About this course
Research shows that among neurodivergent individuals those who are on the autism spectrum and those with ADHD and OCD have a higher lifetime risk for developing an eating disorder than the general population (Biederman et al., 2007; Cederlöf et al., 2015; Huke et al., 2013; Li et al., 2022; Reinblatt, 2015). For this reason, adequate screening and assessment are essential when treatment planning for this population. In addition, it is crucial to adapt treatment to meet the needs of each unique individual. Autistic individuals have been shown to be at an elevated risk for both anorexia nervosa (AN) and ARFID and standard ED treatments have been shown to be less effective for this population, necessitating autism-informed adaptations (Black & Bölte, 2024). Individuals with OCD show a 5.5x greater risk for developing AN and a comorbid diagnosis of OCD worsens the prognosis in eating disorder treatment, calling for the integration of both exposure and response prevention (ERP) and eating disorder treatment (Halmi et al., 2005). Eating disorders of any kind have up to a 12% prevalence in individuals with ADHD and one study has found that girls with ADHD are 3.6x more likely to have an eating disorder than girls without ADHD and 5.6x more likely to have bulimia nervosa (BN) than girls without ADHD (Reinblatt, 2015). Eating disorders in women with ADHD have been shown to have poorer treatment outcomes unless the ADHD is addressed (Svedlund et al., 2018). In this presentation, we will explore how to effectively adapt both therapeutic and nutritional interventions to best meet the needs of these populations. Case examples will be provided to illustrate what this looks like in real world treatment settings.
