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You, Me and ASD
Published in Rebekah Davies, Navigating Telehealth for Speech and Language Therapists, 2023
You may have ways of making your virtual sessions more autism-friendly. Just because they may sound obvious or simple doesn't necessarily mean someone else will think about it, especially if they haven't had an experience that has called for them to reflect and adapt their usual session management. We often assume that we aren't the expert and everyone will know what we know, but don't be afraid to share your ideas, I guarantee there will be someone that appreciates your insight.
Risk assessment with autistic people
Published in Nichola Tyler, Anne Sheeran, Working with Autistic People in the Criminal Justice and Forensic Mental Health Systems, 2022
Future risk assessment research for individuals with autism should explore the application and adaptation of current risk tools. There is a need for greater understanding of the factors influencing the decision-making processes of individuals with autism, as well as ‘protective’ factors that might reduce vulnerability towards offending. Whilst we may have a good understanding of the difficulties associated with autism, it is likely that a different set of factors reduce an individual’s vulnerability towards offending (Murphy, 2010a; Gunasekaran, 2012). Context is crucial and for some individuals, social inclusion helps protect against developing problem behaviours. For many individuals, making their immediate environment ‘autism friendly’ is important, and ‘the crucial elements for appropriate care lie in carefully structuring the environment and the daily programme, and in training staff in the psychological strategies to be used’ (Wing, 1997, p. 255).
“Stereotypes,” focalization and modality
Published in Lester D. Friedman, Therese Jones, Routledge Handbook of Health and Media, 2022
Multitudinous impairments underlie disability: physical, mental; perceptual, motor; visible, invisible; congenital, acquired; permanent, temporary; debilitating, differently manageable; degenerative, stable; variously distressing; at different or all life stages. Important, as well, are institutional factors and roles within popular culture. Thus, fundamental to representation is visibility through inclusion. Theater access and facilities for people with limited mobility; discounts for carers; signing for Deaf people; captions and induction loops for hearing impaired moviegoers; verbal description for those visually impaired; and autism-friendly screenings: all foster community. Cultural identification potentially encourages more disabled people into a notoriously closed production industry, arguably to influence worldviews projected. Nevertheless, personality, background, beliefs, relationships, aspirations, and opportunities complicate outwardly similar situations.
Investigating eye examination-related anxiety in autistic adults
Published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 2023
Ketan R Parmar, Catherine S Porter, Christine M Dickinson, Emma Gowen
The Optometric Patient Anxiety Scale, as developed by Court et al19 is a valid instrument for use with autistic adults without learning disabilities. However, it is likely to be of limited value in this population as it does not include key anxiety-provoking items which have been highlighted in previous qualitative research.20 As a consequence, the scale may underestimate the true optometric anxiety levels of autistic patients. This could also be the case for other available healthcare anxiety questionnaires. Optometric examinations are a source of anxiety for some autistic adults and providers can adapt their services to reduce that anxiety: evidence-based recommendations on achieving autism-friendly eye examinations have been provided by Parmar et al.20
Perceptions of direct care workers in two sustainable communities on services provided
Published in International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 2023
Currently, transition outcomes-outcomes after high school such as independent living, employment, and postsecondary education-for people with ASD and intellectual disabilities (ID) are poor (Seltzer et al.2004). Seltzer et al. also found that 50% of people with ASD are employed in occupations paying less than minimum wage. Among all disabilities, students with ASD and ID are least likely to live independently and most likely to continue living with a parent (Anderson et al.2014); over 60% of people with ASD remain living at home with no independent living options in their first eight years after transitioning (Shattuck et al.2012). Blacher (2001) defines high levels of quality of life as being associated with independent living, competitive or supported employment, religious opportunities, education, and social opportunities. Indeed, Scheeren et al. (2022) suggest lower levels of quality of life are associated with a lack of comprehensive services. Yet, families report difficulty in designing autism-friendly accommodations noting safety, sensory, and spatial design issues as well as social and physical challenges (Nagib and Williams 2017). It is possible that organizations and governments have failed to provide the services suggesting that in part, these could be systematic factors. One solution that could provide a ‘one-stop-shop-all’ model could be sustainable communities.
Two Halves of the Same Whole: A Framework to Integrate Autism and Mental Health Services
Published in Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 2023
Michelle Cleary, Sancia West, Loyola McLean, Rachel Kornhaber, Catherine Hungerford
To better integrate the realities of ASD into the delivery of mental health and suicide prevention services, a service framework must include the following practice components to support mental health professionals: valuing and promoting autistic culture; identifying how ASD changes the presentation of mental health or suicidality symptomology; autism training for mental health professionals; autism-specific interventions delivered in an autism-friendly environment; and understanding and acknowledging the concerns of parents and carers (Figure 2). The steps are again best embedded in a neuroscience-aware, relational, person-centred, trauma-informed care space, where clinicians and health system staff are also trained, supported and supervised to offer attuned and flexible care, sustainably.