Disparities Based on Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status Over the Transition to Adulthood Among Adolescents and Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum: a Systematic Review

Socioeconomic disparities in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures and their caregivers

OBJECTIVE

There is no information on disparities of patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and their caregivers. The objective of this exploratory study is to compare patients with PNES and caregivers with low socioeconomic status (SES) with those of high SES for disparities in healthcare use, seizures, medication adverse effects, psychosocial impact, and knowledge about epilepsy.

METHODS

Patients with PNES and caregivers completed surveys about the aforementioned outcomes during their Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) admission. Associations were evaluated using SES as a binary independent variable and the patient- and caregiver-related outcomes as dependent variables.

RESULTS

Forty-three patients and 28 caregivers were recruited. The majority of patients were on average 36 years old, single women, unemployed, with some college education. The majority had PNES for 8 years averaging 20 seizures per month and were maintained on ≥2 antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) prior to their EMU admission. Most caregivers were first-degree relatives with a mean age of 43 years, married employed women of higher educational attainment, typically cohabitating with the patients. Low SES patients showed poorer knowledge about epilepsy (p < 0.0001) and higher anxiety levels (p = 0.03). Conversely, high SES patients demonstrated poorer social functioning (p = 0.04). High SES caregivers showed higher caregiving burden (p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

There are noteworthy disparities in patients with PNES of different SES and their caregivers. Identification of those disparities is a critical step in the creation of appropriate interventions to address them.

The Transition to Adulthood for Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The transition to adulthood for individuals with autism spectrum disorder is difficult and outcomes are suboptimal. Social cognition deficits and executive dysfunction continue to be barriers to young people's success, lack of societal acceptance and loss of previous support can exacerbate the condition, and mental health issues increase. All areas of adult functioning are affected. To help manage the transition and improve outcomes for this population, psychiatrists and other health care providers need to be aware of the issues and possible interventions, including social skills training, educational transition programs, and supported employment programs.

Family-Centered Care Coordination in an Interdisciplinary Neurodevelopmental Evaluation Clinic: Outcomes From Care Coordinator and Caregiver Reports

Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities experience many unmet healthcare needs. Care coordination is one critical solution to addressing the substantial strain on families, local communities, and the larger healthcare system. The purpose of this study was to implement a care coordination program in an interdisciplinary pediatric neurodevelopmental evaluation clinic and examine care coordinator and caregiver outcomes. Following neurodevelopmental diagnosis, children were provided with either care coordination (CC) or care as usual (CAU). For those receiving CC, the care coordinator documented family goals and care coordination activities, outcomes, and time spent. Caregivers in both groups completed a survey measuring access to needed services and caregiver stress and empowerment following their child's evaluation (T1) and 4-6 months post-evaluation (T2). Care coordinator findings demonstrated that over 85% of family goals focused on understanding the child's diagnosis, getting needed interventions and educational support, and accessing healthcare financing programs. More than half of care coordination activities were spent on engaging and educating the family; similarly, the most time-consuming care coordination efforts were in helping families understand their child's diagnosis and meeting family's basic needs. For those children referred to needed services, 54% were enrolled in one or more service at T2. Caregivers in both the CC and CAU groups reported an increase in stress related to interactions with their child as well as increased empowerment from T1 to T2. Contrary to our hypotheses, there were no significant group-by-time interactions across caregiver-report measures. While these findings further our understanding of care coordination delivery, they diverge from previous evidence demonstrating care coordination efficacy. This study paves the way for future opportunities to evaluate what kinds of care coordination supports family need at varying times in their child's healthcare journey and how the outcomes important to all stakeholders are measured to reflect true evaluation of efficacy.

Proof of concept: The TRANSITION program for young adults with autism spectrum disorder and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

BACKGROUND

The support needs of people with neurodevelopmental disorders are not sufficiently met during the initial years of adulthood.

AIM

To evaluate feasibility and preliminary effects of a novel programme designed to empower young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to make progress within significant life domains (i.e. work, education, finance, housing/household management, health, leisure/participation in society, and relationships/social network).

MATERIAL AND METHOD

TRANSITION is a 24-week programme that combines group-based workshops with personalised support based on goal attainment scaling. The study enrolled 26 young adults (50% females; age 17-24 years) in the normative intellectual range, diagnosed with ASD (n = 8), ADHD (n = 4), or both (n = 14). The intervention was delivered by the regular staff of publicly funded psychiatric services in Stockholm, Sweden.

RESULTS

The programme was possible to implement with minor deviations from the manual. Participants and staff generally viewed the intervention positively, but also provided feedback to guide further improvement. There was a high degree of attendance throughout, with 21 participants (81%) completing the programme. All completers exceeded their predefined goal expectations within at least one domain.

CONCLUSIONS

The TRANSITION-programme is a promising concept that deserves further evaluation.