Autism : the international journal of research and practice
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Previous lab-based studies suggest that autistic individuals are less attentive to social aspects of their environment. In our study, we recorded the eye movements of autistic and typically developing adults while they engaged in a real-life social interaction with a partner. Results showed that autistic adults were less likely than typically developing adults to look at the experimenter's face, and instead were more likely to look at the background. ⋯ Overall, people spent less time looking at their conversation partner's eyes and face and more time looking at the background, when talking about an unfamiliar other compared to when talking about themselves. This pattern was magnified among autistic adults. We conclude that allocating attention to social information during conversation is cognitively effortful, but this can be mitigated when talking about a topic that is familiar to them.
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This study aimed to determine associations of healthcare access problems with services use among US children with autism spectrum disorder. We analyzed 2011-2014 National Health Interview Survey data on 651 children with autism spectrum disorder aged 2-17 years. There were three measures of healthcare access problems: (1) delays accessing healthcare, (2) difficulty affording healthcare, and (3) trouble finding a primary care provider. ⋯ No significant association was found for flu vaccine. Associations of healthcare access problems with emergency department use were most pronounced for higher socioeconomic status and White, non-Hispanic subgroups. Intervention, such as insurance expansion, is needed to improve healthcare access for children with autism spectrum disorder.
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This study examined differences in the rates of psychiatric-related emergency department visits among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and adolescents without autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Additional outcomes included emergency department recidivism, probability of psychiatric hospitalization after the emergency department visit, and receipt of outpatient mental health services before and after the emergency department visit. ⋯ Compared to the other groups, adolescents with autism spectrum disorder also had an increased probability of emergency department recidivism, psychiatric hospitalization after the emergency department visit, and receipt of outpatient care before and after the visit (all p < 0.001). Further research is required to understand whether these findings extend to youth with other neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly those who are publicly insured.
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This study aimed to describe patterns of emergency department use and police interactions, as well as satisfaction with emergency services of 40 adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability over 12-18 months. Approximately 42.5% of the sample reported visiting the emergency department and 32.5% reported interactions with police during the study period. Presenting concerns for emergency department use and police interactions varied widely, highlighting the heterogeneous needs of this population. On average, participants reported being dissatisfied with care received in the emergency department while police interactions were rated relatively more favourably.