Sensory processing in children and adolescents shortly after the onset of anorexia nervosa: a pilot study.

From the parents' point of view, the patient avoids unexpected sensory stimuli, but the patients are unaware of their own avoiding behavior in the early stages of the disease. The results suggest that sensory sensitivity in AN may be a "scar" symptom due to chronic starvation and a state symptom. Longitudinal studies from shortly after the onset with larger sample sizes are needed to gain insight into the dynamic relation between sensory processing and eating disorder pathology.