A 3-year-old boy has a debilitating fear of food — and he reportedly hasn’t eaten anything by mouth for more than a year.
Oliver Taylor, from Pensby, England, was diagnosed with malnutrition and dehydration due to his refusal to eat when he was just 2 years old, according to The Liverpool Echo.
Oliver was diagnosed with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) which is characterized by a fear of food or a “strong negative reaction” to the taste, texture or color of food, according to Kids Health.
“Yes, it’s an eating disorder, but children as young as 2 can be diagnosed. For Oliver, who is also autistic, it’s very much about sensory issues and fear. He is absolutely terrified of food,” his mom, Emma Taylor, explained.
Oliver’s parents Emma and Matty Taylor are sharing their son’s story in the hopes that they can raise awareness about the condition.
Because of Oliver’s aversion to food and liquids, he spent much of 2023 hooked up to feeding machines. He was fed for 10 hours overnight plus four hours during the day, and he still gets his food from a tube. In April of last year, he had a more permanent tube fitted to his stomach.
“Yes, he’s gained a third of his body weight in almost 12 months, thanks to tube feeding but you can imagine the impact on him and our family. He still gets very distressed around food, and we miss out on a lot of things like family meals and birthday parties,” his mom told the Echo.
The boy is also seeing a specialist dietician who is helping him to conquer his fear of food.
Emma is doing what she can to help people understand what her son is going through.
“Too many people have said that he’ll eat when he is hungry but Oliver won’t — he will literally starve himself,” his mom lamented.
“It’s been well over a year now since he’s put any food in his mouth at all.”