Statement | Interquartile range |
---|---|
Autistic women with anorexia might | |
Feel they have to stick rigidly to meal plans given to them by services, which can be distressing when the meal plan can't be kept to | 1 |
Be more likely to have other physical or mental health conditions which need considering during treatment | 1 |
Need more time to complete and switch between tasks | 1 |
Find changes in staff or unfamiliar staff more difficult to work with | 0 |
Might be labelled as being ‘resistant’ due to not benefitting from traditional treatments | 1 |
Autistic women with anorexia might benefit from | |
Being supported to explore their special interests which are separate from food | 1 |
Being treated by teams which have autistic staff members and therapists | 0.75 |
Being treated by staff who are experienced in working with autistic people | 0 |
Support and mentorship from other autistic people | 1 |
Eating disorder treatment for autistic women should | |
Involve support in a broader range of areas compared to non-autistic women with anorexia. Autistic women may benefit from support accessing education and employment, finding suitable accommodation, and finding support with daily tasks | 1 |
Support autistic women to learn how to manage difficulties they might have with their attention, memory and organisational skills | 1 |
Provide autistic women with information about the effects of starvation and refeeding on their bodies and minds | 1 |
Support autistic women to understand what parts of their experiences are related to their autism and what parts are related to their eating disorder | 1 |
Support autistic women with anorexia to develop new routines and rituals to replace unhelpful routines which are related to their eating disorder | 1 |
Support autistic women to manage the demands of social relationships | 1 |
Provide some autistic women with a trauma-informed approach or therapy to manage their past social experiences i.e. experiences of living in a society that can be negative about autism and autistic behaviour | 1 |
Ensure that any specific psychological therapies like CBT are adapted for autistic women with anorexia | 0.75 |
Support autistic women to explore their self-esteem and identity. This might involve exploring their identity as an autistic person | 1 |
Support autistic women to identify what hunger cues feel like in their body | 1 |
Adapt meal plans for autistic women to avoid their sensory sensitivities | 0 |
Support autistic women to learn the best ways to regulate their sensory needs. This might involve using aids like weighted blankets, stim toys or headphones/ear plugs and allowing these to be used during mealtimes | 1 |
Support autistic women to develop coping strategies that can be used in lots of different environments | 1 |
Draw on the individual's strengths to help them recover | 0 |
Include education and support for autistic women's families where possible | 1 |