This article was written by University of Canberra Bachelor of Human Nutrition intern Chloe Quinn, under supervision by Dietitian Michelle Saunders.

If you are the parent or caregiver of a child with ADHD, you may know the struggle of ‘picky’ eating all too well. While ADHD often comes with the negative and oversimplified stereotype of a child that cannot sit still or pay attention in the classroom, the reality of ADHD is that it is a multifaceted disorder that affects all areas of life including eating. Many people believe the misconception that sugary foods are the cause of ADHD symptoms, and that fussy eating and poor appetites are just poor behaviour. However, both of these statements are simply not the truth.

What do feeding issues look like in children with ADHD?

Feeding issues are an extremely common and normal experience of young children in the early years of development as they become introduced to a large number of new and unfamiliar foods in such a short amount of time (1).

This can include having sensory aversions to certain tastes or textures, having a limited number of foods that they will accept, or always needing their food prepared a certain way or served on their favourite plate in order to eat.

Sometimes, these feeding issues can persist beyond early childhood in children who have ADHD (2-3). For these children, these issues can make it difficult for them to consume enough quantity and variety of foods that support their growth and development such as fruits and vegetables (4).

Currently, there is limited research on the reasons why this is commonly experienced in children with ADHD, but some studies have found that these issues are a result of children with ADHD having a greater sensitivity to sensory information, including the tastes, smells, textures, and appearances of foods (5). This heightened sensitivity to the physical characteristics of food can lead to heightened fear of eating them.

How should I feed my child with ADHD if they have these issues?

If you have found yourself at the dinner table feeling frustrated and unsure of what you aren’t doing right to help your child eat their meal, you are not alone. Sometimes the best thing to do is to take a step back and remind yourself what the most important things are when addressing these feeding issues. As a caregiver, your job at mealtimes is to provide your child with nutritious foods that will support their requirements for healthy growth, and to help make sure your child has the proper opportunities to try and accept new foods (6).

You cannot always control what your child will choose to eat, but you can ensure that they have access to the food they need and a supportive environment for overcoming the fears they have of certain foods.

There is a vast amount of information on how to deal with ADHD and feeding issues on the internet. Many approaches to ADHD and eating involve cutting out foods with added colouring or flavouring or using the Few Foods Diet as a treatment. These restrictive styles of approaching diet are lacking in evidence and can make fussy eating behaviours worse.

Some tried and true approaches to approaching feeding issues and making sure your child is eating well include:

  • Taking baby steps. Always introduce new foods one at a time and accept that it may take several repeated attempts over time before a child is ready to try a food.
  • Avoid using bribery or punishments to get your child to eat a food. Creating a positive environment during mealtimes helps reduce some of the fear a child may have of the food in front of them.
  • Set strict limits so that mealtimes only last 20-30 minutes, and schedule meals 3-4 hours apart to increase their appetite.
  • Experiment with unusual ways of preparing unaccepted foods, such as cooking them differently to normal.
  • Include a wide variety of foods in a meal to help increase exposure to new foods.

If you’re having trouble with a fussy eater at home, we can help! Michelle is our paediatric dietitian, who specialises in fussy eating. You can read more about Michelle below.

MEET MICHELLE

References

  1. Wolstenholme H, Kelly C, Hennessy M, Heary C. Childhood fussy/picky eating behaviours: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2020 Jan 3;17(1):2.
  2. Mayes SD, Zickgraf H. *Atypical eating behaviors in children and adolescents with autism, ADHD, other disorders, and typical development.* Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 2019 Aug;64:76–83
  3. Smith B, Rogers SL, Blissett J, Ludlow AK. The relationship between sensory sensitivity, food fussiness and food preferences in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Appetite. 2020 Jul 1;150:104643.
  4. Ryu S a, Choi YJ, An H, Kwon HJ, Ha M, Hong YC, et al. Associations between Dietary Intake and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Scores by Repeated Measurements in School-Age Children. Nutrients. 2022 Jan;14(14):2919.
  5. Smith B, Rogers SL, Blissett J, Ludlow AK. The relationship between sensory sensitivity, food fussiness and food preferences in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Appetite. 2020 Jul 1;150:104643
  6. Raise a healthy child who is a joy to feed [Internet]. Ellyn Satter Institute. [cited 2023 May 12]. Available from: https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/how-to-feed/the-division-of-responsibility-in-feeding/
  7. Yang HR. How to approach feeding difficulties in young children. Korean J Pediatr. 2017 Dec;60(12):379–84.