“I Know It’s Very Spectrum-y”: Autistic Women Reflect on Sensory Aspects of Food and Eating

Background: There is scant research on autism-related eating challenges in autistic adults. Characteristics often associated with autism (e.g., sensory sensitivities, cognitive rigidity) may underpin issues with food and eating in autistic adults. Contextual factors also play a role, although they are rarely accounted for. Methods: This study explored autistic women's experiences of sensory aspects of food and eating utilizing a critical realism orientation and reflexive thematic analysis. Ten semi-structured interviews explored autistic women's food and eating experiences. Interviews were conducted online, audio recorded, and transcribed. Results: Three core themes were identified from qualitative data analysis: (a) sensory factors influence experiences of food, eating, and eating environments; (b) impact of trauma; and (c) internalization of societal stereotypes. A novel finding was the high prevalence of participants who reported seeking pleasurable sensory stimulation via food and eating. Distress was linked to lack of understanding of autistic sensory food and eating needs by nonautistic individuals. Participants also used nonautistic experiences and societal stereotypes as a benchmark for which food and eating tendencies are acceptable. Conclusions: Further research is urgently needed to develop our understanding of how sensory factors and societal stigma influence food and eating experiences of autistic women and the broader autistic community. Community Brief: The findings highlight the nuances and utility of autistic food and eating approaches, opening a discussion beyond neurotypical norms and social constructions. This may support autistic people to de-pathologize these approaches and deconstruct internalized negative stereotypes, supporting their agency and self-determination. Understanding the functions of autistic food and eating experiences could help families and service providers support autistic people. We hope that this study will encourage more research in this area, as well as the development of sensory-appropriate, autism-friendly food and eating environments, and address misperceptions among clinicians and caregivers that our eating behaviors are problems to be "fixed."