Episode 110: A Registered Dietitian and Expert in Neurodiversity
About the Podcast
As nutrition professionals, we give advice to all our patients. But, are we providing the right solutions? In this episode, Naureen Hunani, registered dietitian and neurodiversity expert, gives you a peek inside her practice. She asks us all to focus on appreciating the diverse backgrounds of our clients, giving them the freedom to choose their own eating goals, and delivering tips on how to dismantle ableism.
About Naureen Hunani
Naureen Hunani is a pediatric and family dietitian with over 15 years of clinical experience. After overcoming feeding difficulties with her own children, she was inspired to help other families by specializing in picky eating and feeding disorders. She currently treats children and families struggling with a variety of feeding challenges through her trauma-informed private practice in Montreal, Canada.
Naureen has extensive experience working with neurodivergent families, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, sensory processing disorder and anxiety disorder. She is a supporter of early diagnosis of feeding differences and advocates for inclusion and acceptance in schools and daycares for children with limited feeding abilities.
Naureen shares her knowledge and experience at national and international conferences as well as in trainings for healthcare professionals, therapists, teachers, and parents. She is the founder of RDs for Neurodiversity, an online continuing education platform for dietitians and helping professionals.
Discussion Takeaways
- Naureen focuses on working with those with neuro-diversity and feeding differences.
- Feeding differences are so common in the neurodiverse community, but they’re not well understood by providers.
- Neurodivergent is a term coined by Kassiane Sibley. It means that brains work differently than what’s classified as “normal”. Autism, depression, bipolar, anxiety, and other issues can all be seen as neurodivergence.
- There is diversity within the neurodiverse population. We need to think outside the box. One paradigm that must change is that neurodivergent people need fixing.
- When you start seeing extreme selectivity and rigidity in food, this is often caused by a child’s anxiety. When treating someone, the goal should be to nourish and allow them to find enjoyment in their eating experience, not necessarily to force them to become an adventurous eater.
- Every child has their own unique sensory profile. As a practitioner, it’s really about getting to know their preferences. Some kids are sensitive to noises, so instead of crunchy vegetables, serve them pureed, steamed, or roasted.
- It’s about striving to understand others’ feeding experience, allowing them to better understand their experience, and giving them the vocabulary to ensure their needs are met in the way they want.
- Naureen strives to decolonize nutrition. This means she tries to support people in a way that honors their culture and connects them to their community.
The beautiful image above was created by Rebecca Garofano, our Food Dignity Institute Lead and Illustration Specialist. You can find more of her work at @VeggieDoodleSoup on Instagram and at her website veggiedoodlesoup.com.
#1 tip to improve access to healthy food
We need to dismantle ableism and stigma behind certain foods. For instance, easy-to-prepare, packaged food is not all bad. It might be most manageable for those with limited executive function or chronic pain issues.
Each week on the Food Dignity® Podcast, the Food Dignity® Movement’s Clancy Harrison hosts a wide variety of hunger experts and other people making changes on the frontlines. Join us as we dive deep into conversations that will change the way you think about food insecurity.
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