Emergency Department Utilization of Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Continuation of Pediatric Care after Transfer to Adult Care Among Autistic Youth Overlap of Pediatric and Adult Care

The transition from pediatric to adult health care is a vulnerable time period for autistic adolescents and young adults (AYA) and for some autistic AYA may include a period of receiving care in both the pediatric and adult health systems. We sought to assess the proportion of autistic AYA who continued to use pediatric health services after their first adult primary care appointment and to identify factors associated with continued pediatric contact. We analyzed electronic medical record (EMR) data from a cohort of autistic AYA seen in a primary-care-based program for autistic people. Using logistic and linear regression, we assessed the relationship between eight patient characteristics and (1) the odds of a patient having ANY pediatric visits after their first adult appointment and (2) the number of pediatric visits among those with at least one pediatric visit. The cohort included 230 autistic AYA, who were mostly white (68%), mostly male (82%), with a mean age of 19.4 years at the time of their last pediatric visit before entering adult care. The majority (n = 149; 65%) had pediatric contact after the first adult visit. Younger age at the time of the first adult visit and more pediatric visits prior to the first adult visit were associated with continued pediatric contact. In this cohort of autistic AYA, most patients had contact with the pediatric system after their first adult primary care appointment.

Back to basics: Practical strategies to reduce sensory overstimulation in the emergency department identified by adults and caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder

INTRODUCTION

Sensory overstimulation of autistic patients of all ages during an ED visit can ultimately lead to care escalation, but few studies have evaluated patient perspectives on improving the ED sensory experience across the age continuum. The purpose of this study was to explore patient-centered perspectives on reducing adult and pediatric autistic patients' sensory stimulation during an ED visit.

METHODS

We used a qualitative descriptive design to explore how autistic patients experience sensory disruption and recommendations to improve care. Data were analyzed inductively using an overall categorization of 6 senses (visual, auditory, touch, smell, taste, and proprioception).

RESULTS

Fourteen adults and 30 caregivers of children provided written responses to open-ended interview questions (n = 44). Participants suggested strategies to minimize the sensory disruption they experienced; however, an overarching recommendation was for clinicians to ask about their or their child's preferences before delivering care or services.

CONCLUSION

Because people with autism are more likely to visit an ED than their neurotypical counterparts, ED clinicians should be proficient in "sensory-friendly care." A variety of evidence-based practical strategies and design approaches exist that can be leveraged to reduce the risk of care escalation; however, the most basic may be to prioritize asking patients and their caregivers about their preferences prior to providing care.

Updates in the care of youths with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Since the turn of the new millennium, care for people with intellectual disability/intellectual developmental disorders (IDD) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has drawn increasing attention because of the continuous prevalence increase of these two conditions, the high health vulnerability, especially mental vulnerability, and the crucial role of care provision in the setting of continued deinstitutionalization and the shift to community care. The present review addresses the main issues related to mental healthcare in youth with IDD and/or ASD with a specific focus on adolescence and transition to adulthood.

RECENT FINDINGS

Despite the existence of specific recommendations, persons with IDD/ASD lack access to quality mental healthcare within communities, receive inadequate diagnosis and intervention, including medication overuse as well as ineffective residential, educational, employment, financial, and social support services. The lack of a unified care system that provides services across all domains and life ages may be the cause of users' perceptions and experiences of inefficiencies.

SUMMARY

The scientific community seems to converge on that care should be provided in accordance with principles of interdisciplinarity, life-span view, precision, personalization, and participation. Quality of life appears to be an ideal conceptual reference for care planning and outcome evaluation.

Health service use for young males and females with a mental disorder is higher than their peers in a population-level matched cohort

Background

To inform healthcare planning and resourcing, population-level information is required on the use of health services among young people with a mental disorder. This study aims to identify the health service use associated with mental disorders among young people using a population-level matched cohort.

Method

A population-based matched case-comparison retrospective cohort study of young people aged ≤ 18 years hospitalised for a mental disorder during 2005–2018 in New South Wales, Australia was conducted using linked birth, health, and mortality records. The comparison cohort was matched on age, sex and residential postcode. Adjusted rate ratios (ARR) were calculated for key demographics and mental disorder type by sex.

Results

Emergency department visits, hospital admissions and ambulatory mental health service contacts were all higher for males and females with a mental disorder than matched peers. Further hospitalisation risk was over 10-fold higher for males with psychotic (ARR 13.69; 95%CI 8.95–20.94) and anxiety (ARR 11.44; 95%CI 8.70-15.04) disorders, and for both males and females with cognitive and behavioural delays (ARR 10.79; 95%CI 9.30-12.53 and ARR 14.62; 95%CI 11.20-19.08, respectively), intellectual disability (ARR 10.47; 95%CI 8.04–13.64 and ARR 11.35; 95%CI 7.83–16.45, respectively), and mood disorders (ARR 10.23; 95%CI 8.17–12.80 and ARR 10.12; 95%CI 8.58–11.93, respectively) compared to peers.

Conclusion

The high healthcare utilisation of young people with mental disorder supports the need for the development of community and hospital-based services that both prevent unnecessary hospital admissions in childhood and adolescence that can potentially reduce the burden and loss arising from mental disorders in adult life.

Five Ways Providers Can Improve Mental Healthcare for Autistic Adults: A Review of Mental Healthcare Use, Barriers to Care, and Evidence-Based Recommendations

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We reviewed the literature from 2017 to 2022 on autistic adults' use of mental healthcare and barriers to care. To encourage immediate improvement in mental healthcare, we provide five strategies mental health providers can use to better care for autistic adults.

RECENT FINDINGS

Most autistic adults use mental healthcare and use it more often than non-autistic adults. Autistic adults' experiences with mental healthcare are characterized by (1) lack of providers knowledgeable about autism, (2) use of treatments that may not be accommodating to individual needs, and (3) difficulty navigating the complex healthcare system. These barriers contribute to prevalent unmet needs for mental healthcare. Autistic adults use mental healthcare frequently but have unmet mental health needs. As necessary systemic changes develop, providers can begin immediately to better care for autistic adults by learning about their needs and taking personalized care approaches to meet those needs.