Eating Disorders and Neurodivergence

Organisation / Service

EDNA & NEDC

While eating disorders have been estimated to affect at least 4% of the Australian population, research demonstrates that feeding difficulties and eating disorders are overrepresented in neurodivergent people, including in autism, ADHD, intellectual disability, giftedness, and Tourette’s disorder. However, despite there being a substantial body of literature spanning decades evidencing links between neurodivergence and eating disorders, awareness among clinicians and researchers of this existing knowledge base is only emerging in Australia.

NEDC commissioned Eating Disorders Neurodiversity Australia (EDNA) to write a report, Eating Disorders and Neurodivergence: A Stepped Care Approach, that synthesizes research and lived experience evidence regarding the prevention, early identification and treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating for neurodivergent people. 

This report aims to encourage collaboration among stakeholders to co-produce and co-design appropriate, effective, culturally valid, and safe neurodiversity-affirming support systems and care pathways. It is designed for the use of a wide range of stakeholders, especially health care professionals (e.g., psychiatrists, psychologists, dietitians, general practitioners, paediatricians, occupational therapists), researchers, academics, educators (e.g., teachers), service managers, and lived experience experts.

This report draws on fundamental constructs relating to human rights, bioethics, humanistic psychology, phenomenology, and social justice. It challenges traditional understandings of neurodivergence as pathological. It seeks to destigamtise neurodivergent body awareness and image, feeding, and eating experiences and behaviours. It is a call to action for all eating disorder stakeholders to engage in a radical rethink of how neuronormative feeding and eating practices, which influence research and clinical practice across all levels of eating disorder care, may prove harmful for neurodivergent people. 

National Strategy Standards and Actions

Identification

Standard 1: There is whole-of-community awareness of the signs and symptoms that may indicate a developing or existing eating disorder, and the pathways to care.

Action 1.2: Eating disorder and mental health organisations to continue to provide evidence-based information about eating disorder signs and symptoms and pathways to care, tailored to a range of audiences.

Treatment

Standard 5: Health and mental health services at all levels provide effective, appropriate, and flexible services to meet the needs of people with eating disorders from underserved and higher risk population groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, neurodivergent people, LGBTQIA+ people, and people in larger bodies.

Action 5.1: Researchers, service providers and people from specific population groups to co-design, co-produce and evaluate appropriate models of care for these population groups.