SWAN is excited to share an update on our continuing partnership work with EDAC - as part of an innovative and collaborative approach to research around autistic people and eating disorders.
As Workstream 1 draws to a close, we are now recruiting participants for Workstream 2
Workstream 1 - Update
Over the last 6 months, researchers and colleagues at the Eating Disorder and Autism Collaborative (EDAC) have run a number of workshops with autistic people with lived experience of an eating disorder (ED), along with Scottish Autism and SWAN.
Around 15 people with lived experience - many of whom were from the SWAN network - attended 5 workshops where we worked together to co-produce 'Best Practice Guidelines for Ethical Co-Production'. These will be used to guide the research project over the next 2 years.
You can read more about our Best Practice Guidelines for Ethical Co-Produced Research with and for Autistic Individuals with Eating Disorders here.
This was a collaborative project, aiming to understand how best to work with, and be led by, autistic people with an ED when it comes to co-producing research. We talked about challenges and solutions for meaningful co-production, as well as how to make sure that researchers are designing, undertaking and sharing research in an ethical and inclusive way.
It was a positive and productive piece of work and it is hoped that the relationships built during these workshops will lead to many more exciting and collaborative projects.
SWAN and the EDAC partners would like to say a huge thanks to everyone who got involved!
Workstream 2 - We are recruiting
Workstream 2 will use arts-based methods to capture experiences of being an autistic person with an eating disorder.
This workstream consists of a series of 5 workshops which will involve discussions around eating disorder experiences with autistic people.
Part of this process will use a tool called Photovoice, which allows you to take photos or draw pictures of things which resonate with your experiences in relation to the following questions:
- What are Autistic people's experiences of having an Eating Disorder?
- What are the research priorities of Autistic people with lived experience of eating disorders?
The images and narrative will be analysed to document the experiences of autistic people with eating disorders and to set research priorities. The photographs themselves will form part of an exhibition, raising awareness of the needs and issues of our community.
Who are we looking for?
Autistic people with current or past lived experience of eating disorders.
Call for participants from under-represented groups
We strongly encourage autistic people from under-represented groups to take part to ensure the research reflect diverse experiences.
Groups which are currently under-represented include men, minoritised ethnicities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and underrepresented eating disorder presentations (e.g. Binge eating disorder, Bulimia Nervosa).
How to get involved
If you'd like to find out more or express your interest in participating, you can:
- Email EDAC@ed.ac.uk directly
- Follow the Qualtrics link to complete your information
- Email info@swanscotland.org - we'll help you get involved
Other Ways To Get Involved in the EDAC Project
Worksteam 2 is just one of a number of opportunities for getting involved in work with EDAC.
Download the EDC flier which explains each opportunity in more detail or visit the EDAC website for information on other ways to get involved.