THE OVERLAP BETWEEN AUTISM AND EATING DISORDERS

In recent years, the overlap between eating disorders and autism has been recognised. This means that more research is being done into this area and services like PEACE are considering how we can adapt eating disorder treatment for autistic young people.

When you are reading this information, there may be some things that you relate to, and some things that you don’t. This is okay! Everybody has their own unique experiences- all of which are all valid. 

Some areas of overlap between eating disorders and autism include:

(Brede, 2020)

Sensory sensitivities

Sensory sensitivities can contribute to autistic people’s eating disorders. This may be through food-specific sensitivities, sensory overload, and internal bodily sensations causing discomfort and confusion. This may cause autistic individuals to struggle in a treatment environment or clinical setting due to noise, touch and certain lighting. For some autistic young people, the effects of starvation on the body may contribute to numbing overwhelming sensations.

Social interaction and relationships

Autistic people may struggle with social communication and interaction and some may have had experiences of bullying, loneliness, and abuse. Some autistic individuals may use eating to cope with social difficulties, distract themselves or numb any consequent emotions. Often, the onset of eating disorders in autistic people coincides with social difficulties occurring.

Self and identity

Autistic people may struggle with their identity, sense of self, feeling different or not fitting in. For some, they may immerse themselves in eating disorder behaviours to cope with the emotional upset. Autistic individuals may use dieting and focussing on their appearance as a way to fit in with peers or establish a sense of identity.

Emotional difficulties

There are overlapping emotional difficulties that autistic people and people with eating disorders may struggle with. This may include identifying, regulating, and communicating their emotions. In turn, this may result in emotional confusion and feeling overwhelmed. Struggling to find an alternative way of coping with these extreme emotions may be a challenge in eating disorder recovery for autistic individuals.

Thinking styles

There are several thinking styles that autistic people often have that may contribute to or exacerbate eating disorder cognitions. This may include rigid or literal thinking, obsessive and intense interests and developing rules around food/eating then struggling to shift focus from these rules once they have been established.

Preference for predictability

Autistic individuals may struggle to cope with change and have rigid thinking styles. This in turn creates a need for predictability to help them manage these difficulties. Those with eating disorders may turn to food to meet this need and sometimes control their intake in a ritualised fashion. Being able to create predictability and rules, struggling with change and needing control are all factors that may make recovery from an eating disorder more of a challenge for autistic individuals.