The Role of Social Workers in the Care of Autism: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The Social Work profession is a caring professional whose primary mission is to assist in meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, and communities, especially the vulnerable, the oppressed, and other key populations, through different forms of empowerment. Included in these groups are persons with autism spectrum disorder, whose care involves various professionals. The role of professionals like psychiatric doctors and nurses, psychologists, behavioral therapists, and occupational therapists are well defined but the role of social workers, who are presumably the first contact with autistic people, is not yet clearly defined. This study explores the opinions of various scholars on the roles of social workers in the care of autism spectrum disorder with the aim of systematizing these different opinions, thereby delineating the professional responsibilities of social workers in the care of autism. The method used in this study is the systematic literature review of journal articles, books, and conference presentations whose main discussions concern the roles of social workers in the care of persons with autism. The review shows that social workers do have a significant role to play in the care of autism, even though the community of health professionals and the caregivers of persons with autism are not aware of the full scope of the role of social workers in the care of autism. The study recommends that this gap needs to be bridged with increased awareness and sensitization. Also, social work educators need to include the care of persons with disability in the social work curriculum in the various training institutions. Keywords: Autism, Care, Role, Social Workers.