'That's Not Our Pathway': Parent and Carer Experiences of Eating Disorder Focused Family Therapy (FT-ED) for Autistic Young People With Anorexia Nervosa.

OBJECTIVE

Autistic people report poorer treatment outcomes for their eating disorder (ED) in comparison to non-autistic peers. Eating disorder focused family therapy (FT-ED) is the leading outpatient intervention for adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of parents of autistic young people who have received FT-ED, and any recommended adaptations to treatment.

METHOD: Parents of an autistic young person who had received FT-ED within the last 3 years were invited to take part in interviews. Transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Twelve parents of autistic young people with AN completed interviews and analysis generated four core themes: (1) Questioning the principles of FT-ED, (2) Navigating the FT-ED process, (3) Parental (dis)empowerment, (4) Adapting FT-ED.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper is the first exploration of parents of autistic young peoples' experience of FT-ED for AN, and it highlights possible treatment adaptations for this population. It is part of a larger body of work to consider adaptations to FT-ED, with the aim of making ED treatments more effective, accessible and acceptable for autistic young people and their families.