The CACTI Blog: Mental Health and Autism: Issues and Needs in the Field of Service Provision

By Riley Aldrich, 2022-2023 Undergraduate Certificate in Developmental Disabilities

In the Spring of 2023, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Wendy Parent-Johnson on a literature review addressing mental health in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). I had recently been admitted to the Counseling M.A. program at the University of Arizona, and as a future counselor, I wanted to learn more about the mental health issues faced by individuals with ASD. Specifically, I looked through the literature to answer the following question: What are the issues and needs in the field of mental health service provision for individuals with autism?

Much of the research describes how people with ASD are at a higher risk of developing a co-occurring mental health disorder. Compared to the general population, individuals with ASD are less likely to receive quality mental health care because of financial struggles, a shortage of community-based mental health services, and a lack of therapist knowledge of the characteristics of ASD (Malik-Soni, 2021). Simply making and paying for a counseling appointment can be difficult and finding a therapist who has experience working with this specific population is even harder. 

Mental health practitioners also express difficulties providing services to individuals with ASD. Therapists often do not receive appropriate training during graduate school or ongoing professional development, and they can feel as if they do not have enough knowledge to effectively treat individuals with autism (Brookman-Frazee, 2012). Therapists are eager for additional trainings about adapting mental health interventions for clients with autism, but there is very little research about this topic. Furthermore, the literature about mental health interventions specifically for people with ASD is even more limited. Many therapists adapt classic mental health interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, for use with their clients. However, people with autism may not respond to these interventions in the same way that neurotypical individuals do, and they may communicate their wants and needs differently. 

Mental health status can be a powerful predictor of success and well-being in adulthood. People with autism are less likely to attend college and become employed than the general population, and mental health struggles may be a reason. More research must be done about training therapists to provide effective mental health care to individuals with ASD, and people with autism should be a key part of these studies. By considering the lived experiences of individuals with autism, researchers could develop trainings for therapists about the most important features of autism and how therapy might be adapted for this population. Furthermore, allowing people with autism to share their stories about the difficulties accessing mental health services sheds light on common barriers. This provides implications for policymakers addressing developmental disability and mental health systems. 

In my graduate career, I know that I will likely not receive adequate training on how to serve individuals with autism. As a future counselor, it is my responsibility to seek out opportunities to hear autistic individuals’ experiences with mental health services and tailor my own practices to better help this population. I am grateful for my time in the certificate program because it has allowed me to understand the unique struggles that people with disabilities experience. One of the most important topics that the program exposed me to is person-centered practices. This type of thinking focuses on seeing the person first, not the disability, and addressing the unique wants, needs, and traits of an individual above all else. In a counseling setting working with a client with ASD, a person-centered approach is necessary to identify the major areas of struggle, how these struggles impact the client’s life specifically, and develop interventions that are appropriate and effective for that client. Making the person the focus of any intervention is essential, and I hope to adopt person-centered approaches in my own future counseling practice. 

References

Brookman-Frazee, L., Drahota, A., Stadnick, N., & Palinkas, L. A. (2012). Therapist perspectives on Community Mental Health Services for children with autism spectrum disorders. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 39(5), 365–373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-011-0355-y

Dickson, K. S., Lind, T., Jobin, A., Kinnear, M., Lok, H., & Brookman-Frazee, L. (2021). Correction to: A systematic review of mental health interventions for ASD: Characterizing interventions, intervention adaptations, and implementation outcomes. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 48(5), 884–908. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-021-01144-4 

Malik-Soni, N., Shaker, A., Luck, H., Mullin, A. E., Wiley, R. E., Lewis, M. E., Fuentes, J., & Frazier, T. W. (2021). Tackling Healthcare Access Barriers for individuals with autism from diagnosis to adulthood. Pediatric Research, 91(5), 1028–1035. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-021-01465-y 

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The CACTI Blog features the voices of our interdisciplinary trainees and Community Advisory Council members as they highlight diverse images of people with disabilities and provide community information and advocacy on disability issues. Check Out The CACTI Blog