Negative Body Image and Autism

I read the article. Personally I’ve never suffered from body dysmorphia and I can diet safely if I need to. I have always had  facial dysmorphia though and I can relate to what the article says about us processing faces as parts rather than as a whole. If I’m talking with someone I tend to notice every detail of their face from eye colour and nose shape through to wrinkles or freckles in specific places.

However, my eldest daughter who I’m sure also has ASD does have history of Anorexia and associated body dysmorphia so I have seen first hand how the autistic focus, obsessive thinking and fixation on ritual can be directed in a really negative way and harmful way. I then had to use my own autistic focus to pull her back out of the depths. Luckily I’m a lot more practiced at channeling that focus than she is! It was hard though and it’s left scars on my heart that will never fully heal. Once she started her treatment with the ED team, I had to have her on close obs (within eyesight) every waking hour. It was either that or they’d have sent her to an ED unit for a few months. My middle daughter was only a few months old at the time too so I was often to be found sitting on the bathroom floor observing my eldest while also breastfeeding a baby! It was intense and exhausting and emotionally very very testing but I just had to get her well again, there was no other option.

I read the article. Personally I’ve never suffered from body dysmorphia and I can diet safely if I need to. I have always had  facial dysmorphia though and I can relate to what the article says about us processing faces as parts rather than as a whole. If I’m talking with someone I tend to notice every detail of their face from eye colour and nose shape through to wrinkles or freckles in specific places.

However, my eldest daughter who I’m sure also has ASD does have history of Anorexia and associated body dysmorphia so I have seen first hand how the autistic focus, obsessive thinking and fixation on ritual can be directed in a really negative way and harmful way. I then had to use my own autistic focus to pull her back out of the depths. Luckily I’m a lot more practiced at channeling that focus than she is! It was hard though and it’s left scars on my heart that will never fully heal. Once she started her treatment with the ED team, I had to have her on close obs (within eyesight) every waking hour. It was either that or they’d have sent her to an ED unit for a few months. My middle daughter was only a few months old at the time too so I was often to be found sitting on the bathroom floor observing my eldest while also breastfeeding a baby! It was intense and exhausting and emotionally very very testing but I just had to get her well again, there was no other option.

Sorry about your daughter, I had/ have a few problems with my weight but nothing like that and more related to the occupation I had at the time.

My thing was at school I would never shower in front of the other kids, maybe because I was smaller in every way. Ironic really because now Im told I have a good figure, just don't feel like I do.

The main problem I have is facial dysmorphia, i wonder if its because as kids we are different and don't know why so somehow come to the conclusion it has to be something to do with the way we look?

Its getting worse for me now though with age and you start seeing wrinkles, I don't have many but its enough, I hate looking in the mirror as well.