Selective Eating and Autism: OT CEU Course with Britt St. John

Explore how occupational therapy professionals can effectively support autistic children and their families navigating the complexities of selective eating. 🍽️ 👍 Earn 1 hour of AOTA-approved occupational therapy continuing education after watching this course: https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-c... Episode Description: Research suggests that up to 84% of autistic children experience feeding difficulties like selective eating, leading to substantial downstream risks including nutritional deficiencies and psychosocial impairment. For many families, these challenges begin long before an autism diagnosis is even identified, often surfacing during early transitions to purees or solid foods. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Britt St. John, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, an assistant professor and researcher at the University of Washington, to break down what OTs need to understand about selective eating and autism. We move beyond the "wait and see" approach to provide practical, evidence-based guidance on assessment, caregiver collaboration, and treatment. You’ll learn how to distinguish between "picky eating" and clinical feeding disorders, how to identify "red flags" that require medical referral, and how to use "food play" as a co-regulation tool rather than a performance. Dr. St. John also shares insights into her latest research on caregiver education and the importance of a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to feeding. 🎧 Topics Covered: • The Scale of the Challenge: Why selective eating affects up to 84% of autistic children • Terminology & Taxonomy: Defining selective eating, Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD), and ARFID • The Autism Connection: How sensory processing and a need for predictability drive food restriction • Assessment Tools: Overview of the Feast, Feeding Flock, and diet variety assessments • Caregiver Mediated Intervention: Why feeding therapy must be a partnership with the family • Treatment Strategies: Using modeling, curiosity, and "food play" to reduce fear around eating • The "Grazer" Dilemma: Strategies for transitioning from constant snacking to supportive mealtime rhythms • Medical Red Flags: When to refer to GI, nutrition, or for swallow evaluations 🎙 Guests: • Britt St. John, PhD, MPH, OTR/L – Assistant Professor, University of Washington Department of Rehabilitation Medicine • Sarah Lyon, OTR/L – Host and Founder of OT Potential 📅 Episode No. 123 | Release Date: December 19, 2025 🎉 Earn CEU Credit Join the OT Potential Club to take a quiz and earn 1 hour of AOTA-approved occupational therapy continuing education: https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-c... Website & Social: Episode page: https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-c... Podcast page: https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-c... Support the show by using the "OTPotential" Medbridge Code: https://otpotential.com/blog/promo-co... Try 2 free OT Potential courses here: https://otpotential.com/free-ot-ceus Timestamps: 00:00 – The substantial risks of selective eating in autistic children 00:45 – Intro to Dr. Britt St. John and the three core focus areas 01:10 – Welcome to the OT Potential Podcast 01:46 – Meet Britt St. John: From clinical practice to PhD research 06:43 – Understanding the taxonomy: Picky eating vs. PFD vs. ARFID 13:22 – Defining selective eating and the "20 distinct foods" rule of thumb 16:11 – Red flags: Dropping food groups and decreasing variety 24:08 – Why selective eating aligns with core autistic characteristics 27:56 – Assessment: The Feast, Feeding Flock, and diet grids 32:46 – Accessing the Feast assessment (Email: [email protected]) 33:53 – Caregiver involvement: Treating the family as a unit 36:00 – First Bite: A new caregiver education research pilot 40:01 – What an OT feeding session actually looks like 44:42 – Using "Food Play" and curiosity to build safety 49:14 – Advice for "Grazers" and establishing hunger rhythms 52:30 – Medical red flags: When it’s time to refer out 54:42 – Final takeaways: The need for generalists in feeding therapy 56:48 – Closing & CEU instructions #occupationaltherapy #autism #selectiveeating #feedingtherapy #otpotential #pediatricOT #parenting