Why Eating Disorder Recovery Needs to Consider Neurodiversity

What if some of the characteristics we associate with eating disorders are actually linked to underlying neurodivergence? A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology (26 October 2026) has explored the relationship between autism, cognitive flexibility and eating disorder symptoms in women.

The researchers compared four groups: 

1. Autistic women with eating disorders
2. Non-autistic women with eating disorders
3. Autistic women without eating disorders
4. Non-autistic women without eating disorders

Across the 149 participants, an interesting finding emerged:

Autistic women, whether or not they had an eating disorder, reported greater difficulties with cognitive flexibility than the non-autistic groups.

Interestingly, the non-autistic eating disorder group did not differ significantly from the non-autistic control group on this measure!

This raises an important question for eating disorder treatment:

👉🏼 Are we sometimes interpreting autistic characteristics through an eating disorder lens, without fully recognising the role of neurodivergence?

For example, difficulties with changes to routines and unexpected disruptions; cognitive flexibility and uncertainty; sensory experiences around food; attention to detail and predictability. These may require a different understanding and approach when supporting someone who is autistic.

This doesn't mean that every person with an eating disorder is autistic, or that all autistic people experience eating difficulties in the same way.

The study was relatively small, relied on self-reported measures and cannot establish causation. More research is needed to understand how treatment can best accommodate co-occurring autism and eating disorders.

But I think it highlights something important nevertheless:  

We cannot assume that one approach to eating disorder recovery will work for everyone.

And the main thing clients tell me when they first approach me to work together is often that mainstream treatment hasn't worked for them, and that one size doesn't fit all.

Understanding the individual behind the eating disorder matters. And that means looking beyond the eating disorder itself.

I'd be interested to hear from other professionals: how are you incorporating neurodiversity-informed approaches into eating disorder support?

And for anyone with an eating disorder who is also autistic: how do you feel the two interact? Do you notice particular ways in which autism influences your experience of your eating disorder, and/or vice versa?

Research: Schröder et al. (2026), The Association Between Cognitive Flexibility and Eating Behaviors in Autistic Women With Eating Disorders. Journal of Clinical Psychology. https://lnkd.in/e9QPbhev