“Work WITH us”: a Delphi study about improving eating disorder treatment for autistic women with anorexia nervosa

Abstract

Plain English summary Autistic women are more likely to have anorexia nervosa (AN) than non-autistic women. Autistic women can find eating disorder treatment unhelpful and need adaptations to treatment. This study asked a group of 49 researchers, staff, and people with personal experience of autism and eating disorders what they thought would help autistic women with AN. The study used a Delphi study method, which allows the calculation of how much participants agree without them needing to meet and make a decision. The study created 56 suggestions that the participants agreed on. The results give suggestions for changing treatment, training staff, and changing how services work to be better for autistic women. The suggestions highlight the importance of being able to tell the difference between autism- and AN- related behaviour, adjusting care to accommodate autistic traits, and involving autistic people in the development of care. Many of the suggestions recommend that changes are flexible to the individual autistic person. In the future, research should check if these changes are helpful for autistic women with AN, and if they would be helpful for autistic people who are not female or have other eating disorders.

Keywords

• Autism
• Eating disorder
• Anorexia nervosa
• Delphi study