Abstract

In Italy, according to data from the Ministry of Health for the triennium 2019-2022, more than three million people suffer from Eating and Nutrition Disorders (END). 30% of this population is under 14 years old and has been particularly affected by social isolation and collective trauma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, the Local Health Unit (USL) 1 of Umbria, through the therapeutic program «Le mani in pasta» (Hands in Dough), has been involved in the diagnosis and treatment of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). The therapeutic program involves groups of children aged 3 to 10 years old, with 10 weekly sessions, two of which are psycho-educational aimed at parents and eight experiential-therapeutic sessions. The professionals involved include psychologists/ psychotherapists, dietitians, educationalists, and in some cases, speech therapists. The sessions are aimed at helping children and their parents re-establish a healthy relationship with food through play and gradual exposure to different types of foods. The goal of this program is to support and strengthen the parent-child relationship and to restore emotional meaning to the relationship itself through food.