A new study finds that autistic traits can set the stage for eating disorders. Previous research has found that about 20 percent to 30 percent of adults with eating disorders have autism, while up to 10 percent of children with eating disorders have autism.
But until now, it hasn’t been clear whether the autistic traits result from the eating disorders or precede them, according to researchers at University College London in England.
In their new longitudinal study, the researchers discovered that autistic traits in childhood come before behaviors characteristic of eating disorders, and so could be a risk factor for developing eating disorders. “We have found that young children with autistic traits at age 7 are more likely than their peers
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