« Je sais que c’est très spectre » : des femmes autistes réfléchissent aux aspects sensoriels de l’alimentation et du fait de manger

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

Stephenson, H., Thom-Jones, S., Lowe, J., & Milne, L. (2024). “I Know It’s Very Spectrum-y”: Autistic Women Reflect on Sensory Aspects of Food and Eating. Autism in Adulthood, 7(5), 612-622. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0114

Date de publication: 23/05/2024 Ajout dans AutiHub: 06/07/2026 Type: Article Langue de l’article: Anglais

Cette publication est intégrée dans AutiHub via :

Auteurs

Auteur·ices des publications
4
Auteur·ices de la publication identifié·es comme autistes
1 / 4 (25,0 %)

Résumé

Contexte : Les recherches sur les difficultés alimentaires liées à l’autisme chez les adultes autistes sont rares. Les caractéristiques souvent associées à l’autisme (p. ex., sensibilités sensorielles, rigidité cognitive) peuvent sous-tendre des problèmes liés aux aliments et au fait de manger chez les adultes autistes. Les facteurs contextuels jouent également un rôle, bien qu’ils soient rarement pris en compte. Méthodes : Cette étude a exploré les expériences de femmes autistes concernant les aspects sensoriels des aliments et du fait de manger, en s’appuyant sur une orientation de réalisme critique et une analyse thématique réflexive. Dix entretiens semi-structurés ont exploré les expériences des femmes autistes en matière d’aliments et d’alimentation. Les entretiens ont été menés en ligne, enregistrés en audio et transcrits. Résultats : Trois thèmes centraux ont été identifiés à partir de l’analyse des données qualitatives : (a) les facteurs sensoriels influencent les expériences des aliments, du fait de manger et des environnements de repas ; (b) l’impact du traumatisme ; et (c) l’intériorisation des stéréotypes sociétaux. Une constatation nouvelle était la forte prévalence de participantes ayant déclaré rechercher une stimulation sensorielle plaisante par le biais des aliments et du fait de manger. La détresse était liée au manque de compréhension, par les personnes non autistes, des besoins sensoriels autistes relatifs aux aliments et au fait de manger. Les participantes utilisaient également les expériences non autistes et les stéréotypes sociétaux comme référence pour déterminer quelles tendances alimentaires et relatives au fait de manger sont acceptables. Conclusions : Des recherches supplémentaires sont nécessaires de toute urgence afin de développer notre compréhension de la manière dont les facteurs sensoriels et la stigmatisation sociétale influencent les expériences des femmes autistes et de l’ensemble de la communauté autiste en matière d’aliments et d’alimentation. Résumé pour la communauté : Les résultats mettent en évidence les nuances et l’utilité des approches autistes en matière d’aliments et d’alimentation, ouvrant une discussion allant au-delà des normes neurotypiques et des constructions sociales. Cela pourrait aider les personnes autistes à dépathologiser ces approches et à déconstruire les stéréotypes négatifs intériorisés, en soutenant leur agentivité et leur autodétermination. Comprendre les fonctions des expériences autistes liées aux aliments et à l’alimentation pourrait aider les familles et les prestataires de services à soutenir les personnes autistes. Nous espérons que cette étude encouragera davantage de recherches dans ce domaine, ainsi que le développement d’environnements alimentaires et de repas adaptés sur le plan sensoriel et favorables à l’autisme, et qu’elle corrigera les idées erronées parmi les cliniciens et les aidants selon lesquelles nos comportements alimentaires sont des problèmes à « corriger ».

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."

Bibliographie citée par cette référence

Les références citées sont importées depuis des sources externes de métadonnées lorsqu’elles sont disponibles. La liste peut être partielle.

Vue d’ensemble de l’inclusion dans la bibliographie

Ces indicateurs décrivent la bibliographie citée importée pour cette publication. Les métriques de références citées utilisent le total des références citées comme dénominateur. Les métriques d’auteurices cité·es indiquent si elles utilisent toutes les occurrences d’auteurices cité·es ou seulement les occurrences rattachées à des auteurices déjà intégré·es à la base de données AutiHub. Ils utilisent les rattachements mis en cache entre les auteurices cité·es et les auteurices intégré·es à la base de données AutiHub. Dernier calcul : 16/08/2026 11:31.

Références citées
65
Nombre total de références citées intégrées pour cette publication.
Références citées avec un·e auteur·ice identifié·e comme autiste
5 / 65 (7,7 %)
Occurrences d’auteur·ices cité·es identifié·es comme autistes
9 / 226 (4,0 %)
Parmi les occurrences rattachées à des auteurices intégré·es à la base de données AutiHub : 9 / 59 (15,3 %). Auteurices cité·es distinct·es identifié·es comme autistes : 9 / 211 (4,3 %).
Occurrences citées rattachées à la base AutiHub
59 / 226 (26,1 %)
Auteurices cité·es distinct·es rattaché·es : 54 / 211 (25,6 %)
Occurrences rattachées, non identifiées comme autistes
50 / 59 (84,7 %)
Parmi les seules occurrences rattachées. Sur l’ensemble des occurrences d’auteurices cité·es : 50 / 226 (22,1 %). Auteurices cité·es distinct·es rattaché·es, non identifié·es comme autistes : 45 / 54 (83,3 %).
2 entrées de bibliographie citée n’ont pas pu être entièrement enrichies à partir des métadonnées DOI.
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