fixed. Maybe it's the environment and vital standards and like, those systemic issues.

Lauren Sharifi: Yeah. Oh yeah. A lot of this is, yeah, like reframing a lot of the systemic stuff that like we were taught, like they're, you know, underlying, I even feel like same with like ARFID, like underlying eating differences are not a problem, but then you add in, like, society and culture and all these, these factors, now it becomes an issue. But if they weren't there, like, and we just accepted people, like, the way they were around food and it was accommodated, like, you can have that plain pasta if you want to like, there wouldn't be an issue. I'd be able to eat enough because I got my safe foods and I'm fine. So yeah, multiple things going on.

Brianna Miluk: Yeah. And I think, I like your point too, that you mentioned like food is kind of like this, like scapegoat for everything. Like, well, if they just ate this, then like X, Y, Z would happen. Or if they just did this and it's like. No, that's actually not likely to be like the single- singular thing that's going to change, you know. 

Lauren Sharifi: Yeah, yeah, if there was stress that that you were- now put on me wasn't there then I might actually be healthier. 

Brianna Miluk: Right yeah no I think that's such a- It's such a good point. Is there anything else that you wanted to share with how you sort of incorporate neurodiversity affirming practices into your care? 

Lauren Sharifi: Yeah, I mean, I guess another thing I guess we talked about accepting the differences I think is really is really huge so that they can accept their differences, because if we like the like layers of safety aren't built, if we're not accepting as a provider, like it's gonna be hard for them to accept and move forward around learning around their, you know, just how to nourish themselves.

Trauma is another thing, just like being trauma informed is part of it too. So, kind of knowing like how- what trauma is and how that might be impacting them and how that's playing out in their, their eating as well. Like, you know, a lot of my individuals are just like in fight or flight constantly, and that can really impact your appetite.

That can really impact your ability to nourish yourself. Like you're just, yeah, that's huge, huge component. And I guess like, and again, last thing I think is more like focusing on accommodating clients versus trying to fix them. And it's hard. I feel like with parents, they want us as providers to, like, fix their kids, but it's not on us to, like, do that.

We really want to support them to, like make their child like the best or even adults like I just want you to be who you are in like the best way you can and be able to nourish yourself. And it's often like, okay, you don't, you may not love eating but you know, we need to eat to survive. So how can we do this in a way that's like easiest on you so you can enjoy other things in life? You don't have to be like everyone else to be healthy. It's okay. 

Brianna Miluk: Wow. I love that. And. Yeah. I just want to like sit in that. I love, I love the way you articulated that message. Cause I think that that is it. It's like, no, I'm just here to support you being the most authentic, best version that you want to be.

And what that looks like. And I think that's so important. And I feel like it's very, very different from what, if you, if you read literature on ARFID treatment, a lot of what comes up is cognitive behavioral therapy. And I just, it's something that like never quite sat well with me and I’ve taken courses that discuss it or even show it in, in like progress. And I just feel icky about it and I don't like it. And I would just love to hear your take on it because everything you're saying is like not CBT and I appreciate it because agreed. You know, I think there's, there's a time and a place for everything.

And I'm not saying like CBT in general for every single diagnosis is inappropriate, but I think that we need to be really careful that like, just because something says it's effective doesn't mean that like long term or like what are the repercussions of it or the side effects or like you know what is happening later down the line when someone goes through a treatment like that and so I'm gonna stop talking and I'm gonna let you kind of share your thoughts and reflections on that.

Lauren Sharifi: Yeah. So, I'm like, well, yeah, on, on your side, a CBT or like what I was doing all these courses, like responsive feeding therapy that like, that felt good. Like I, I can jive with that. That makes sense to me. CBT-AR it was like the whole time. Like, what is this? Like, this is not, this doesn't make any sense. Like I did not, it didn't, didn't sit well with me either.

But like, yeah. Responsive feeding therapy and, like, all the work that Naureen has done and taught us, like, that, like, made sense. Because, you know, even in my work, I'm like, I can't, I don't know, I, like, exposure therapy doesn't- no one wants to do it. Some people can, but, like, maybe 90% don't want to.

I'm like, that doesn't make any sense to me. And, but like, I just felt very validated, I guess, when, when we were taking Naureen's course, because I'm like, yeah, I'm doing this already. Like, I'm not pushing these exposures. If they've got, like, voice that they want to do them, I'm there to support them in that.

But only if they're ready. So, like, I even did a a little poll on my Instagram just to see, like, who, like, found exposure therapy helpful. And I want to say majority. Maybe 10% said yes. And then like majority said when they were ready and then a lot of people said no. So, it really is like not the golden standard that it's touted to be. And yeah, I feel like I've helped more people without doing exposure therapy. 

Brianna Miluk: No, I love that because I think that so often that's what's used with kids of like just like, let's do exposure and they have to like touch it and lick it and bite it and do all of these things and like, again, I'm not saying that these approaches are never appropriate.

Like, like you said, even with your, your poll, you know, and so let's think like population who's voting on that is probably not the little kids we're working with, but it's super reflective though, because these are people that can communicate like how those experiences went. And like a lot of that's when they're ready.

And you know, that goes into that like internal motivation piece of like, okay, I want to learn how to eat this food. Can you give me the tools? So that I know how to explore it when I'm ready, when I feel good, when I'm in a safe space, when I have everything that I need in my environment to support me in that situation.

And I just, I, yeah, I totally agree with you. And I also just appreciate talking about that point because I just hope clinicians as a whole who are listening to this, if you ever take a course, if you're ever reading something that doesn't sit well with you. It doesn't mean that's the only way to go about something like there's there's a lot of different ways to approach something and you have to make sure that like your values as a provider are clear, so that you know what you want to pick up on and like what's valuable for you and there's many courses you'll take that, you know, pieces of it might fit into your puzzle but not all of it and that's okay, it's okay to say, you know, thank you for giving me that information, but I don't like that, you know, like that doesn't sit with how I'm okay presenting myself in sessions or as a provider.

And so, I want to bring that up too, like, it's okay to question the things you're learning. It's okay to say like, I don't really like that. Let me learn a little bit more or let me learn about other, other options. So yes, it's just a really good point to bring up. Okay, so before we go into my final question, I have some rapid-fire questions that I like to do. So, I have three for you today. And so, you can just answer these in like one word or give me like a short phrase, just something really quick. So, first one that I have is, what is your favorite book or resource to learn more about ARFID?

Lauren Sharifi: Oh, goodness. Honestly, my people with lived experience. 

Brianna Miluk: Love it. Yeah, people with lived experiences. Okay. What is one or a few words that you would use to describe like your, your approach so like we talked through your approach but like if you could could sum it up very briefly in like how you feel approaches should be. So, like your approach, which is obviously how you feel it should be is how would you summarize that very quickly? 

Lauren Sharifi: I guess like a neuro divergent, affirming, responsive feeding therapy. 

Brianna Miluk: Yeah. Yeah. I love it. I love that. Okay. And then what is one thing that. you would like clinicians to know about ARFID?

Lauren Sharifi: I guess one thing is like reminders that ARFID is like a safety mechanism, like a coping, it's a coping skill. And so really thinking about how is our clients safe? How do we keep our clients safe? So, they don't have to, so they can feel safe around food. 

Brianna Miluk: Yeah. I love that. The, the emphasis on safety because it is, it's a, it's a response to the body saying I'm not safe. Awesome. Okay. So last question to finish up today. What are three strategies that you recommend that people are most surprised by? So, like, for example. People freak out when I say that like it's okay to have screens at mealtime. It's, you know, it's just, oh gosh, how could you ever say that that's okay? So, I would love to know, like, what are three things that you, you bring up that whether like your, your clients are surprised that you're saying that this is an okay thing to do or like other clinicians are like, What? You, you would recommend that? I'm excited to hear these. 

Lauren Sharifi: Yeah. So yeah, I think a lot of them kind of come from the, like, view of, like, safety. So, like, your example is safety. Like, we're building safety around using screens because that feels more comfortable. So even, like, you don't have to eat at the dinner table, like, together.

I feel like there's a lot of pressure for our families to eat together at the dinner table. Every night of the week, and it can be very, for a child with ARFID can feel very unsafe for a variety of different reasons, whether it be like the visually, the social connections too much, the demand at the end of the day too much, smells of foods. So really like, Find a safe place.

Where do they feel safe? It might be on the couch with an iPad, that's okay. And a lot of people are like, okay, thank you. So that's one another one would be like, see, I guess, like eating the same thing, like for lunch or dinner is okay. There's a lot of pressure to eat a variety of different things.

Like have something different for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, but. Same foods can build safety and predictability, and when everything else in the world is unsafe, that one food that they know is gonna taste the same, look the same, feel the same in their body, like, that builds safety. And if, as long as they're getting in enough of variety to, or, you know, foods to fill in all their nutrition needs, it's okay.

It's absolutely okay. And, you know, if they're, when they're ready, you know, they may voice I want to add something in or change something in. So, I guess that's the second one. And that kind of, again, knowing that you don't need to eat more than 20 different foods. Again, I don't know where that came from. But. 

Brianna Miluk: I know there's like this, I can like picture this chart and I don't remember like what course it came from, but it had like each of the food groups and it was like, okay, you can like, Like therapy would end when they have like five foods under each group. And it's like, why? What? Like, why, why do we have to? 

Lauren Sharifi: Yeah, like there, there are different ways to get in like vitamins and fiber and nutrients that might be missing if we can't get it from our food and, and that's, that's okay. They're made for that reason, so use them if you need I guess, yeah, so that's like two slash three and I guess another thing is just kind of like we can make modification like modifications to foods to fit our child or even adult sensory needs. A lot of people I work with don't like super saucy things or chunks, so we can puree stuff, we can remove the sauce, you can have it plain, like there are ways we can change foods to fit individual sensory needs, they don't have to eat the, the pasta with the chunky tomato sauce to be healthy. 

Brianna Miluk: No, I love, I love that. That's something that I will talk to families about a lot with like, okay, we, you know, we're expanding off of a food or, you know, talking about like different ways to explore foods. And one example I like to give is like with fruit. So, like you can have fresh fruit, you could have frozen fruit that you present while still frozen.

You could have the frozen fruit that's thawed, that's kind of mushy. You could have a freeze dried. You could have a dried, you could have like, there's so many ways to present the exact same food that, like you said, might better fit that child's sensory needs. And so, you know, they might discover a new food that they enjoy that's still within their safe parameters. So, I love that. I love that. 

Lauren Sharifi: I have one good example because this comes up a lot is pizza is really hard for, probably because of the sauce. There are multiple textures and it being warm has a lot of smells. But cold pizza... Like it doesn't have that- different texture and it can often be better accepted. Not that it will be accepted by every kid with ARFID or individual, but I found that like, even just changing the temperature, like something like that can make it much easier for kids. So, thinking outside the box. 

Brianna Miluk: I- no I love that example. And that really is. And I think oftentimes I find from families, that's one of the most challenging things is thinking outside of the box and being able to be like. How can I modify this? Because we have this like expectation of like, oh, like pizza straight out of the oven, you know, piping hot is like the best version of it.

And it's like, well, best version to you maybe, but like not necessarily to someone else. And so, I, yeah, I, I think that's awesome. Cool. Okay. So. Lauren, to kind of finish up today, where can people find you if they want to reach out to you, whether they have questions as a clinician or maybe are someone with ARFID that would like to work with you? Where can they, where can they find you? 

Lauren Sharifi: Sure. Yeah. So, you can find me on Instagram @arfid.Dietitian. And you can also find me on my website. So, it's just laurensharifi.com. 

Brianna Miluk: Yeah. And if someone's listening, if you go into the information for today and the show notes, you'll be able to get links to all of those. I'll make sure to share those. Yeah, I appreciate you. Is there anything else you want to share today? 

Lauren Sharifi: No, I'm, I think that, I think we covered a lot of good stuff. So, I'm excited. 

Brianna Miluk: Yeah. I'm really excited. I appreciate you so much taking the time to be here and sharing your, your clinical experiences and what you've learned over the course of time and. Yeah. Thank you so much. 

Lauren Sharifi: Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

Brianna Miluk: Thanks for tuning in to The Feeding Pod this week. If you enjoyed today's episode, please don't hesitate to share this podcast with your friends and colleagues and leave us a five- star review wherever you're listening from. If you're interested in learning more about pediatric feeding and swallowing, be sure to follow Bri, me, on Instagram @PediatricFeedingSLP, or check out my website where you can get access to more courses and information, www.pediatricfeedingslp.com. Again, thanks for being here and listening to my ramblings, and I hope you'll keep listening. Until next time, cheers. 

• Lauren Sharifi IG: @Arfid.dietitian
• Naureen’s work on neurodiversity: https://www.rdsforneurodiversity.com/meet-the-founder
• Lauren Sharifi’s website: www.LaurenSharifi.com