​Researchers at the University of Bath have found that schoolchildren who display signs of eating disorders also have traits associated with autism.

The link between the two quite separate conditions had already been made in women but the team from Bath, who have been working with Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, set out to examine the relationship in a younger age group.

Dr Mark Brosnan, from the university’s psychology department, and his team recruited 132 boys and girls aged 11 to 14 to take part in the study.

Questionnaire-based assessments of eating disorders and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) showed a significant relationship between the two, particularly between eating disorders, attention to detail and communication skills.

Dr Brosnan said: “The application of one research area to another may contribute to a better understanding of both clinical conditions.

“One of the biggest differences between the disorders is the male domination of ASD diagnoses and the female domination of eating disorder diagnoses and these comparisons may help us to understand why this is the case.

“For example, we found that ‘attention to detail’ was consistently the most significant predictor of eating disorder tendencies, and to a greater degree than gender. Poorer social communication skills were also associated with higher eating disorder tendencies in our study.

“We hope that a better understanding of the relationship between these social cognitive processes and eating disorders may eventually be used clinically to predict prognosis or course of illness in clinical patients.”

This research is due to be published in the British Journal of Clinical Psychology.