Sponsor
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (R34MH111536; PI: Nicolaidis). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Published In
Autism : the International Journal of Research and Practice
Document Type
Post-Print
Publication Date
8-28-2020
Abstract
The adult healthcare system is ill-prepared to provide high-quality care to autistic adults. Lack of provider training may contribute to the problem, but there are few previously tested survey instruments to guide provider training efforts. Our objective was to develop and test a measure of healthcare providers' confidence (or "self-efficacy") in providing healthcare to autistic adults and to use it to better understand their training needs. We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, in partnership with academic researchers, autistic adults, supporters, and healthcare providers, throughout the project. We developed a one-page questionnaire and surveyed 143 primary care providers from eight primary care clinics in Oregon and California, United States. Preliminary testing of the AASPIRE Adult Autism Healthcare Provider Self-Efficacy Scale suggests that the measure is reliable and valid. Using this scale, we found only a minority of providers reported high confidence in communicating with patients (25%); performing physical exams or procedures (43%); accurately diagnosing and treating other medical issues (40%); helping patients stay calm and comfortable during visits (38%); identifying accommodation needs (14%); and making necessary accommodations (16%). While providers need training across all aspects of care related to autism in adulthood, interventions should pay particular attention to helping providers communicate with patients, and identify and make necessary accommodations. Future research is needed to further validate this scale and to understand how to meet providers' training needs most effectively.
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1177/1362361320949734
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/34631
Citation Details
Nicolaidis, C., Schnider, G., Lee, J., Raymaker, D. M., Kapp, S. K., Croen, L. A., Urbanowicz, A., & Maslak, J. (2020). Development and psychometric testing of the AASPIRE Adult Autism Healthcare Provider Self-Efficacy Scale. Autism, 136236132094973. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320949734
Description
This is the Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article that was subsequently published in Autism, August 2020, published by Sage publications. The version of record may be found at https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320949734
This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/