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    Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder ecourse

  • RESOURCES & DISCIPLINES       Bring This Course to You!

    Appropriate Disciplines


    • Certified Occupational Therapy Asst
    • Occupational Therapist
    • Speech Language Pathologist
    • Speech Language Pathology Asst

Course Description

Do you ever find that you are faced with treating individuals with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or ARFID, and you are unsure how to best treat them? Are you expected to treat older children or people with food phobias/anxiety and do not have the skills with which to best help them? Are you searching for better ways to achieve greater outcomes for your patients with anxiety around eating? We were not taught this in school, and many of us are in need of ways to better help our patients with this complex and challenging diagnosis. For years, Kelly Komisaruk has specialized in Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and helping people specifically with this diagnosis. She will not only give you a solid understanding of what ARFID is (so you can explain it to caregivers!) but will also fill your therapy tool box with resources you need to be able to walk your patients through a journey to be able to eat successfully again. You will be able to troubleshoot, plan therapy sessions, and gain a better understanding of what your patients are going through while eating. You will leave this course feeling confident in your ability to take on your biggest feeding challenges like never before. You will also learn Kelly's successful "Low Pressure Still Progressing" approach to ARFID treatment to guide you along your way!

Course Requirements:
  • Computer with internet and working speakers/sound are required for this course.
  • Course must be completed within 30 days of activation (activate course within 6 months of purchase).
  • An online multiple-choice quiz (80% passing score) and submission of an online evaluation form are required for successful completion.
  • A certificate of completion will be available to print immediately after course is successfully completed.
  • SLPs - ASHA CEUs may be obtained by completing the online ASHA form and checking the "Report to ASHA" box.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Explain what ARFID is and what it is NOT
  • Utilize the "Low Pressure Still Progressing" approach to ARFID Treatment
  • Recognize common pitfalls when treating individuals with ARFID and how to avoid them
  • Understand how exposure therapy works and how to implement it into your therapy practice practically
  • Explain how anxiety plays a role in food phobias
  • Understand how other medical professionals play a role in feeding therapy and how to utilize them
  • Recommend treatment options and therapy approaches to parents and caregivers
  • Understand the importance of family support and parent buy-in

Kelly Komisaruk

M.Ed., CCC-SLP

Kelly Komisaruk, M.Ed. CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist specializing in feeding difficulties located in Florida. After gaining her education at Central Michigan University and The University of Virginia, she moved to Florida to pursue her career. After years of honing her skills working with children, she took on the challenge of being one of the initial therapists at Nemours Children’s Hospital in 2012. Always having a love of feeding, she was a founding member of the Nemours Childrens Hospital Outpatient and Inpatient Intensive Multidisciplinary Feeding Team helping to design and implement both programs. Today, after helping hundreds of children learn to love food, she is proud to offer her services both virtually and in person to the Central Florida area and beyond! She opened up her practice in Lake Nona in 2020 and has grown to offer feeding services to children, teens, and adults. She is about to open up her intensive brick and mortar feeding clinic in 2022 where she plans to expand the services she offers to families nationwide. She has specific interest in helping people with anxiety around food, food phobias, and helping other clinicians learn how to help others enjoy eating!

Financial Disclosure: Kelly receives honoraria from CIAO Seminars for the presentation of this course.
Non-Financial Disclosure: None

15 Minutes
Introduction
45 Minutes
What does ARFID look like? What is NOT ARFID?
45 Minutes
Common pitfalls to avoid when working with individuals with ARFID
45 Minutes
Anxiety and food phobias-what does it look like?
30 Minutes
Understanding Exposure Therapy
30 Minutes
Using the "Low Pressure Still Progressing" Approach to therapy
3.5 Hours
Total

Delivery VIA:

  • Online - This course is offered in an online, on demand format.
  • Club CIAO - Club CIAO: This course is also part of Club CIAO, our all-you-can-eat buffet of online courses for one low price. Club CIAO Members also receive 25% off of all Live Stream courses!

Contact hours pre-approved for:

  • 3.5 Hours
  • CIAO is an ASHA Approved Provider (0.35 ASHA CEUs) bubble sheet submission required
  • ASHA CE Provider Approval and use of the Brand Block does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.
  • This course meets PDU requirements for NBCOT (3.5 PDUs)
  • CIAO is an Approved Provider for the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy
  • Approved for:
  • 3.5 Hours Registered with CEBroker for OT/COTAs in AL, AZ, GA, LA, MS, SC, TN
  • 4 Hrs. OT/COTAs in FL (CE Broker #20-937818)

Course meets requirements for:

  • OT/COTAs in AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, HI, ID, IA, IN, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT,
  • OT/COTAs in NE, NV, NH, NJ,, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, WY


  • Intermediate Level
    0.35 ASHA CEUs



    CIAO Automatically reports to CE Broker for Florida Occupational and Physical Therapists and Assistants. Florida SLPs can either use the ASHA CE Participant Form (Bubble Sheet) or self-submit through CE Broker.



    CIAO is recognized on the NBCOT Provider Registry (meets PDU requirements for NBCOT)


    Reviews

    Presenter was clear but I was hoping for more learning with practical strategies more than information on what ARFID is.

    - Brea, CA / Apr 2024

    Excellent course.

    - Pulaski, TN / Apr 2024

    There were a few minor technical issues that could have been edited out, but overall this was a very good course experience! I would have loved to hear more about the difference between a sensory approach and an exposure therapy approach... I feel that she touched on that and I do see the difference as she described, but I wonder how she may explain that difference to a parent whose child has not has success with a sensory integration approach.

    - Cibolo, TX / Feb 2023

    Thanks- this was great!

    - Jackson, WY / Feb 2023

    Great class! I would recommend to other SLPs wanting to learn more about ARFID and how the techniques are different from sensory or behavior feeding.

    - Seattle, WA / Jan 2023

    Awesome course, really presented information in an way that was easy to understand and provided insight to what child is going through, and therefore allows for more empathy. Provides easy to understand anologies that will allow me to better explain disorder to parents and coworkers. Additionally enjoyed how speaker had a respectful emphathetic perspective to all members involved (parents, grandparents, other doctors and professionals, feeding therapists, inpatient programs) even when they are doing counterproductive things for child. Would suggest during treatment section, to touch on what to do if when they take that super small bite, what to do if the thing they feared happens (i.e. fear of gagging, take a microscopic bite and child still gags)- where to go from there and how to troubleshoot roadblocks Is it possible to get speaker's email to ask additional questions? Thank you for the excellent course and for providing me with inspiration, motivation, and confidence to help these kids & families who we all care about so deeply!

    - Old Bridge, NJ / Dec 2022

    Thank you for having this course presentation available. It was super helpful!

    - Waynesville, NC / Nov 2022

    Very interesting and engaging course.

    - Frederick, MD / Oct 2022

    Great course and content!

    - Ocean Springs, MS / Sep 2022