Abstract
As is the case for many other mental health conditions, evidence shows that people with eating and feeding disorders (including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder [ARFID], and Other Specified Eating/Feeding Disorder), or disordered patterns of eating, have altered sensory processing patterns relative to comparison groups without eating disorders. Clinical experience and empirical evidence further suggest that awareness of sensory differences and use of sensory strategies may benefit those who experience disordered eating and feeding/eating disorders. This knowledge, and the emerging evidence, provides insights to the possible ontogenesis of eating disorders, potential preventive and early intervention strategies, and insights to support clinical reasoning, inform treatment approaches and, hopefully, improve treatment outcomes. In this Chapter, these aspects are overviewed, with case vignettes provided.