Autistic people are more likely to experience physical and mental health difficulties across the lifespan, leading to an increased risk of premature mortality likely due to health disparities. At present, little is known about the healthcare experiences of autistic older adults. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 autistic adults…

Many autistic youth have complex healthcare needs, resulting in high rates of health service utilization. However, many characteristics of this health service utilization remain unknown. Using whole-of-population data, this study aimed to quantify and compare rates of psychiatric and non-psychiatric health service utilization among autistic and…

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a large-scale move to remote delivery of healthcare services. However, little research has directly explored telehealth experiences of autistic adults, a population strongly affected by health inequalities and care access barriers. This study sought telehealth experiences of 11 autistic adults (aged 27-67 years),…

Few autistic adults perceive that health and social care professionals have good understanding of autism. The countywide Autism Champion Network evaluated here, is an equal partnership of both staff across sectors (Autism Champions) and individuals with lived experience. Autism Champions take knowledge gained back to their teams to support…

The effect of psychological treatment on social functioning, quality of life and autism traits in autistic people with suicidal behaviour remains largely unknown. At six Dutch mental health centres, 123 adult outpatients with "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (5th edition) diagnosed autism spectrum condition and…

Autistic people are more likely to have co-occurring mental health conditions compared to the general population, and mental health interventions have been identified as a top research priority by autistic people and the wider autism community. Autistic adults have also communicated that quality of life is the outcome that matters most to them in…

Opportunities for adults to access support following a clinical diagnosis of autism are limited. This study investigated perspectives of autistic adults, relatives and clinicians regarding characteristics of optimal adult autism post-diagnosis support and services. In Stage 1, key stakeholders were surveyed about recent experiences of UK adult…

Autistic people experience more co-occurring health conditions and, on average, die younger than non-autistic people. Despite growing awareness of health inequities, autistic people still report barriers to accessing healthcare. We aimed to explore the experiences of autistic people accessing healthcare, shining a light on the complex interplay of…

Previous research indicates that menopause can be an extremely difficult transition for some autistic people. This study asks how autistic people experience menopause and how they can better access services, support and information; autistic Community Research Associates played an important role in each stage of the research. Online focus groups…

Telehealth is rapidly expanding; however, few studies have investigated hybrid models that include synchronous and asynchronous components. While research recognizes the importance of tailoring interventions to meet individual child needs, we have yet to understand how to tailor interventions to parent characteristics. This study examined how…

Medicaid is a major insurer of autistic people. However, during the transition to adulthood, autistic individuals are more likely than people with intellectual disability to lose their Medicaid benefits. Individuals with intellectual disability may have greater success maintaining Medicaid coverage during this time because most states provide…

Autistic adults are at increased risk of both mental and physical health difficulties, and yet can face barriers to accessing healthcare. A meta-ethnographic approach was used to conduct a review of the existing literature regarding autistic adults' experiences of accessing healthcare. Four databases were systematically searched for qualitative…

All 50 US states have enacted mandates requiring insurers to cover autism-related services. We assessed whether and to what extent variation in generosity of state insurance mandates has been associated with rate of growth in the health workforce for children with autism spectrum disorder: including board-certified behavioral analysts, child…

Telepsychiatry has been rapidly adopted to help control the spread of coronavirus. Clinicians have raised concerns over this for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The remote delivery of psychological interventions in particular requires further attention as their in-person delivery has autism spectrum disorder--associated…

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health is a biopsychosocial framework of health-related functioning designed to provide a unifying system for health care, social services, education, and policy sectors. Since its publication in 2001, the International Classification of Functioning has been used to guide clinical…