Social Work Commons^™

Development And Preliminary Psychometric Testing Of The Aaspire Adult Autism Healthcare Provider Self-Efficacy Scale, Christina Nicolaidis, Gavin Schnider, Junghee Lee, Dora Raymaker, Steven K. Kapp, Lisa A. Croen, Anna Urbanowicz, Joelle Maslak

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our objective was to develop a measure of healthcare providers’ self-efficacy in providing healthcare to autistic adults and to better understand their training needs. We used a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach with academic researchers, autistic adults, supporters, and healthcare providers. We developed a 1-page questionnaire which included the new 6-item self-efficacy scale, two items on how challenging and rewarding it is to provide care to autistic adults, and seven items on provider characteristics. We surveyed 143 healthcare providers from eight primary care clinics in Oregon and California, USA. Preliminary psychometric testing found the AASPIRE Adult Autism Healthcare Provider …

Parent Health Beliefs, Social Determinants Of Health, And Child Health Services Utilization Among Us School-Age Children With Autism, Katharine Zuckerman, Olivia J. Lindly, Brianna Sinche, Christina Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective—Substantial variation exists in ASD care by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status; however, the role of parent health beliefs in this variation is poorly understood. Study goals were to (1) examine variation in parent beliefs about ASD prognosis and treatment according to social determinants of health (SDH) and (2) assess whether this variation was associated with variable health services utilization, among 1420 children with special health care needs (CSHCN) having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods—We used linked data from the 2011 Survey of Pathways to Diagnosis and Treatment and the 2009/10 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. …

Psychometric Testing Of Patient-Reported Instruments To Assess Healthcare Interventions For Autistic Adults, Christina Nicolaidis, Kelly Zhen, Junghee Lee, Dora Raymaker, Steven K. Kapp, Lisa A. Croen, Anna Urbanowicz, Joelle Maslak, Mirah L. Scharer

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is a growing recognition of the need for interventions to improve the healthcare of autistic adults. However, there is a dearth of validated measures to evaluate such interventions. Our objectives were to use a community based participatory research approach to create an accessible set of patient- and proxy-reported instruments to measure healthcare outcomes and potential intervention targets in autistic adults and to assess the instruments’ psychometric characteristics, including content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency reliability. We administered a survey to 244 autistic adults recruited from 12 primary care clinics in Oregon and California, USA (194 participating directly, and …

A Systematic Review Of What Barriers And Facilitators Prevent And Enable Physical Healthcare Services Access For Autistic Adults, David Mason, Barry Ingham, Anna Urbanowicz, Cos Michael, Heather Birtles, Marc Woodbury‑Smith, Toni Brown, Ian James, Clare Scarlett, Christina Nicolaidis, Jeremy R. Parr

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Autistic people are more likely to: be diagnosed with a range of physical health conditions (i.e. cardio-vascular disease); experience premature mortality (for most disease categories); and experience barriers to effectively accessing healthcare. This systematic review sought to identify studies that report on barriers and facilitators to physical healthcare access for autistic people. A total of 3111 records were screened and six studies were included: two quantitative, two qualitative, and two mixed-methodology studies. Patient-provider communication, sensory sensitivities, and executive functioning/planning issues emerged as important barriers to healthcare. Recommendations for clinicians and those planning services are discussed.

Autism, Tara Crapnell, Lynette Lau, Christopher D. Hanks, Christina Nicolaidis, Alice Kuo

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex, lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that is marked by deficits in social communication and interaction, and repetitive or restrictive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These symptoms can create challenges for individuals on the autism spectrum and their parents during the transition to adulthood, which may interfere with their ability to access and receive adequate and appropriate health care. Awareness of how the challenges associated with ASD may translate to healthcare barriers can help primary care providers address the complex needs of individuals who are on the autism spectrum and mitigate the risks of additional …

Primary Care For Adults On The Autism Spectrum, Christina Nicolaidis, Clarissa Kripke, Dora Raymaker

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The autistic population is very heterogeneous; individuals’ skills or challenges fall along spectra on multiple axes (spoken language, written communication, ability to perform activities of daily living, need for consistency, sensory sensitivity, emotional regulation, and so forth) and can change depending on environmental stimuli, supports, and stressors. Autistic adults have increased rates of chronic medical illnesses, including epilepsy, gastrointestinal disorders, feeding and nutritional problems, metabolic syndrome, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances, and greater exposure to violence and abuse. Clinicians may improve quality of life by recommending accommodations, assistive technologies, therapies to improve adaptive function or communication, and caregiver training, and …

Comparison Of Healthcare Experiences In Autistic And Non-Autistic Adults: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey Facilitated By An Academic-Community Partnership, Christina Nicolaidis, Dora Raymaker, Katherine E. Mcdonald, Sebastian Dern, Cody Boisclair, Elesia Ashkenazy, Amelia E.V. Baggs

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the healthcare experiences of adults on the autism spectrum. Moreover, autistic adults have rarely been included as partners in autism research.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the healthcare experiences of autistic and non-autistic adults via an online survey.

METHODS

We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to adapt survey instruments to be accessible to autistic adults and to conduct an online cross-sectional survey. We assessed preliminary psychometric data on the adapted scales. We used multivariate analyses to compare healthcare experiences of autistic and non-autistic participants.

RESULTS

Four hundred and thirty-seven participants completed the survey (209 autistic, …