{"id":18597,"date":"2025-07-01T14:38:34","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T19:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autism.org\/?p=18597"},"modified":"2025-09-11T12:49:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T17:49:35","slug":"disordered-eating-obesity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autism.org\/disordered-eating-obesity\/","title":{"rendered":"Disordered Eating and Autism &#8211; Obesity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_6 1_6 fusion-one-sixth fusion-column-first\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;width:16.666666666667%;width:calc(16.666666666667% - ( ( 4% + 4% ) * 0.16666666666667 ) );margin-right: 4%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_2_3 2_3 fusion-two-third\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:80px;--awb-bg-size:cover;width:66.666666666667%;width:calc(66.666666666667% - ( ( 4% + 4% ) * 0.66666666666667 ) );margin-right: 4%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\" style=\"--awb-text-transform:none;\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#jump\">Francesca Solmi, Ph.D.<\/a>, discusses the intricate link between autism and eating disorders. She outlines common eating disorders, noting their overlapping symptoms and similarities to autism traits. The speaker explores potential mechanisms for the connection between eating disorders and autism, including communication difficulties, sensory sensitivities, and emotion regulation. Solmi emphasizes Avoidant\/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and its relevance to autism, underscoring the need for more research and services for this often overlooked condition. The presenter considers future research directions before the Q&amp;A.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Handouts are online <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/obesity-and-autism.pdf\">HERE<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube fusion-aligncenter\" style=\"--awb-max-width:600px;--awb-max-height:360px;--awb-width:100%;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top:60%;\" ><iframe title=\"YouTube video player 1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2rMKl-792jk?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"360\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:60px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\" style=\"--awb-text-transform:none;\"><h2><b>In this webinar:<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><strong>1:30<\/strong> &#8211; Common eating disorders<br \/>\n<strong>8:00<\/strong> &#8211; Autism and eating disorders<br \/>\n<strong>11:00<\/strong> &#8211; Trajectories of autistic traits and eating disorders<br \/>\n<strong>20:00<\/strong> &#8211; Potential linking mechanisms<br \/>\n<strong>28:00<\/strong> &#8211; Emotion regulation<br \/>\n<strong>34:50<\/strong> &#8211; Avoidant\/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and Autism<br \/>\n<strong>40:00<\/strong> &#8211; Future research<br \/>\n<strong>42:00<\/strong> &#8211; Q&amp;A<\/p>\n<h2><b>Overview of Eating Disorders<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Solmi defines eating disorders as severe psychiatric conditions that typically emerge in early to mid-adolescence. She describes common eating conditions, including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and OSFED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder), highlighting the significant symptom overlaps across conditions <\/span><b>(1:35)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Anorexia Nervosa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; frequently the youngest age of onset. Characterized by an intense fear of weight gain, extreme dietary restriction, and often low body weight. Some individuals may also engage in bingeing and purging.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Bulimia Nervosa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; slightly later onset and involves episodes of binging followed by compensatory behaviors like self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Binge Eating Disorder<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; the most recently recognized diagnosis. It involves bingeing without compensatory behaviors, often accompanied by feelings of shame or guilt.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>OSFED (Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a residual category for individuals whose symptoms don&#8217;t fully meet the criteria for other diagnoses.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The speaker emphasizes the severity of these conditions, noting their association with higher mortality rates <\/span><b>(5:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Despite this, eating disorders are often under-researched compared to other mental health disorders. She also notes their high prevalence in girls and women, suggesting underdiagnosis in men <\/span><b>(6:30)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Link Between Autism and Eating Disorders<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Solmi discusses the connection between autism and eating disorders. A study by Westwood and colleagues revealed elevated autistic traits in people with anorexia nervosa. Similarly, people with autism and anorexia nervosa mentioned rigidity or rules, intense interests, difficulties recognizing hunger, and social difficulties <\/span><b>(8:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. A significant challenge in this research, the presenter explains, is distinguishing between pre-existing autistic traits and those that may be mimicked by severe malnutrition in anorexia nervosa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11920-017-0791-9\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism Spectrum Disorder in Anorexia Nervosa: An Updated Literature Review<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Westwood et al., 2016)<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Research on Autistic Traits and Disordered Eating Trajectories<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Solmi presents findings from a study investigating whether autistic traits were present <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the onset of disordered eating behaviors <\/span><b>(11:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Researchers found that children who later developed disordered eating behaviors exhibited higher levels of autistic traits at age seven, and these differences persisted throughout adolescence. The speaker asserts that these findings suggest autistic traits may precede the onset of disordered eating <\/span><b>(17:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The study also revealed that more severe eating disorder symptoms correlated with higher autistic trait scores from age seven onwards, indicating a strong association with more severe presentations of eating disorders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/jcpp.13255\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trajectories of autistic social traits in childhood and adolescence and disordered eating behaviours at age 14 years: A UK general population cohort study<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Solmi et al., 2020)<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Potential Mechanisms Linking Autism and Eating Disorders<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The presenter explores several mechanisms as potential links between autism and eating disorders. For example, as friendships become more important in adolescence, struggles with social interaction can exacerbate mental health difficulties, with eating disorders potentially serving as a coping mechanism. Children with social communication difficulties may also be more susceptible to bullying, which can lead to internalized weight-stigmatizing thoughts and behaviors like dieting <\/span><b>(20:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Young people with autism often exhibit more sedentary behaviors compared to their peers, which can increase BMI and vulnerability to weight-based stigmas <\/span><b>(23:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emotion regulation difficulties are also common in both autism and eating disorders. Solmi outlines a recent study showing that individuals who later developed anorexia nervosa symptoms exhibited less improvement in emotion regulation skills from early to mid-childhood compared to their peers, where differences emerged around age five <\/span><b>(30:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Further, in girls, social cognition explained around half of the association between emotion regulation difficulties and disordered eating. The association in boys was less clear, likely due to smaller sample sizes <\/span><b>(35:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The presenter notes that sensory sensitivities, a core aspect of avoidant\/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), are frequently reported by people with anorexia nervosa. For example, in a qualitative study on autism and anorexia in women, emerging themes included difficulty with sensory sensitivities, social interactions and relationships, and challenges with emotions <\/span><b>(33:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0254110\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A mixed-methods approach to conceptualizing friendships in anorexia nervosa<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Datta et al., 2021)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/karger.com\/ofa\/article\/15\/3\/305\/825721\/Autism-Spectrum-Disorder-and-Obesity-in-Children-A\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Autism Spectrum Disorder and Obesity in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Sammels et al., 2022)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/jcpp.13738\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emotional dysregulation in childhood and disordered eating and self-harm in adolescence: prospective associations and mediating pathways<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Warne et al., 2022)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s10803-020-04479-3\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFor Me, the Anorexia is Just a Symptom, and the Cause is the Autism\u201d: Investigating Restrictive Eating Disorders in Autistic Women<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(Brede et al., 2020)<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Avoidant\/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and Autism<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Solmi discusses ARFID, a disorder now included in the eating and feeding disorder family, noting its relevance to autism. Its three main aspects include limited interest in food, sensory sensitivities (e.g., avoiding specific foods due to texture), and concerns about adverse consequences from eating <\/span><b>(34:50)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The speaker emphasizes the limited epidemiological research on ARFID, the lack of services (especially for people who are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> severely underweight), and the need for more studies to understand its prevalence, risk factors, and effective treatments <\/span><b>(37:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Future Research Directions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the presenter, future research should aim to understand the complex links between autism and eating disorders more comprehensively. Key areas of investigation include the connections between sensory sensitivities and ARFID, gender differences in the association of autistic traits and eating disorders, links between other autistic traits and different eating disorder presentations, physiological factors like the gut-brain response, and age of autism diagnosis in those with and without eating disorders. These avenues of research, Solmi asserts, will improve diagnostic tools and help to develop better prevention and care strategies <\/span><b>(40:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The speaker summarizes main points before the Q&amp;A <\/span><b>(42:20)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:40px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:40px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_1_6 1_6 fusion-one-sixth fusion-column-last\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;width:16.666666666667%;width:calc(16.666666666667% - ( ( 4% + 4% ) * 0.16666666666667 ) );\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"#jump\" class=\"fusion-container-anchor\"><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-3 fusion_builder_column_1_3 1_3 fusion-one-third fusion-column-first\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;width:33.333333333333%;width:calc(33.333333333333% - ( ( 4% ) * 0.33333333333333 ) );margin-right: 4%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\" style=\"--awb-text-transform:none;\"><p><strong>The speaker:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload  wp-image-18599 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Solmi.png\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Solmi.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"96\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%2796%27%20height%3D%2796%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%2096%2096%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%2796%27%20height%3D%2796%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Solmi-66x66.png 66w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Solmi-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Solmi.png 180w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><strong>Francesca Solmi, PhD,<\/strong> is a senior epidemiologist serving as a principal research fellow at University College London, with over a decade of experience researching risk factors for adolescent psychiatric disorders. In her research, she uses extensive general population cohort study data, population registers, linked electronic health records, and epidemiological designs for causal inference in observational data. She has published scientific papers in high-impact factor journals, informing policy and scientific funding priorities.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-4 fusion_builder_column_2_3 2_3 fusion-two-third fusion-column-last\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;width:66.666666666667%;width:calc(66.666666666667% - ( ( 4% ) * 0.66666666666667 ) );\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-4\"><h4>Take the knowledge quiz<\/h4>\n<p>Can&#8217;t see the quiz below? 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srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27204%27%20height%3D%27200%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20204%20200%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27204%27%20height%3D%27200%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/nurition-research.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/nurition-research-66x66.jpeg 66w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/nurition-research-200x196.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/nurition-research.jpeg 204w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-11-21T10:23:52-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/health-nutrition\/\">Autism Health and Nutrition<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-11-21T10:23:52-05:00<\/span><span>October 24th, 2025<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/anxiety-2\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Anxiety<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/gastrointestinal-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Gastrointestinal<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/medical-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Medical Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/nutrition\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Nutrition<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/self-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Self Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/sensory\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Sensory<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>  Kelly Barnhill, MBA, CN, CCN, discusses nutrition in autism based on recent publications. She outlines research updates on amino acid patterns, probiotics, and dietary interventions, underscoring both what we know and what we<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/disordered-eating-obesity\/\" aria-label=\"Disordered Eating and Autism &#8211; Obesity\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Eating-disorders.jpg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"A female doctor or a medical specialist asks a patient about abdominal pain, dysentery from eating disorders. Unclean, undercooked, causing pain. The concept of rejuvenation therapy, treatment\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27400%27%20height%3D%27266%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20400%20266%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27400%27%20height%3D%27266%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Eating-disorders.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Eating-disorders-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Eating-disorders-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Eating-disorders.jpg 400w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-09-11T12:49:35-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/disordered-eating-obesity\/\">Disordered Eating and Autism &#8211; Obesity<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-09-11T12:49:35-05:00<\/span><span>July 1st, 2025<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/autism-spectrum-disorders\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Autism Spectrum Disorders<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/biomarkers\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Biomarkers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/gastrointestinal\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Gastrointestinal<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/gastrointestinal-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Gastrointestinal<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/medical-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Medical Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/parenting\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Parenting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/research-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/self-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Self Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/autism-spectrum-disorders\/ways-to-help\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Ways to Help<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>   Francesca Solmi, Ph.D., discusses the intricate link between autism and eating disorders. She outlines common eating disorders, noting their overlapping symptoms and similarities to autism traits. The speaker explores potential mechanisms for<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/food-adverse-reaction-and-intestinal-microbiota\/\" aria-label=\"Food Adverse Reaction and Intestinal Microbiota\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/gut-microbiome-again-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Black and white drawing for human torso with multicolored bacteria and yeasts in digestive tract\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271706%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201706%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271706%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/gut-microbiome-again-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/gut-microbiome-again-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/gut-microbiome-again-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-10-14T14:54:54-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/food-adverse-reaction-and-intestinal-microbiota\/\">Food Adverse Reaction and Intestinal Microbiota<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-10-14T14:54:54-05:00<\/span><span>September 10th, 2024<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/gastrointestinal\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Gastrointestinal<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/gastrointestinal-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Gastrointestinal<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/nutrition\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Nutrition<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/wao\/\" rel=\"category tag\">WAO<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>     This is a joint presentation by ARI and the World Autism Organisation.  Professor Carmelo Rizzo, MD, discusses adverse reactions to food and the critical role of intestinal microbiota in<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/vitd-gut-alterations-in-autism\/\" aria-label=\"Animal study reveals clues that developmental vitamin D deficiency may be associated with gut alterations in autism\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vit-d-paid-700x441.jpg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Hand holding up the words &quot;vitamin D&quot; on blue sky background with sunshine coming from upper right.\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%272375%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%202375%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%272375%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vit-d-paid-700x441.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vit-d-paid-320x202.jpg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vit-d-paid-700x441.jpg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-04-28T15:44:50-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/vitd-gut-alterations-in-autism\/\">Animal study reveals clues that developmental vitamin D deficiency may be associated with gut alterations in autism<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-04-28T15:44:50-05:00<\/span><span>September 25th, 2023<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>   Vitamin D deficiency is strongly implicated as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and researchers in Australia report evidence that vitamin D deficiency during early development may increase the likelihood<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/food-and-sleep\/\" aria-label=\"Food and Sleep\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Untitled-design-49-700x441.jpg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Fruits and vegetables\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271280%27%20height%3D%27720%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%201280%20720%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%271280%27%20height%3D%27720%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Untitled-design-49-700x441.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Untitled-design-49-320x202.jpg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Untitled-design-49-700x441.jpg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-03-24T15:52:36-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/food-and-sleep\/\">Food and Sleep<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-03-24T15:52:36-05:00<\/span><span>March 1st, 2022<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/nutrition\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Nutrition<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/sleep\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Sleep<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/autism-spectrum-disorders\/ways-to-help\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Ways to Help<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>    Vicki Kobliner, RDN, CD-N, describes nutritional and lifestyle strategies for improving sleep and overall health for autistic people. She discusses circadian rhythm and balancing cortisol and melatonin cycles throughout the day.<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/preconception-health\/\" aria-label=\"Optimizing Preconception Health Through Nutrition\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/pregnancy-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"a pregnant woman with a bunny toy on the belly\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271706%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201706%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271706%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/pregnancy-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/pregnancy-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/pregnancy-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-06-05T17:18:41-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/preconception-health\/\">Optimizing Preconception Health Through Nutrition<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-06-05T17:18:41-05:00<\/span><span>February 1st, 2022<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/nutrition\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Nutrition<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/parenting-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Parenting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/prenatal-health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Pregnancy<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/self-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Self Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/autism-spectrum-disorders\/ways-to-help\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Ways to Help<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>   Vicki Kobliner, MS RDN, CD-N, discusses steps for optimizing preconception health through good nutrition and healthy environments. She discusses the US healthcare systems and statistics and asserts that, although the numbers can<\/p><\/div><\/article><\/section><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18601,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,9735,80,85,26,9651,20,37,19,3933,5199,9475,24],"tags":[9861,9860,9591,3085,4840],"class_list":["post-18597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autism-spectrum-disorders","category-biomarkers","category-gastrointestinal","category-gastrointestinal-webinar","category-health","category-medical-care","category-news","category-parenting","category-research","category-research-webinar","category-self-care","category-ways-to-help","category-webinar","tag-autism-and-obesity","tag-disordered-eating","tag-eating-disorder","tag-nutrition","tag-obesity","webinar-author-francesca-solmi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Disordered Eating and Autism - Obesity - Autism Research Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn updates from Francesca Solmi, PhD on disordered eating &amp; the potential for increased vulnerability to obesity in autistic teens.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/disordered-eating-obesity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Disordered Eating and Autism - Obesity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn updates from Francesca Solmi, PhD on disordered eating &amp; the potential for increased vulnerability to obesity in autistic teens.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/disordered-eating-obesity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Autism Research Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/autismresearchinstitute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-01T19:38:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-11T17:49:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Eating-disorders.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"266\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"autismAdmin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ariConference\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ariConference\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"autismAdmin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/disordered-eating-obesity\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/disordered-eating-obesity\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"autismAdmin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/autism.org\/#\/schema\/person\/26ad828eeaab2fed770658de3e543083\"},\"headline\":\"Disordered Eating and Autism &#8211; 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