Autism: Clinical Considerations

Approximately 1 out of every 45 adults and 1 out of every 36 children in the U.S is autistic. The World Health Organization’s statistics are more moderate, which indicate that about 1 out of every 100 people are autistic - this could be explained by access to assessment and education about autism. In addition, comorbidity may complicate an autistic presentation, where ADHD, anxiety disorders, sleep-wake disorders, disruptive/impulse-control/conduct disorders, depressive disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are fairly common co-occurrences. Given the prevalence of autism and growth trends, most therapists will end up working with autistic clients, yet autism isn’t typically a focus of a therapist’s training. Therefore it is vital that as clinicians, we are prepared to support this growing neurodivergent population. This training is geared towards clinicians who support autistic clients, with specific information on autism treatment across the lifespan. Clinical presentations of autistic clients will be shared, as well as the benefits of recognizing and understanding how autism may influence therapeutic intervention. Applications of psychotherapeutic approaches with autistic clients will be discussed and case examples of successful use of these approaches will be shared.

1 hour CE. Recorded video format (non-interactive)

ESTIMATED COURSE LENGTH: 1.23 hours

CE CREDITS: 1.00 continuing education/contact hours for social workers, psychologists, counselors, and marriage and family therapists

TARGET AUDIENCE: Mental Health Practitioners

LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION: Introductory

PREREQUISITE(S): None

INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD: Recorded video format (non-interactive)

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: Closed captioning of audio components. In order to request further accessibility accommodations, please email support@psychhub.com.

COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS: To obtain your CE certificate, learners must complete a pre-test (not scored), progress through all course segments, complete a participant evaluation, and obtain a score of 80% or higher on a post-test. Learners are expected to complete the quiz within 3 attempts. If unable to do so, the learner will need to re-review the course segments.

FINANCIAL/COMMERCIAL SUPPORT STATEMENT: This course has no commercial support.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:  This course has no potential conflict of interest or outside commercial support. Psych Hub's conflict of interest statement is found in the footer of the training center.

GRIEVANCE AND REFUND POLICIES: Grievance and refund policies are found in the footer of the training center.

PARTICIPATION COSTS:  The cost to participate in this CE activity is included in the subscription registration fee.

COURSE CREATION DATE: 8/11/2023

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Gain an overview of how to recognize autism in clients across the lifespan
• Identify ways in which therapy for autistic clients is different from therapy with allistic clients
• Gain an overview of co-occurring challenges which commonly co-occur in autistic clients
• Gain an overview of known therapeutic tools and techniques that can be implemented in the treatment and support of autistic individuals

1. Introduction
2. Definitions
   
   1. Diagnostic criteria
   2. Diagnostic considerations across the lifespan
   3. Masking
3. Clinical Presentation
   
   1. Autistic characteristics
   2. Social differences
   3. What clients may be experiencing
4. Common Comorbid Challenges
   1. Learning differences
   2. Sensory processing
   3. ADHD
   4. Anxiety
   5. Depression
   6. Giftedness
   1. Overexcitabilities
5. Assessment (in brief) 
   1. Tools
   2. Testing measures
   3. Assessment and accommodations
6. Interventions 
   1. Strength based
   2. Psychoeducation
   3. Existential concerns
   4. Therapeutic postures and adaptations
   5. Utilize tools for sensory differences
7. Vignette 
   1. What should we assess for?
   2. What is important to work on first?
   3. How do we advocate for them and what should we model?