Autistic Patients: The Need for Providers to Embrace Different Thinking

In this course, Dr. Mary Donahue (Ph.D., clinical psychologist) and Lisa Morgan (Lisa Morgan Consulting, L.L.C.; founder and co-chair, Autism in Suicide Committee of the American Association of Suicidology) explain the chief factors that may unintentionally harm autistic clients. Contextualising autism as binary and non-linear, the presenters offer models to illustrate how an autistic client’s level of functionality may vary not just day-to-day, but hour-by-hour. Viewing autism as a culture, Donahue and Morgan describe the characteristics of that culture in relation to the three domains which are most difficult for autistic individuals: social/behavioural, sensorimotor, and communication. The unintentional harm caused by health providers who are ignorant of autistic culture stem from factors such as invalidating assumptions, presumed competence, ableism, the felt need of those with autism to mask, and providers who do not clearly define expectations. The presenters offer tips on how to support autistic clients and strategies to ensure success of the health care offered, as well as flagging the unique risk factors for suicide and suicidal ideation faced by those on the autism spectrum.