Autism diagnosis in females by eating disorder professionals

It is well established that autism and eating disorders often co-occur. Females are less likely to be diagnosed with autism and tend to receive a diagnosis later in life than males. Therefore, during eating disorder treatment at higher levels of care, eating disorder professionals may be the first to recognize autism in their female patients. A review of chart records from female teens and young adults receiving eating disorder treatment at the partial hospitalization level of care between 2020–2022, revealed that 10% had a diagnosis of autism upon entering treatment and an additional 17.5% received a new diagnosis during treatment. The number of autism traits present in an individual directly correlated to longer treatment durations.