Neurodivergent Nutrition Support for
ADHD, Autism & AuDHD
Practical, neurodiversity-affirming nutrition support tailored to your unique strengths, needs, and preferences.
Helping make food, eating and nutrition feel less stressful and more manageable.
Your neurodivergent feeding, sensory challenges & ARFID nutrition support specialists
Feeding challenges can look very different for neurodivergent children, teens and adults — and traditional nutrition advice often misses the mark.
For those with ADHD, autism (ASD), AuDHD, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, PDA profiles, executive functioning challenges, or highly selective eating patterns, mealtimes can become exhausting and overwhelming.
This is not about “just being picky”.
Food preferences and eating patterns may be influenced by sensory sensitivities, predictability, anxiety, interoception differences, routine dependence, oral-motor challenges, nervous system overwhelm, or difficulties with planning, initiating, and managing everyday eating tasks.
At ABC Nutrition, we provide compassionate, neuro-affirming nutrition support that respects your individual needs while helping reduce stress around food for the whole family.
Our approach is never about forcing food, using pressure-based feeding strategies, or pushing unrealistic expectations.
Instead, we focus on practical, sustainable strategies that support nutrition while respecting sensory needs, autonomy, and nervous system capacity.
No guilt. No pressure. No rigid food rules.
Meet Your Neurodiversity-Affirming Dietitians
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Rachael Wilson
DIETITIAN - lived experience
Specialising in:
* Children, teens, and adults
* Weight & growth concerns (weight neutral approach)
* Body image
* Eating disorders - anorexia, bulimia, binge eating & ARFID
* Emotional eating
* Neurodivergent individuals (ADHD, ASD, AuDHD, PDA)
* Family meals
* Nutrient deficiencies
* Vegetarian and plant-based eating
* …..and more
Available via:
* Telehealth (NZ-wide)
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Sarika Coetzee
DIETITIAN
Specialising in:
* Infant and Child Nutrition feeding specialist
* Food intolerances
* Tube-feeding, including specialist feeds & formulas
* Weight & growth concerns
* Selective eating and sensory challenges, including ARFID
* Neurodivergence (eg ASD, ADHD, AuDHD, PDA)
* Gut health
* Starting solids
* Family meals
* Nutrient deficiencies
* Vegetarian and plant-based eating
Available via:
* Papakura clinic (Thursdays, by appointment)
* Online / Telehealth (NZ wide)
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Ada Cheung
DIETITIAN - lived experience
Specialising in:
* Adults, children and teens
* Weight concerns (weight neutral approach)
* Emotional and disordered eating
* Neurodivergent children and families (ADHD)
* Starting solids
* Family meals
* Nutrient deficiencies
* Vegetarian and plant-based eating
* …..and more
Available via:
* Milford clinic, Auckland (by appointment)
* Online (NZ wide)
Common Eating & Nutrition Challenges We Support
Neurodivergent individuals can experience a wide range of eating and nutrition challenges, and these experiences often change across different stages of life.
You or your child may benefit from support if you are experiencing:
Highly selective eating or a limited range of accepted foods
ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder)
Strong sensory aversions to certain foods, textures, smells or temperatures
Difficulty recognising hunger, fullness or body cues
Skipping meals or forgetting to eat regularly
Challenges with meal planning, grocery shopping or food preparation
Reliance on a small number of "safe foods"
Anxiety around unfamiliar foods or eating situations
Nutrient deficiencies or concerns about dietary adequacy
Mealtime stress, conflict or overwhelm within the family
These challenges can affect nutrition, energy levels, growth, wellbeing and quality of life. With the right support, eating can become less stressful, more manageable and better aligned with individual needs and goals.
ARFID Nutrition Support - Auckland & Online NZ-wide
ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) is more than fussy eating.
It is a complex feeding and eating disorder that can significantly impact nutritional intake, growth, physical health, social participation, and family wellbeing.
ABC Nutrition provides nutrition support for children, adolescents and adults with suspected or diagnosed ARFID as part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach.
Because ARFID is complex, effective support often involves working alongside other health professionals, including GPs, paediatricians, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech-language therapists, and other members of your care team.
Our role is to support nutritional adequacy, monitor nutritional risk, reduce food-related stress, identify practical nutrition strategies, and work collaboratively within the broader treatment plan.
We recognise that feeding challenges are rarely just about food. Our goal is to provide compassionate, individualised support that helps make eating feel safer, more manageable, and less overwhelming for both individuals and families.
How We Help
Every neurodivergent individual is different - and nutrition advice should reflect that.
Our dietitians support children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of nutrition and eating challenges, including:
✔ Selective eating
Limited food variety & safe foods
✔ ARFID
Support for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake
✔ Sensory Challenges & Food aversions
Textures, smells & temperatures
✔ Executive Functioning
Meal planning and food preparation
Support is tailored to each individual's goals, preferences and lived experience. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Is This Support Right for You?
We work with neurodivergent individuals across the lifespan, including:
✔ Children with sensory-based feeding challenges
✔ Teens navigating increasing independence around food and eating
✔ Adults with ADHD, autism or AuDHD, including late diagnosed
✔ Individuals with ARFID or significant food avoidance
✔ Parents and caregivers seeking practical support for mealtimes
✔ People exploring ways to better meet their nutritional needs while honouring their unique preferences and routines
Whether challenges have been present for years or have emerged more recently, we're here to help.
Neuro-Affirming Support That Feels Achievable
We believe nutrition support should work with your brain, not against it.
Our neurodiversity-affirming approach focuses on understanding your strengths, preferences, sensory needs and everyday realities. Rather than expecting people to fit into rigid food rules or unrealistic meal plans, we work together to identify practical strategies that feel achievable and meaningful.
Our goal is to reduce stress around food, support nutritional wellbeing and help individuals build confidence in ways that respect their autonomy and unique needs.
How It Works
1. Book your appointment
We'll connect you with a suitable dietitian for an online or in-person appointment.
2. Meet with your dietitian
Your dietitian will listen, understand your concerns and focus on matters to you.
3. Get your personalised action plan
Walk away with practical, achievable steps and tools that fit your lifestyle
4. Ongoing support
Regular appointments help to further fine-tune your goals and action plan, to ensure lasting results.
For more information about our service and how we can work together, head over to our nutrition consultation page.
Registered Dietitians
NZ Dietitians Board Approved
Working with NZers since 2008
FAQs
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Yes. We understand that sensory preferences, routine needs, anxiety, and feeding differences can significantly affect eating.
We support children, teens and adults experiencing feeding challenges associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, AuDHD, sensory processing differences, anxiety, executive functioning difficulties, and ARFID.
For ARFID, nutrition support is typically most effective as part of a multidisciplinary approach, working alongside other healthcare professionals involved in your child’s care.
Our approach is compassionate, practical, neuro-affirming, and tailored to your child’s and whanau’s needs.
We support children, teens, and families with:
Highly selective or restrictive eating
Sensory-based food aversions
ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) nutrition support
Executive functioning challenges affecting meal routines and regular eating
Difficulty recognising hunger and fullness cues (interoception)
Anxiety around food or trying new foods
Safe food dependency
Meal skipping or inconsistent eating patterns
Appetite suppression related to ADHD medication
Building independence with food for neurodivergent teens
Family mealtime stress, conflict, or overwhelm
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No referral is needed to book a family or child nutrition consultation.
Just head over to our bookings page to book your appointment.
If your GP, Paediatrician, or other healthcare professional would like to send us one, they can reach us at clinic@abcnutrition.co.nz
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Yes. All our dietitians, including those specialising in family & child nutrition, offer secure online video and phone consultations.
You can work with us from anywhere in New Zealand.
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This varies widely from person to person, depending on your child’s and family’s goals, lifestyle and medical needs.
Many clients will find:
2 - 4 sessions helps to create early momentum
6 -10 sessions supports deeper behaviour change
15 - 20 sessions are recommended to support clients on the road to recovery from an eating disorder or with sensory food challenges, including ARFID
Ongoing support (monthly or quarterly) helps maintain progress long-term
Your dietitian will create a personalised action plan and support you as much - or as little - as you feel the need.
We also offer a range of package options for ongoing support.
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