Eating Phobias

Learn about eating phobias in this child psychology video from Howcast.

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Eating phobias in children are very unique. There's a common misconception to consider an eating phobia to be an eating disorder and this is not the case. A eating phobia actually is a form of anxiety. In these instances children have a food aversion in which the smell, or odor, or texture, or even color of a certain food makes them very reluctant to eat it or to try it. In the other instance a child may have an extreme fear of choking or not being able to swallow a type of food. Or worried that once they swallow it they may regurgitate or vomit. In these instances of course it worries parents greatly, because children have a very select amount of foods that they will actually eat. It requires behavior therapies and interventions to gradually introduce the child to different foods and help them overcome their fears related to it. It's important to remember that eating phobias are anxiety and not an eating disorder. However, if left untreated the risk factors of turning into an eating disorder are great. Behavioral interventions are extremely helpful in treating this type of phobia. These are some of the basic factors related to an eating phobia.

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  • Dr. Kimberly Williams

    Dr. Williams is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist and Clinical Psychologist with offices in Long Island and Brooklyn, New York. She has exceptional expertise in the evaluation of children with academic and learning problems, psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, difficult or oppositional behaviors and those with developmental delays and social deficits. Dr. Williams also provides assessments for individuals with neurologic concerns such as tic disorders and tourettes syndrome, epilepsy, traumatic brain injuries and conditions secondary to medical illness. Dr. Williams is a graduate of Spelman College, earned her Doctor of Psychology at The Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology (The College of William and Mary, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School). She received her advanced training through Cornell Weill Medical Center at Lincoln Hospital and NYU Child Study Center and went on to join the faculty group practice and serve as Clinical Instructor of the Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the NYU Langone Medical Center, before opening her private practices.