We face many challenges in our lives and are constantly affected by the dictates of society and pressure from family, work and even our peers.
For some, their issues have something to do with their weight or body image and, most often, are why they develop eating disorders.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder typified by impairments in communication and social interaction. That is already a big challenge, but studies have also shown that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at a higher risk of having eating disorders.
Estimates of 20% to 30% of patients with eating disorders indicate autistic spectrum disorder, thereby making autism and eating issues frequently occur together. This is most likely due to a combination of elements such as genetics, biology, and environmental influences.
Parents always want the best for their children and work hard to instill positive and healthy eating habits. Picky eaters are children who have moderate feeding or eating problems as they grow and learn to choose which foods they like and which they don’t. Parents would handle mealtime issues with guidance and patience, but parents of children on the autism spectrum would require additional support from health experts because these issues are frequently severe.
Autistic characteristics may increase the risk of developing an eating disorder. Higher levels of anxiety and despair in people with autism may contribute to poor food and eating coping behaviors.
Why do autistic people develop eating disorders?
Before we delve much further into the different eating issues, those within the spectrum have, let’s look at why they even develop these eating problems. As mentioned before, those not on the spectrum already have issues with body image and weight and develop eating issues for these very reasons. However, it may mean an entirely different thing for those on the spectrum. Simply put, they develop such because of their condition.
Here are some of the reasons they develop eating disorders:
- Interoception – called the eighth sense, it helps the person understand what is going on inside their bodies like hunger, thirst, feeling hot or cold, a full bladder, fatigue, and anxiety or nervousness. Autistic people usually cannot understand this sense, thus, causing eating and toileting problems.
- Alexithymia – for those on the spectrum, emotions are a mystery. This is alexithymia, a condition where autistic people struggle to sense physical symptoms such as changes in heart rate or a rush of adrenaline, which makes anxiety all the worse.
- Management of difficult emotions through food because they cannot understand and recognize emotions
- Restricted eating – many autistic persons follow special diets. This isn’t called an eating disorder until it’s disrupting their daily lives considerably because of the need for control and familiarity.
- Intense interest/obsession in food and calorie-counting to manage anxiety levels
- Strict habits and schedules around food and exercise
Different Eating Issues in People with Autism
Here are the most common eating disorders that are recognized to overlap with autism:
- Anorexia (anorexia nervosa) – one of the most common eating disorders which exhibits a compulsive drive to lose weight, frequently typified with self-starvation and extreme limitations on calorie intake. Those afflicted with the condition view themselves as fat regardless of how thin they are. In autistic people, this is a method of establishing some form of control or a coping mechanism for them.
- Bulimia (Bulimia nervosa) – characterized by uncontrollable binge eating followed by behaviors of purging, excessive exercise, abusive use of diuretics and laxatives, and fasting. People with this condition can be, on average, under or overweight.
- Binge eating – this involves eating large quantities in one sitting but without purging the food. It is typical for people with this disorder to be overweight. In autistic people, it is a fixation and often an ingrained habit of an unhealthy relationship with food.
- Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder – this type of food restriction is common in autistic children if they are not eating enough calories to grow healthy and develop properly. Further, this is not related to any distorted body image.
- Pica – a condition characterized by an appetite for non-food items such as paper, fabric, pebbles, and soap, just to name some. This is very common in children with autism, connected with their need for some sensory stimulation that these non-food items give them. It is also a sign of a craving for a specific nutrient the child is deficient in.
You should consult someone with a good understanding of autism and eating disorders to deliver therapies or treatments to people with autism. These professionals should be able to consider the routines, sensory sensitivities, and other behaviors associated with autism to fully get the whole picture as to why the eating disorder has developed in autistic people.
Each autistic individual has their own personality, routines, and attitude toward eating, making group-based programs, autism clinical trials at Power, and therapies challenging for them to participate in. It may be preferable to focus on the individual to recognize, comprehend, and allow them to express their sentiments about food so that the assistance provided is tailored to their specific needs.
It may be challenging to find particular therapies and treatment programs that don’t involve a lot of social interaction but seeking help with mental health and eating disorder experts can point you in the right direction.