Confident Eaters Programme

Confident Eaters Programme: Neurodivergent Edition

Help your neurodivergent child move beyond a limited or beige diet — without pressure, battles or bribery

If your child relies on a small number of familiar foods, notices the slightest change in brand or presentation, or becomes overwhelmed by unfamiliar tastes, textures and smells, you’re not alone.

You may be preparing the same foods every day, worrying about their nutrition or avoiding changes because you know how much distress they can cause. Perhaps you have tried the usual fussy-eating advice but found that rewards, encouragement or asking for “just one bite” only creates more pressure.

For neurodivergent children, eating difficulties are rarely about being stubborn or difficult. The way they experience tastes, textures, smells, hunger, routines and change can all affect what feels manageable to eat.

The Confident Eaters Programme: Neurodivergent Edition is a supportive 12-week programme created by award-winning Paediatric Dietitian Dr Kirsty Porter. It will help you understand what is shaping your child’s eating and use gentle, practical strategies to build confidence, flexibility and variety over time.

No pressure.
No forcing.
No expectation that your child must try a food before they are ready. Just practical, evidence-based guidance that respects your child’s individual needs and helps you feel more confident about what to do next.

Next programme starts

28 September 2026

Imagine if mealtimes felt calmer...

Imagine sitting down to eat without worrying about what your child will or won’t manage.
Imagine knowing how to respond when your child refuses a food or becomes upset by a change.
Imagine feeling more confident about supporting their nutrition, even while their diet is limited
Imagine helping your child become more comfortable around new foods, textures and experiences at their own pace.

Progress isn’t measured by clearing the plate. It can begin with feeling safer, coping with a small change or becoming more comfortable around food.

This programme is for you if...

Your child eats a very limited range of foods
They rely on particular brands, textures, colours or ways of presenting food
They become upset if a familiar food looks, smells or tastes slightly different
New foods feel overwhelming and they may refuse to touch, smell or taste them
Changes to meals, routines or eating environments are difficult
You worry about whether they are getting the nutrition they need
You are exhausted from preparing the same foods or separate meals every day
The usual advice about fussy eating has not worked for your child
You want to help your child explore food without pressure, forcing or bribery
You want clear guidance from a registered Paediatric Dietitianwith extensive NHS experience across the UK who understands neurodivergent and sensory eating

You do not need a formal diagnosis to join. The programme is suitable for parents of neurodivergent children aged two and over, including children with diagnosed or suspected autism or ADHD.

If that sounds familiar, you’re exactly who this programme was designed for.

Why most approaches don't work

Many parents are told to:

“Just make them try one bite”
Wait until their child is hungry enough
Remove familiar foods so they have no other choice
Use rewards or dessert as a bribe
Hide new foods in meals
Keep encouraging, negotiating or persuading them to eat

While this advice may be well-intentioned, it does not take account of how a neurodivergent child may experience food.

A different texture, smell, brand or appearance can feel overwhelming. Even a small change to a familiar food may make it feel completely new. Pressure to eat can increase worry and make it harder for a child to feel comfortable around food.

The Confident Eaters Programme: Neurodivergent Edition takes a different approach. Instead of focusing on getting your child to eat more, we begin by understanding what makes eating difficult for them. You’ll then learn how to support their nutrition, reduce pressure and gently build confidence around food at a pace that feels manageable. When confidence grows, progress follows.

What you'll gain over the next 12 weeks

Learn how to nourish your child right now

Even if they only eat a limited range of foods, you’ll learn practical ways to support their nutrition while working towards greater variety. You’ll receive guidance on:

Understand what makes eating difficult for your child

Discover how tastes, textures, smells, routines, anxiety and previous experiences can affect what your child feels able to eat. Many parents describe this as the moment everything finally starts to make sense.

Build a positive relationship with food

Learn what to say, what not to say and how to remove pressure that can unintentionally make eating difficulties worse.

Move beyond a beige diet

Using evidence-based techniques such as food chaining and gradual exposure, you'll learn how to expand your child's accepted foods in a way that feels safe and achievable.

Feel confident when challenges arise

Because progress isn't always linear. You'll know how to respond when illness, holidays, changes in routine or food refusal create setbacks.

Create calmer mealtimes

Reduce stress, arguments and second-guessing while creating a more positive family experience around eating.

Your 12-Week Roadmap

Month 1: Understand & Reduce Stress

Before we can create change, we need to understand what may be shaping your child’s eating.

You’ll look at food through your child’s eyes, explore sensory differences and begin recognising the patterns affecting what, where and how they eat. This gives you a clearer starting point and helps you reduce some of the stress surrounding food.

Week 1: Understanding Your Child’s Eating

Week 2: Understanding Sensory Eating

Week 3: Supporting Sensory Eaters at Mealtimes

Week 4: What To Do When Your Child Won’t Eat

Month 2: Build Food Confidence

You’ll learn gentle, practical ways to help your child feel more comfortable exploring food without pressure. This is often where parents begin to see encouraging signs of progress.

Week 5: From Food Refusal to Food Confidence

Week 6: Food Chaining That Works

Week 7: Moving Beyond Beige Foods

Week 8: Food Exploration Through Play

Month 3: Thrive in Everyday Life

You’ll bring everything together to support nutrition, build flexibility and manage eating in everyday situations. This will help your child continue progressing long after the programme ends.

Week 9: Building Nutrition in Limited Diets

Week 10: School, Eating Out & Everyday Life

Week 11: Building Long-Term Food Flexibility

Week 12: Keeping Progress Going

Why Start Now?

Many families spend months—or even years—hoping their child’s eating will improve with time.

Meanwhile, their range of accepted foods may become more limited, changes can feel increasingly difficult and parents become more worried about nutrition.

You don’t need to wait until things get worse before asking for help. Starting now can help you understand what your child needs, reduce pressure around food and begin creating positive experiences at a pace that feels manageable for them.

Every month you delay can mean another month of:

You don’t need to wait until things get worse.

Start today and take the first step towards calmer mealtimes, greater confidence and a child who feels more comfortable around food.

Included Every Month

Join the Confident Eaters Programme: Neurodivergent Edition

£165 or £55 per month x3

Expert guidance. Practical strategies. Realistic progress.
Support your child to become a more confident eater — and finally feel confident yourself.

Enrolment is now open.

The programme starts on 28 September 2026.

Join now to secure your place and receive access to all programme materials when the programme begins.