Healthcare Access and Management for Autistic Adults
Summary
Autistic adults experience significant health disparities characterised by higher prevalence of mental and physical co-occurring conditions alongside barriers to timely diagnosis and effective management. Challenges span individual factors such as sensory sensitivities and executive functioning difficulties, professional factors including limited clinician autism expertise, and structural issues like inaccessible environments and fragmented care pathways. These obstacles contribute to under-diagnosis of common disorders, poorer self-reported quality of care and increased health inequalities. Recent research emphasises the imperative for tailored adjustments, enhanced clinician training, and integrated service models that address sensory, communication and organisational needs. Globally, improved policies and practice guidelines are essential to promote equitable health outcomes and to support autistic adults in navigating complex healthcare systems.
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Healthcare Access and Management for Autistic Adults publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in healthcare access and management for autistic adults across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Co-occurring conditions: Physical or psychiatric disorders that are frequently observed alongside autism.
Sensory sensitivities: Heightened or diminished responses to sensory stimuli that can affect comfort and communication in healthcare environments.
Executive functioning: Cognitive processes involved in planning, organisation and flexible thinking, which may impact appointment scheduling and treatment adherence.
Patient-provider communication: The exchange of information and understanding between autistic adults and healthcare professionals, crucial for accurate assessment and care planning.
Reasonable adjustments: Modifications to healthcare environments, processes or clinician behaviours designed to accommodate individual autism-related needs.
References
- Diagnosis of common health conditions among autistic adults in the UK: evidence from a matched cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (2024).
- Barriers to healthcare and a ‘triple empathy problem’ may lead to adverse outcomes for autistic adults: A qualitative study. Autism (2023).
- The importance and availability of adjustments to improve access for autistic adults who need mental and physical healthcare: findings from UK surveys. BMJ Open (2021).
- Autistic adults have poorer quality healthcare and worse health based on self-report data. Molecular Autism (2022).
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