Social Work Commons^™

Shifting The System: Aaspire And The Loom Of Science And Activism, Dora Raymaker

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 2006 Dora Raymaker, Autistic person and autistic rights activist, co-founded the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) with Christina Nicolaidis, a physician-researcher and parent of an autistic child. AASPIRE works within the sphere of academic health and social services research to conduct projects the A/autistic community wants done. It endeavors to return power to communities that experience oppression to make their voices heard in research and policy settings. For example, its website autismandhealth.org offers resources for autistic adults, their supporters, and healthcare providers to improve the healthcare of autistic adults in the US. AASPIRE has served …

"I Wouldn't Know Where To Start": Perspectives From Clinicians, Agency Leaders, And Autistic Adults On Improving Community Mental Health Services For Autistic Adults, Brenna B. Maddox, Samantha Crabbe, Rinad S. Beidas, Lauren Brookman-Frazee, Carolyn Cannuscio, Judith Miller, Christina Nicolaidis, David Mandell

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most autistic adults struggle with mental health problems, and traditional mental health services generally do not meet their needs. This study used qualitative methods to identify ways to improve community mental health services for autistic adults for treatment of their co-occurring psychiatric conditions. We conducted semistructured, open-ended interviews with 22 autistic adults with mental healthcare experience, 44 community mental health clinicians, and 11 community mental health agency leaders in the United States. The participants identified clinician-, client-, and systems-level barriers and facilitators to providing quality mental healthcare to autistic adults. Across all three stakeholder groups, most of the reported barriers …

The Development And Evaluation Of An Online Healthcare Toolkit For Autistic Adults And Their Primary Care Providers, Christina Nicolaidis, Dora Raymaker, Katherine E. Mcdonald, Steven K. Kapp, Michael Weiner, Elesia Ashkenazy, Martha Gerrity, Clarissa Kripke, Laura Platt, Amelia E.V. Baggs

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND: The healthcare system is ill-equipped to meet the needs of adults on the autism spectrum.

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop and evaluate tools to facilitate the primary healthcare of autistic adults. DESIGN: Toolkit development included cognitive interviewing and test–retest reliability studies. Evaluation consisted of a mixed-methods, single-arm pre/postintervention comparison.

PARTICIPANTS: A total of 259 autistic adults and 51 primary care providers (PCPs) residing in the United States.

INTERVENTIONS: The AASPIRE Healthcare toolkit includes the Autism Healthcare Accommodations Tool (AHAT)—a tool that allows patients to create a personalized accommodations report for …

An Examination Of Quality Of Life Of Parents Of Adult Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christina Noel Marsack

Wayne State University Dissertations

Previous research on parental caregivers has focused primarily on caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, rather than focusing specifically on parents of adult children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most research on ASD has centered on parents of young children with this diagnosis, but not on parents of adult children with ASD. Understanding the experiences of parents caring for adult children with ASD is important given the increase in the prevalence of individuals with ASD and the lack of information regarding parents of adult children with ASD. A nonexperimental, quantitative, correlational design was used to examine effects …

Conceptualization Of Autism In The Latino Community And Its Relationship With Early Diagnosis, Katharine E. Zuckerman, Brianna Sinche, Martiza Cobian, Marlene Cervantes, Angie Mejia, Thomas Becker, Christina Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective—Early identification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been linked to improved long-term developmental outcomes. However, Latino children are diagnosed later than white non- Latino children. We aimed to qualitatively assess the understanding and conceptualization of ASD in the Latino community in order to understand potential community barriers to early diagnosis.

Method—We conducted 5 focus groups and 4 qualitative interviews with 30 parents of typicallydeveloping Latino children in Oregon. Participants were asked structured questions concerning video vignettes that follow a Latina mother from the time she begins to worry about her 3-year-old son's behaviors to the time he receives an …

Combating Autism Reauthorization Act Of 2014, Kassandra Mores

Policy Analysis

On May 9, 2014, Representative Smith (R-NJ) and Representative Doyle (D-PA) introduced a bill to reauthorize the Combating Autism Act (H.R. 4631) for five years. Senator Menendez (D-NJ) and Senator Enzi (R-WY) are planning to introduce a Senate bill of the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act. The Combating Autism Act of 2011, due to sunset September 30, 2014, provides federal funding for autism research, public education, and early detection and intervention in Maine. We are hoping that you will consider voting in support of the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act.

Latino Parents' Perspectives On Barriers To Autism Diagnosis, Katharine Zuckerman, Brianna Sinche, Angie Pamela Mejia, Martiza Cobian, Thomas Becker, Christina Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent estimates suggest that Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) affect more than 1% of U.S. children over age 3, and rates ASD diagnosis may be increasing.1 ASDs can be reliably diagnosed,2 and early diagnosis is associated with improved long-term developmental and family outcomes.3 However, many children meeting ASD diagnostic criteria are never diagnosed4 or are diagnosed years after onset of symptoms.4,5 Delayed diagnosis is a particular problem among Latino children:6,7 Latino children receive a diagnosis of an ASD 2.5 years later than white non-Latino children.8 Latino children are also less likely to carry an ASD diagnosis; however, when diagnosed, they are …

Getting The Most Out Of Healthcare As An Autistic Adult, Dora Raymaker, Christina Nicolaidis, Amelia E.V. Baggs, Cody Boisclair, Clarissa Kripke, Elesia Ashkenazy, Katie Mcdonald, Kirby Erickson, Marcie Tedlow

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE), a partnership between academic researchers and members of the Autistic community, has conducted a series of studies to understand the healthcare experiences of autistic adults. We are using what we learned from these studies, as well as the lived experiences of our team members, to create information and tools to improve healthcare for autistic adults. After sharing what we learned from our studies, we will offer tips, ideas, information, and tools that may enable more effective self-advocacy in healthcare settings and reduce barriers to healthcare, including care for acute and …

What Can Physicians Learn From The Neurodiversity Movement?, Christina Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

An op-ed piece that describes the author's experiences parenting an autistic child, describing how her thinking and opinions of autism and autistic individuals have changed over time.

School Social Workers' Perspectives On Working With Children With Autism Spetrum Disorders, Marnie Eveslage

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complex neurodevelopmental disorders that include deficits in social interaction, communication, and the presence of repetitive and restricted behaviors. The number of children with autism spectrum disorder has increased significantly over time, resulting in more children with autism in public schools. School social workers are members of the educational team who help support children and families and are often the first professional to whom families turn to in crisis. There is a paucity of literature and research studies on the perspectives’ of social workers who work with this population. School social workers, who are members of …

Correlates Of Interest In Autism Spectrum Disorders Among Social Work Graduate Students, Cassie Dinecola

LSU Master's Theses

With autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses on the rise, there is a growing need for knowledgeable professionals in the field. However, graduate social work students report low interest and negative attitudes toward working with this population, and few social workers enter the field of developmental disabilities. This is the first known study to examine the interrelationships among graduate social work students’ knowledge about ASD, self-efficacy in working with individuals with ASD, attitudes toward working with individuals with ASD, formal training in ASD, and contact with persons with ASD. These interrelationships were explained in the context of Social Cognitive Career Theory. …

The Dynamics Of Autistic-Academic Partnerships, Dora Raymaker, Christina Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Traditionally, research about autistics has been developed without autistics, leading to systemic problems that reinforce stereotypes and divide communities. Some academics find the idea of autistics contributing meaningfully to research unthinkable, while the autistic community is often angered by research which holds no potential benefit, or is even directly harmful, to community aims. Problematic dynamics between academics and minority populations are neither new nor specific to autism research. Research approaches involving academic-community partnerships can change these dynamics to benefit all partners. Academic-community partnerships empower minorities to execute research relevant to community priorities and enable academics to perform high-quality, ethical science. …

Siblings Of Children With Autism: An Exploratory Study Of Sibling Concerns And Coping Strategies, Mary Canha

Undergraduate Review

Autism (sometimes called “classical autism”) is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests (NINDS, NIH, 2009). Other ASDs include Asperger Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females. (NINDS, NIH, 2009)

The rise …