Investigation of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Autistic Traits in an Adolescent Sample with Anorexia Nervosa.

Postorino et al. (2017) asked a simple question: do teens with anorexia look autistic? They gave gold-standard autism tests to girls in an eating-disorder unit. Then they compared scores to girls without anorexia who were the same age and IQ.

The team also checked how many met full ASD criteria while they were underweight.

Most teens with acute anorexia did not reach the cutoff for autism. Their trait levels were no higher than the control group.

Only a handful got an ASD diagnosis. Obsessive-compulsive habits, not social-communication issues, drove any elevated scores.

Neville-Jones et al. (2025) extends the picture. They tested the parents and found the same overlap: moms of kids with autism or anorexia both show quirky neurocognitive scores. The link lives in the family, not just the patient.

Demartini et al. (2021) flips the lens. They started with verbally fluent autistic adults and found high rates of eating-disorder symptoms. Valentina started with anorexic teens and found low rates of ASD. Same highway, opposite on-ramp.

Islamoğlu et al. (2025) and Gurbuz Ozgur et al. (2025) keep the spotlight on younger kids. They show that autistic children often have ARFID, a feeding disorder, and that mom’s eating attitudes shape the child’s food refusal. Together the four papers draw a life-span map: feeding issues and obsessive traits travel together, but full ASD is only sometimes on board.

If you screen a teen with anorexia for autism, expect more obsessive detail than social deficit. Use the OCD items, not just the social items, to decide if a full ASD assessment is worth the stress. And when you see feeding problems in younger autistic clients, remember the family eating style—mom may need support too.