SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is a parent-based intervention originally developed to treat childhood anxiety and OCD, and it has been adapted for use with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). Rather than working directly with the child, SPACE for ARFID helps parents support their child’s eating by slowly changing the ways they adjust or give in to the child’s food fears or avoidances.
In the context of ARFID, children often avoid foods due to fear (e.g., choking, vomiting), sensory sensitivities, or lack of interest in eating. Parents understandably adapt—by preparing separate meals, avoiding certain situations, or applying pressure to eat – in an effort to reduce distress. While well-intentioned, these accommodations can unintentionally maintain the disorder.
SPACE for ARFID helps parents shift from accommodation to supportive responses. Treatment involves identifying specific accommodations, understanding their role in maintaining the child’s avoidance, and gradually replacing them with calm, firm support that communicates confidence in the child’s ability to tolerate discomfort and make progress.
The approach emphasizes empathy without enabling, guiding parents to say, in effect: “We understand this is hard for you—and we believe you can handle it.” Over time, with this consistent, supportive stance and through the reduction of food-based accommodations, children feel more capable, flexible, and in control around food.