Sponsor
This study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (R34MH092503) and the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute (OCTRI), grant number UL1 RR024140 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and NIH Roadmap for Medical Research.
Published In
Autism
Document Type
Post-Print
Publication Date
10-2015
Subjects
Autism spectrum disorders -- Qualitative research, Public health -- Research -- Citizen participation, Health services research, Autism spectrum disorders -- Patients
Abstract
Our objective was to obtain an in-depth understanding of autistic adults’ experiences with healthcare and their recommendations for improving care. Our academic-community partnership used a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach to conduct semi-structured, open-ended interviews with 39 autistic adults and 16 people who had experience supporting autistic adults in healthcare settings. Participants identified patient-level, autism-related factors that impact healthcare interactions, including verbal communication skills, sensory sensitivities, challenges with body awareness, slow processing speed, atypical non-verbal communication, and challenges with organization. However, the success of healthcare interactions largely depended on the interplay between patient- and provider-level factors, as well as on the larger context in which patients were receiving care. Provider-level factors included providers’ knowledge about autism in adults, incorrect assumptions about individual patients, willingness to allow written communication, use of accessible language, openness to providing other accommodations, and skill in appropriately incorporating supporters. System-level factors included the availability of supporters, complexity of the healthcare system, accessibility of healthcare facilities, and stigma about autism. Further efforts are needed to empower patients, adequately train providers, increase the accessibility of the healthcare system, and decrease discrimination.
DOI
10.1177/1362361315576221
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/17312
Citation Details
Nicolaidis, C., Raymaker, D. M., Ashkenazy, E., McDonald, K. E., Dern, S., Baggs, A. E., ... & Boisclair, W. C. (2015). " Respect the way I need to communicate with you": Healthcare experiences of adults on the autism spectrum. Autism: the international journal of research and practice, 19(7), 824.
Description
NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a manuscript that was accepted for publication in Autism. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A version was subsequently published in the 2015 Special Issue of the journal Autism. DOI: 10.1177/1362361315576221.