ADS and compulsive eating - is this common?

[Jadems9]

Hi everyone,

DP and I suspect that DSD (who is autistic but not - yet - on EHC) is addicted to food. She has a really unhealthy dependence on it, she will talk about it constantly, try to steal money to get food, will raid the cupboards for anything edible (even stuff like dried pasta and dehydrated beans) and we’ve since realised, as of last week, that she’s been managing to sneak food into class. So it looks like she’s eating almost constantly whilst at school. When she’s home, we do give her a healthy diet and she sticks to set meal times. But as soon as she gets a chance she will buy and binge on food. And she doesn’t get pocket money because of this, but now she raids the house for any money. It’s like she just can’t control herself. I’ve seen her eat and it’s like she hates herself for doing it but can’t physically stop. Today she managed to find £20 in the house and she took it and bought chocolate with it. She ate so much she gave herself diarrhoea and pooed herself in class.

So, is this linked to ASD? We’re going to talk to her SENCo about it and see what the school can do, but what should we be expecting or asking for?

She isn’t on a EHC but I’m tempted to apply for one, she’s spending over her £6000 budget in school already, so I’m guessing this added behaviour will make her eligible? Would it give her the support she needs?

Hi, my oldest with an AS diagnosis would be similar to your daughter, thpugh perhaps not as bad. I put tgis down to a number of things from being more indoorsy on account of social exlusion, to being stuck in a kind of verbal loop where asking constantly for food becomes habit.

However it might also be worth discussing something called Prader Willi syndrome with a health care professional. This is a rare genetic condition that makes a person unable to feel full, is present at birth but becomes more apparent during childhood. While I'm not overly familiar with its links to autism I know that it is a comorbid with other profound learning disabilities. I mention this because food stealing and stashing (and remorse) is a common factor.

Thanks @Bebstar123 I looked up the symptoms of Prader Willi and she does fit a lot of them! Except for the light eyes and hair, but I’m going to get her checked for it just in case. Today another food issue where her nan found her eating dried spaghetti from a jar hidden in a cupboard and DP discovered she’d opened one of his Christmas presents (sweets) that he’d hidden in his room. And I suspect she’s eaten half a pack of butter I bought earlier this week. Does feel like we need to physically lock everything away

I have a son with PWS. Children with PWS are floppy at birth, require tube feeding and sleep almost constantly. Development is delayed. The insatiable appetite develops at some point - each child is very different. Many children with the condition have autistic traits. Very often on Mums Net someone will post about worries regarding food/appetite and PWS will be mentioned. I just wanted to say that it is very rare and the symptoms very specific - that it is PWS is unlikely. I hope you find answers soon.

Yeah I'd reiterate what myself and MsOtis says, it's rare. I'm only aware of it myself as I used to work for a Mental health charity where one of the service users had it.

My #3 who has his AS assessment in April would be a strange eater and would eat dried pasta, dried pulses etc. If you're going to talk to a health care professional about PW as a possibility, I'd make sure you have more mundane explanations ruled out, such as thread worms.