pfd & arfid
School Toolkit

PFD & ARFID

School Toolkit

Navigating school with a child who has pFD or ARFID can feel overwhelming.

Between managing meals, therapies, and medical needs, the school day often brings unique challenges that aren’t always easy for others to understand. The PFD & ARFID School Toolkit was created with these needs in mind.

Download the Toolkit

Resources included in the toolkit

Feeding and Eating Snapshot

A tool you can share with your child’s teachers and school staff to give them the information they need at a glance.

Social Emotional Support Tools

Resources to best support your child, including a script for your child to use to explain their feeding and eating differences, sensory tools, and books with feeding disorder representation.

Know Your rights

Learn how IDEA, ADA, IEPs, and 504 plans can support children with PFD and ARFID.

You are not alone in this journey.

By working together—parents, educators, and healthcare providers—we can ensure children with PFD and ARFID are understood, supported, and given every opportunity to thrive.

“This toolkit is so needed for families and school personnel! FANTASTIC! I wish this existed when I was teaching.”
– Former Teacher

Social emotional support tools

Use the following language to explain feeding and eating differences to peers:
I want to tell you something about how I eat. My body works in its own way, so I have some special ways of eating my food. I might need more time, different kinds of food, or help from a grown-up. These things help my body stay healthy and strong. Sometimes the foods you eat are foods that I don’t understand, so I may need to sit by myself. I still like you and want to be your friend, and I will come back to play when you are done eating. Everyone’s body is unique, and this is what works best for me. I’m happy to answer questions if you’re curious! Thanks for being such good friends.

Consistent routines and validation are important. When a student does need additional support, the following may be helpful:

Physical Space: A place away from others, with dim lights if needed. Less people/less movement/less noise around the child.

Safe Smells: A blanket or pair of gloves from home that the child can bury their nose in can provide an “olfactory reset”. Seat the student in low-odor areas, such as outside for lunch or farther from the kitchen in the cafeteria.

Oral Input: Under supervision, allow non-edible chewing items that are commercially made, brought from home, and approved by parents.

Safe Textures: Offer items like sensory bean bins for tactile engagement.

Other calming sensory input: Provide activities such as swinging, heavy work, or listening to preferred music.

The following books can be resources for teachers or classrooms:
In My Own Way presented by Feeding Matters
All Food is Good Food by Molli Jackson Ehlert
Tyler Takes a Taste by Barbara Coven-Ellis
The Adventures of Team Super Tubie by Kristin Meyer and Kevin Cannon
My Belly Has 2 Buttons by Meikele Lee and Rebecca Robertson
Living with ARFID series by Karelle Vézina

Know your rights

What is IDEA?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures special education and related services to children with disabilities. Learn more.

What is ADA?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) empowers and protects the public rights of citizens with disabilities. This can ensure a safe environment for feeding and eating and access to necessary services. Learn more.

Documentation
Do you know the difference between Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans? These documents support children with disabilities and/or special care at school. Learn more.

Contact your child’s school IEP administrator/coordinator and request a meeting to initiate evaluation. Your child will still need to be evaluated by the school team even if they have an existing diagnosis of any kind.

Talk with your child’s pediatrician and/or external care team. Ask for supporting documentation and collect it for the school team meeting.

Write out your concerns and thoughts before the meeting to help yourself prepare.

Get to know your child’s school team and the roles they may play. This may include the following: special education teacher, general education teacher, speech-language pathologist (SLP), social worker (LSW), school nurse, paraprofessional or school aide, school pychologist, principal or vice principal, or occupational therapist (OT).

Stay hopeful and do what you can to enter the meeting confidently and collaboratively.

Learn about the steps required for the school team upon request for evaluation here.

Neither pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) nor avoidant/ restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) are specifically named as a qualified category of disability in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but they can qualify under “Other Health Impairments.”

Share with the school team:

How much time does your child need to eat?
Who needs to supervise?
Do they need special utensils or cups?
Special prep? Certain position?

When packing your child’s lunch, choose safe or favorite foods. If you are not sending lunches from home, coordinate carefully with the schol lunch staff.