Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties with social skills, verbal and non-verbal communication, repetitive behaviours and atypical sensory processing. Individuals on the autism spectrum face a higher prevalence of health conditions and have a higher mortality rate than the general population. There is a critical need to understand adults’ experiences on the autism spectrum when accessing health care services to understand how to improve accessibility to health care for these individuals. The purpose of this scoping review was to investigate how adults on the autism spectrum access and experience health care services. Four databases, including Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycInfo, were systematically searched for literature exploring how individuals on the autism spectrum access and experience health care. Results were extracted and categorized into five determinants based on the accessibility framework described by Levesque et al. (2013). Results indicated adults on the autism spectrum experience numerous barriers when accessing health care services. The dimension of access most frequently cited was the appropriateness of care, followed by the acceptability of care. It is essential to explore access as it is often conceptualized as the availability and affordability of services; however, results of this study indicate the broader experience of quality care provision and acceptance of the individual are important in understanding the complex experience individuals on the autism spectrum face. Based on these findings, there is a need to provide comprehensive education and clinical practice guidelines for health care providers to help reduce barriers to providing appropriate care for adults on the autism spectrum. Efforts to destigmatize intrapersonal and extra-personal perceptions of individuals on the autism spectrum will help overcome the barriers that affect care acceptability. Further research must understand how to design and implement strategies to maximize health service access for adults on the autism spectrum.
Highlights
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties with social skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors and atypical sensory processing (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
It is essential to explore access as it is often conceptualized as the availability and affordability of services; results of this study indicate the broader experience of quality care provision and acceptance of the individual are important in understanding the complex experience individuals on the autism spectrum face
The full texts of the 160 articles were reviewed, and 24 articles were included in this scoping review to answer the question “How do individuals on the autism spectrum access and experience health care services?” Articles were excluded when the content did not discuss individuals on the autism spectrum accessing care (n=68), the study population was children or transitioning youth (n=55), the sample was not specific to individuals on the autism spectrum (n=12), or the article was not in English (n=1)
Summary
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties with social skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors and atypical sensory processing (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Data from many countries has shown there is an increasing population of individuals diagnosed with ASD in adulthood (Bachmann et al, 2018; Diallo et al, 2018; Jensen et al, 2014; Schendel & Thorsteinsson, 2018). Jensen et al (2014) studied the incidence rates of ASD across the lifespan from 1995 to 2010. The incidence rates for ASD increased from 9.0 to 38.6 per 100,000 persons (Jensen et al, 2014) This increase was very evident in the adult population (Jensen et al, 2014)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
