Building on our work with CAMHs services on autism and eating disorders, SWAN has been invited to partner in an exciting new project which is taking an innovative and collaborative approach to research around autistic people and eating disorders - and we're looking for autistic people with lived experience of eating disorders to join us.
EDAC (Eating Disorders and Autism Collaborative) is an innovative project aiming to increase research capacity in the field of eating disorders (ED) by developing an interdisciplinary research network.
Despite the strong overlap between autism and eating disorders, most research looks at either eating disorders or autism - not both together. The main aim of EDAC is to improve eating disorder research through a collaborative approach which is led, and directed by people with lived experience.
The project will undertake a number of workstreams over the the next 2 years, leading to the creation of a UK-wide, interdisciplinary Autism and Eating Disorder Network to carry out collaborative and lived experience-led research.
SWAN will be involved in the Steering Group for the whole project, as well as the different workstreams, but our main focus is ensuring that autistic people with experience of eating disorders from the SWAN network and beyond have the chance to get involved.
Ensuring people with lived experience are meaningfully involved is a key focus for the EDAC team, so there are a number of ways you can participate across the workstreams, as well as opportunities to use and develop practical skills.
Interested in finding out more?
A lot of ways to get involved = a lot of information!
We have set out each opportunity below, to help you decide which area might be the best fit for you. (You can get involved in more than one).
EDAC has also produced a flier explaining each opportunity in more detail and a flier for Workstream 1 which you can download.
- Workstream 1: Coming together
Help make sure this project works well and is in the best interests of autistic people with eating disorders by taking part in 5 online workshops (December 5th – February 13th) alongside researchers and clinicians. The group will co-produce a toolkit to ensure the project priorities are right and the research feels like it’s been done ‘with’ and not ‘to’ autistic people with an eating disorder.
Someone from SWAN will be at the workshops to be a 'friendly face' and will be available to help with access, questions, etc. if needed.
*All participants will receive a £20 voucher for each workshop*
How to get involved in Workstream 1:
- Email: info@swanscotland.org to let us know that you’re interested and we'll help you get involved - OR
- Email: EDAC@ed.ac.uk directly to let them know you’re interested or find out more
Workstream 1 has set workshop dates and begins on 5th December - so please check the dates here and get in touch with SWAN or EDAC *BY 10pm ON MONDAY 20TH NOVEMBER* if you're interested.
- Workstream 2: Setting the agenda
Help set the priorities for research and future work by taking part in an arts-based method called ‘Photovoice’ to capture your experiences of being autistic with an eating disorder, reflections and thoughts about the future.
- Workstream 3: Testing the approach
Contribute to the development of innovative, collaborative approaches identified through this project. by helping test out the new research methods.
How to get involved in Workstreams 2 & 3
Workstreams 2 & 3 will start after Workstream 1 is complete. To register your interest and get more information once the dates are confirmed:
- Sign up to the EDAC newsletter for updates - OR
- Email: info@swanscotland.org to let us know that you’re interested and we'll help you get involved - OR
- Email: EDAC@ed.ac.uk directly to let them know you’re interested or find out more
- Keep and eye on SWAN's social media and website for updates
*All participants will receive vouchers for their contributions*
Additional Opportunities:
As well as participating in the workstreams, there are other opportunities for autistic people with lived experience of eating disorders to get involved in the project and use or develop your skills:
- Posting website content – help edit and update the project website (no experience required - training provided).
- Reviewing Research Applications – get involved in reviewing the applications for research topics submitted through the project (training provided)
- Interviews and video editing – conduct and edit video interviews with the autistic people who participated in the project to learn about their experiences of being involved (training provided)
*All of these opportunities will be paid an hourly rate in vouchers*
How to get involved in the Additional Opportunities:
- Email: info@swanscotland.org to let us know that you’re interested and we'll help you get involved - OR
- Email: EDAC@ed.ac.uk directly to let them know you’re interested or find out more
We know this is a lot of information and there are a lot of different ways to get involved, so do get in touch with SWAN or the EDAC team if you have questions.