The Role of Late Autism Diagnosis in Eating Disorder Recovery and Social Support with James Downs and Marissa Adams

The Full of Beans Podcast

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In this week's episode, Han is joined by James Downs and Marissa Adams to discuss their recent publication exploring the link between eating disorders, late-diagnosed autism and social connectedness.

James is a mental health campaigner, peer researcher and expert by experience in eating disorders. He works to develop collaboration across a range of professional and personal perspectives to improve mental health for all. He is also a musician, movement practitioner, and artist.

Together, James and Marissa recently published research exploring the link between eating disorders, late autism diagnosis, and social connectedness.

This week, we discuss:

How late autism diagnosis can reframe the story of an eating disorder
Why one-size-fits-all eating disorder treatment often fails autistic people
The role of masking, misdiagnosis, and co-occurring conditions in ED development
Why individualised, neurodiversity-affirming care is essential for recovery
How social connection looks different for autistic people (small circles, pets, nature)
The importance of creating safe, validating treatment spaces where people can “re-story” identity
Why embracing difference can unlock more flexible, compassionate recovery support for everyone

Timestamps:

06:30 – Late diagnosis, masking, and misdiagnosis
13:30 – Inpatient treatment, relapse, and the need for adaptation
18:30 – Making sense of autism post diagnosis
25:00 – Untangling autistic traits and eating disorder behaviours
31:00 – Social connection, pets, and neurodivergent-friendly community in recovery
38:00 – What flexible, individualised treatment can look like
45:00 – Identity, acceptance, and embracing neurodivergence in recovery

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of anorexia, bulimia, relapse, inpatient treatment, and diagnostic experiences.

Read James and Marissa's recent paper [here].

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