Live Webinar
Autism and Eating Disorders: Challenges, Diagnosis, and Neurodiversity-Affirming Treatment
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Autism and Eating Disorders: Challenges, Diagnosis, and Neurodiversity-Affirming Treatment
1.0 CE Hours
Intermediate
$0
Information
Date & Time
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Description
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and eating disorders (EDs) frequently co-occur and share overlapping features such as cognitive rigidity, sensory sensitivities, social isolation, and anxiety. This presentation will review current evidence regarding prevalence, shared neurobiological and developmental symptoms, and treatment that focuses on neurodiversity. Participants will explore diagnostic complexities, including distinguishing ASD-related feeding differences from ED psychopathology and identifying masked autism in ED populations. The session will highlight neurodiversity-affirming assessment strategies, treatment adaptations, interdisciplinary care models, and practical tools for clinicians working with youth and adults presenting with co-occurring autism and eating disorders.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
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Describe current evidence regarding the prevalence, clinical overlap, and developmental pathways linking autism and eating disorders.
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Identify diagnostic challenges and implement screening and assessment strategies that distinguish autism-related feeding differences from eating disorder psychopathology.
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Apply neurodiversity-affirming treatment modifications to improve engagement and clinical outcomes for individuals with co-occurring autism and eating disorders.
Educational Goal
Attendees will learn to understand the overlap between autism and ED. Attendees will feel more comfortable recognizing and supporting neurodiverse patients
Target Audience
- Addiction Professional
- Counselor
- Dietitian
- Marriage & Family Therapist
- Nurse
- Physician
- Psychologist
- Social Worker
Presenters
Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, MD
Dr. Nicole Christian-Brathwaite, MD is a nationally recognized Board-Certifi ed Adult, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite is the CEO and Founder of Well Minds Psychiatry and Consulting Company, PLLC. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite has expertise in Perinatal and Post-Partum Mental Health, trauma informed care, telepsychiatry, mental health in communities of color, school psychiatry, implicit bias and racism in mental health. She has extensive clinical experience with adults, children, adolescents, transitional and college aged youth.
After graduating from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, she joined the Adult Psychiatry Residency Program and then completed fellowship in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Massachusetts General/Mclean Hospital. She is the former Medical Director at Riverside Community Care a large community mental health clinic.
Dr. Christian-Brathwaite’s clinical focus is on delivery of mental health care to seriously ill children, adolescents, adults and families both locally andglobally. She has traveled extensively and conducted research in Liberia andGhana, West Africa, as well as Italy. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite has significant experience working with and treating individuals from diverse backgrounds. She has devoted a substantial amount of her medical career to educating the medical and lay community about disparities in mental health, creating cultural formulations, and confronting biases. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite has written about and provided training on Implicit Bias in Medicine and Behavioral Health Care. She specializes in working with educators and schools to reduce stigma, decrease expulsion and suspension rates and improve the overall education of children with mental health needs. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite provides expert consultation, assessment and strategic planning to organizations and hospitals around diversity, cultural humility and disparities. She regularly participates in radio, TV and news interviews and community events about mental health and wellness in African American and other communities.
Dr. Christian-Brathwaite was selected as a member of the inaugural class of the Women’s Wellness through Equity and Leadership program, sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association and the American Physician’s Foundation. She has given lectures throughout the country on topics such as “Adverse Childhood Experiences in the School Environment”, “Prioritizing Self Care”, “Anxiety in African American Communities”, “Post-Partum Depression in Women of Color”, “Implicit Bias in Schools”, “Becoming Anti-racist: From Individual to Institutional Change”, “Combating Racism in Medicine”, “Trauma and Equity in Mental Health” and “Supporting the Mental Health of Students
From 2010-2012 Dr. Christian-Brathwaite was a selected to participate in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellowship Program. She used the SAMHSA grant to explore the practices of Traditional Healers in Liberia. Her goal was to gain a better understanding of the ideas that Liberians have about mental illness, investigate the treatment options available given the lack of formal psychiatric care and to explore the methods and techniques used by traditional healers who deliver this treatment.
She has held numerous leadership positions in the fields of Multicultural Affairs and Disparities work. She was the co-chair of the Disparities Committee at MGH. From 2009-2014, She sat on the MGH Psychiatry Diversity Committee. As a psychiatry resident, Dr. Christian-Brathwaite created a 6-week disparities curriculum for second year residents rotating in Community Psychiatry. She also co-created and led a “Diversity Dialogue” and training for all MGH psychiatry residents. This training was later adapted and utilized in different departments throughout the hospital. From 2011-2015, she held various leadership roles within the Organization of Minority Residents and Fellows, including Co-Chair of the organization for two consecutive years. In 2009 she wrote the Cultural Psychiatry chapter in the MGH/Mclean Hospital Residency Handbook of Psychiatry.
Dr. Christian-Brathwaite continues to endeavor to provide excellent clinical care and teaching, while also committing a significant amount of time to serving the community at large. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite is frequently asked to give talks in the community, on the radio and at conferences about resiliency, stress management, preventive mental healthcare, and mental illness.
After graduating from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, she joined the Adult Psychiatry Residency Program and then completed fellowship in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Massachusetts General/Mclean Hospital. She is the former Medical Director at Riverside Community Care a large community mental health clinic.
Dr. Christian-Brathwaite’s clinical focus is on delivery of mental health care to seriously ill children, adolescents, adults and families both locally andglobally. She has traveled extensively and conducted research in Liberia andGhana, West Africa, as well as Italy. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite has significant experience working with and treating individuals from diverse backgrounds. She has devoted a substantial amount of her medical career to educating the medical and lay community about disparities in mental health, creating cultural formulations, and confronting biases. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite has written about and provided training on Implicit Bias in Medicine and Behavioral Health Care. She specializes in working with educators and schools to reduce stigma, decrease expulsion and suspension rates and improve the overall education of children with mental health needs. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite provides expert consultation, assessment and strategic planning to organizations and hospitals around diversity, cultural humility and disparities. She regularly participates in radio, TV and news interviews and community events about mental health and wellness in African American and other communities.
Dr. Christian-Brathwaite was selected as a member of the inaugural class of the Women’s Wellness through Equity and Leadership program, sponsored by the American Psychiatric Association and the American Physician’s Foundation. She has given lectures throughout the country on topics such as “Adverse Childhood Experiences in the School Environment”, “Prioritizing Self Care”, “Anxiety in African American Communities”, “Post-Partum Depression in Women of Color”, “Implicit Bias in Schools”, “Becoming Anti-racist: From Individual to Institutional Change”, “Combating Racism in Medicine”, “Trauma and Equity in Mental Health” and “Supporting the Mental Health of Students
From 2010-2012 Dr. Christian-Brathwaite was a selected to participate in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellowship Program. She used the SAMHSA grant to explore the practices of Traditional Healers in Liberia. Her goal was to gain a better understanding of the ideas that Liberians have about mental illness, investigate the treatment options available given the lack of formal psychiatric care and to explore the methods and techniques used by traditional healers who deliver this treatment.
She has held numerous leadership positions in the fields of Multicultural Affairs and Disparities work. She was the co-chair of the Disparities Committee at MGH. From 2009-2014, She sat on the MGH Psychiatry Diversity Committee. As a psychiatry resident, Dr. Christian-Brathwaite created a 6-week disparities curriculum for second year residents rotating in Community Psychiatry. She also co-created and led a “Diversity Dialogue” and training for all MGH psychiatry residents. This training was later adapted and utilized in different departments throughout the hospital. From 2011-2015, she held various leadership roles within the Organization of Minority Residents and Fellows, including Co-Chair of the organization for two consecutive years. In 2009 she wrote the Cultural Psychiatry chapter in the MGH/Mclean Hospital Residency Handbook of Psychiatry.
Dr. Christian-Brathwaite continues to endeavor to provide excellent clinical care and teaching, while also committing a significant amount of time to serving the community at large. Dr. Christian-Brathwaite is frequently asked to give talks in the community, on the radio and at conferences about resiliency, stress management, preventive mental healthcare, and mental illness.
Financially Sponsored By
- Monte Nido