Autistic adults often experience health problems and a range of healthcare barriers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate barriers and explore how primary care providers and autistic adults want to improve their primary healthcare. Semi-structured interviews with three autistic adults, two parents of autistic children and six care…

The capacity of the workforce lags behind the current demand for timely autism diagnostic assessment. Primary care providers (PCPs) are well-positioned to diagnose autism at earlier ages than providers from other disciplines. Thus, bolstering PCPs' diagnostic capabilities has been the focus of many recent capacity-building initiatives. Using data…

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…

In 2016, the US Preventive Services Task Force concluded that there was "insufficient" ("I" statement) evidence to support universal primary care screening for autism spectrum disorder. The statement led to controversy among research and clinical communities. Although a number of papers have since been published arguing for the…

Primary care providers are often the first to identify concerns for autism through routine screening in the first 2 years of life. However, most children do not receive a diagnosis until years later resulting in delays accessing appropriate intervention. Delays in diagnosis disproportionately impact those who are otherwise disadvantaged by society…

Feasible and accurate assessment tools developed for non-specialists are needed to scale community-based models of autism evaluation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate use of the Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children (STAT) when used by primary care practitioners (n = 10) across a statewide system of early diagnosis set…

Virtual visits are a telehealth service where patients and providers communicate in real-time using audio and/or video technology. Setting up a virtual visit is complex and may pose challenges for some autistic adults. We conducted semi-structured interviews with autistic adults (n = 7), family members of autistic adults (n = 12), and clinic…

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends autism spectrum disorder screening at the 18- and 24-month well-child visits. However, despite widespread toddler screening, many children are not diagnosed until school age, and delayed diagnosis is more common among low-income and minority children. Offering autism spectrum disorder screening at…

Autistic adults often experience barriers to healthcare that can cause their healthcare service use to be unique from other populations. We conducted a systematic review to gather the most recent evidence about how often autistic adults use five important healthcare services (the emergency department, hospitalization, outpatient mental health,…

Autistic adults experience barriers to primary care, including distant/inaccessible clinics, sensory stressors, and communication barriers with providers. Synchronous telehealth visits, termed "virtual visits," may be a way to minimize these barriers. We investigated the advantages and disadvantages of primary care virtual visits using a…

In this retrospective cohort study using data from an integrated primary care and subspecialty network, we examined medical records of children seen in primary care at eligible autism spectrum disorder (ASD) screening ages and followed through at least 4 years of age. We examined the prevalence of ASD; age of first documented ASD diagnosis; and…

To report mental health screening rates in pediatric primary care as part of a larger program piloting Access to Tailored Autism INtegrated Care, a model promoting timely identification of mental health needs and care linkage for children with autism. Data were extracted from the Access to Tailored Autism INtegrated Care pilot in six pediatrics…

While the medical home has proven effective at improving continuity of care among other populations, there is a paucity of literature testing the effectiveness of medical homes in serving the healthcare needs of autistic adults. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to compare the continuity of care of autistic adult patients at a specialized…

To improve early detection of autism spectrum disorder in preventive care, a Dutch guideline was developed 5 years ago. The guideline provides preventive care physicians at well-baby clinics action-oriented advice and describes a step-by-step approach for children identified at an increased risk for autism spectrum disorder during general…

Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) can be an extended procedure since ASC tend to both vary greatly across individual symptoms and diagnostic pathways with serious challenges to opportune access and diagnosis in low resource settings. We adapted the Q-CHAT-25 for use in a routine health check-ups programme at Chilean primary health…