Experiences of Mental Health Providers Treating Autistic Children with Co-occurring Disorders

Abstract

The aim of the study was to gain insight into the experiences of licensed mental health providers working with autistic children with co-occurring disorders and their treatment approaches. Eleven licensed mental health providers with over six months of direct care experience participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, analyzed, and hand-coded for themes. Responses highlighted variation of approaches to treatment and perspective-shifting resulting from education on neurodiversity. Keywords: neurodiversity, best practice, therapeutic alliance, mental health providers