Photo by Annie Spratt: Unsplash
Growing research shows a strong link between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and a range of eating disorders with an estimated 20% of Anorexia Nervosa patients being diagnosed as autistic. Eating disorders effect 16% of the Australian population and can lead to serious complications including death.
Research has established that the prevalence of ASD among the eating disorder population is high but why is this? Studies show that difficulties with emotional regulation and heighten anxiety may be at the core.
Our Psychologists, sees many people with both conditions and comments on the prevalence of anxiety as a core trait. People on the spectrum often develop eating disorders but this may not always be due to a drive for thinness. Research looking at the development of eating disorders in people with ASD suggests that negative eating habits can arise due to sensory concerns around food and eating environments leading to avoidance restrictive food intake disorder’. Commonly known as ARFD this condition is similar to anorexia with serious physical side effects, however without the concern around body weight or thinness. Underlying both conditions is often a drive for control and management of intense and uncontrollable anxiety.
In observing client with ASD and eating disorders, it is rare for someone to have an eating disorder without a co-occurring mental health condition. Anxiety disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder and social anxiety commonly co-exist in people with eating disorders. Other clinical observations show there is a correlation with alexithymia in both the ASD and ED population. Alexithymia is a difficulty in identifying emotional and physical sensations such as hunger.
People with ASD may require altered therapeutic intervention to overcome their eating concern and it’s important to see a psychologist and or psychiatrist who can accommodate their different needs. For successful outcomes, people with eating disorders also require a strong support network of family, carers and professionals to achieve full recovery. Regular appointments with an experienced psychologist who is aware of the complexities of eating disorders and autism is strongly recommended.
Some useful resources for people with ASD and eating disorders include: