Teenage daughter eating disorder

Hi, I personally would take anyone that says that they have an eating disorder/ that they struggle with disordered eating, very seriously. It's good that her bmi is good and her bloods are fine but this doesn't mean that she doesn't struggle with food. Eating disorders can occur at any weight- it's about what is going on internally and the struggle is not always visible to the outside. 

I can mainly speak from personal experience: I have struggled with disordered eating and digestive issues for years (undereating at times, tendency to eat the same thing over and over again, ARFID-type issues, comfort eating/binging at times, love for routines, anxiety about eating socially etc). I've recently realised that I am autistic and it is becoming more and more obvious that a lot of these challenges around food are related to autism. My eating issues are not motivated by a desire to change my weight/shape. 

I have periods where I eat what would look to an onlooker as 'normal' (varied healthy diet with regular meals/snacks etc) but I may still be suffering and struggling a lot internally- for example with digestive issues, or lack of appetite, stress about choosing what to eat etc. etc. Just because her eating looks fine from the outside, doesn't mean that she isn't having difficulties and struggling internally. 

Also her bloods being fine is not evidence that she doesn't have eating issues. 

Unfortunately medical professionals often have very little experience with eating disorders, and even less experience with eating issues associated with autism. In my experience, too much emphasis is often put on weight (both in the sense that doctors assume patients are fine if their weight is normal and also in terms of assumptions being made if patients are underweight- I was wrongly diagnosed with anorexia even though I never intentionally lost weight and this misdiagnosis has been quite damaging for me.) 

Your daughter is being quite insistent in telling you that she wants help regarding eating. I would take this seriously. What I am not sure about is how to make sure she gets the right kind of assessment and support. I have had great support from a dietitian for over 2 years now - She is great and has a lot of experience with autistic patients. Unfortunately sessions with her are quite expensive (I was lucky that my university initially helped fund them), so I am not sure if this is an option you would consider: home | dalia weinreb (dalianutrition.com) Here are her details just in case. Unfortunately I think you are probably right that going to A and E is unlikely to give her access to the support she needs. But I really do think it is important that her concerns get taken seriously and that she does see someone about them, ideally a person that has some understanding of eating issues as well as autism. 

I am also becoming more and more aware of how common issues with eating are for autistic individuals. 

Has your daughter specified what aspect around eating she struggles with? Issues around eating are so much more complex than the stereotypes of typical eating disorders. It could be related to sensory issues, digestive issues, lack of interest in food, challenges with recognising fullness/hunger (very common in autistic individuals), struggles to make decisions, love for routines, anxiety etc etc. the list is endless. 

I really hope that your daughter gets the support she is asking for. Issues around food can be so so detrimental and in my personal experience, they only got worse and more complex over time. I got the wrong kind of help for my eating issues when I did seek help (as I was misdiagnosed with anorexia nervosa and not believed when I said that my eating issues had nothing to do with weight). This was extremely damaging and left me with many more issues around food (the binging in part stemmed from this). I wish I had received appropriate help sooner. It can be so exhausting and detrimental to quality of life if you have issues around eating- plus there is the risk to health depending on how these issues unfold. 

Of course everyone is different and I cannot judge what is going on with your daughter in terms of food, if anything. I think the safest route is to make sure that your daughter's concerns get taken seriously and ideally to make sure that she is seen by someone that understands autism related eating issues. If it's all fine then it is unlikely that this would cause any harm. but if she is indeed struggling with food, which is what she is saying, then getting access to the right help early on could be life changing. 

Hi, I personally would take anyone that says that they have an eating disorder/ that they struggle with disordered eating, very seriously. It's good that her bmi is good and her bloods are fine but this doesn't mean that she doesn't struggle with food. Eating disorders can occur at any weight- it's about what is going on internally and the struggle is not always visible to the outside. 

I can mainly speak from personal experience: I have struggled with disordered eating and digestive issues for years (undereating at times, tendency to eat the same thing over and over again, ARFID-type issues, comfort eating/binging at times, love for routines, anxiety about eating socially etc). I've recently realised that I am autistic and it is becoming more and more obvious that a lot of these challenges around food are related to autism. My eating issues are not motivated by a desire to change my weight/shape. 

I have periods where I eat what would look to an onlooker as 'normal' (varied healthy diet with regular meals/snacks etc) but I may still be suffering and struggling a lot internally- for example with digestive issues, or lack of appetite, stress about choosing what to eat etc. etc. Just because her eating looks fine from the outside, doesn't mean that she isn't having difficulties and struggling internally. 

Also her bloods being fine is not evidence that she doesn't have eating issues. 

Unfortunately medical professionals often have very little experience with eating disorders, and even less experience with eating issues associated with autism. In my experience, too much emphasis is often put on weight (both in the sense that doctors assume patients are fine if their weight is normal and also in terms of assumptions being made if patients are underweight- I was wrongly diagnosed with anorexia even though I never intentionally lost weight and this misdiagnosis has been quite damaging for me.) 

Your daughter is being quite insistent in telling you that she wants help regarding eating. I would take this seriously. What I am not sure about is how to make sure she gets the right kind of assessment and support. I have had great support from a dietitian for over 2 years now - She is great and has a lot of experience with autistic patients. Unfortunately sessions with her are quite expensive (I was lucky that my university initially helped fund them), so I am not sure if this is an option you would consider: home | dalia weinreb (dalianutrition.com) Here are her details just in case. Unfortunately I think you are probably right that going to A and E is unlikely to give her access to the support she needs. But I really do think it is important that her concerns get taken seriously and that she does see someone about them, ideally a person that has some understanding of eating issues as well as autism. 

I am also becoming more and more aware of how common issues with eating are for autistic individuals. 

Has your daughter specified what aspect around eating she struggles with? Issues around eating are so much more complex than the stereotypes of typical eating disorders. It could be related to sensory issues, digestive issues, lack of interest in food, challenges with recognising fullness/hunger (very common in autistic individuals), struggles to make decisions, love for routines, anxiety etc etc. the list is endless. 

I really hope that your daughter gets the support she is asking for. Issues around food can be so so detrimental and in my personal experience, they only got worse and more complex over time. I got the wrong kind of help for my eating issues when I did seek help (as I was misdiagnosed with anorexia nervosa and not believed when I said that my eating issues had nothing to do with weight). This was extremely damaging and left me with many more issues around food (the binging in part stemmed from this). I wish I had received appropriate help sooner. It can be so exhausting and detrimental to quality of life if you have issues around eating- plus there is the risk to health depending on how these issues unfold. 

Of course everyone is different and I cannot judge what is going on with your daughter in terms of food, if anything. I think the safest route is to make sure that your daughter's concerns get taken seriously and ideally to make sure that she is seen by someone that understands autism related eating issues. If it's all fine then it is unlikely that this would cause any harm. but if she is indeed struggling with food, which is what she is saying, then getting access to the right help early on could be life changing. 

Hi thank for your reply. Maybe I wasn't clear enough in my initial post. I have arranged counselling and she won't engage. I've offered nutritionist and dieticians. I've tried to get more information but she shuts down. She is on the camps waiting list and I have arranged another counsellor she starts seeing next week. We've tried different  foods and protein shakes. It's not about me not getting her the help. It was more about her fixating on going to a and e  or expecting a quick fix. I've been back to the gp again  today.