Unidentified autism and autistic trauma in eating disorder care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the role of unidentified autism in the development of autistic trauma in restrictive eating disorder treatment populations
IRAS ID
364720
Contact name
John Fox
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sheffield
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
https://osf.io/sb3uz/overview, Registration number
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 3 days
Research summary
Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC, the preferred term by people with lived experience) is a neurodevelopmental condition. Eating disorders (EDs) are a group of syndromes characterised by abnormalities in eating behaviours. Autistic women are overrepresented in restrictive eating disorders (REDs; eating disorders characterised by restricting or avoiding food). However, current eating disorder (ED) treatment approaches have been designed around the needs of non-autistic people. Resultingly, autistic women tend to find ED services and treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), significantly less beneficial for their recovery than non-autistic women. Furthermore, autistic individuals have described the CBT process as distressing, misaligned, and unsupportive of autistic differences. For example, an autistic individual’s unwillingness to consume a food they are averse to for sensory reasons may be interpreted as unwillingness to cooperate with treatment and responded to as such. Yet, this misunderstanding of how autistic characteristics may present in an ED treatment setting can cause an individual to be perceived and labelled negatively by clinicians.
How this experience might impact an autistic individual’s long term mental wellbeing or sense of self (who we know ourselves to be across time, despite our environment) is not yet understood. This research therefore aims to explore this by conducting semi-structured interviews with 12-20 autistic individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) who have received RED treatment and been diagnosed with ASC following discharge. Questions will explore: (1) how participants’ autistic traits manifested while in ED services, (2) how these were perceived and responded to, (3) how these perceptions and responses impacted their mental wellbeing and sense of self at time, (4) how participants rationalised these responses both before and after being diagnosed with ASC, (5) how these experiences impacted their mental wellbeing and sense of self long term.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/NW/0050
Date of REC Opinion
22 Apr 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion