Views about primary care health checks for autistic adults: UK survey findings

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Mason, D., Taylor, H., Ingham, B., Finch, T., Wilson, C., Scarlett, C., Urbanowicz, A., Nicolaidis, C., Lennox, N., Moss, S., Buckley, C., Cooper, S., Osborne, M., Garland, D., Raymaker, D. M., & Parr, J. R. (2022). Views about primary care health checks for autistic adults: UK survey findings. BJGP Open, 6(4), BJGPO.2022.0067. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpo.2022.0067

Publication date: 26 May 2022 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
16
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 16 (6.2%)
  1. David Mason
  2. Helen Taylor
  3. Barry Ingham
  4. Tracy Finch
  5. Colin Wilson
  6. Clare Scarlett
  1. Anna Urbanowicz
  2. Christina Nicolaidis
  3. Nicholas Lennox
  4. Sebastian Moss
  5. Carole Buckley
  6. Sally‐Ann Cooper
  1. Malcom Osborne
  2. Deborah Garland
  3. Dora M Raymaker *
  4. Jeremy R. Parr

Abstract

Background: Compared with the general population, autistic adults experience higher rates of physical and mental health conditions, premature morbidity and mortality, and barriers to health care. A health check for autistic people may improve their health outcomes. Aim: To establish the views of autistic people towards a primary care health check for autistic people. Design & setting: Cross-sectional questionnaire study in England and Wales. Method: A questionnaire was sent to autistic adults with physical health conditions in England and Wales. A total of 458 people (441 autistic adults and 17 proxy responders) completed the questionnaire. Results: Most responders (73.4%, n = 336) thought a health check is needed for all autistic people. Around half of the participants thought a health check should be offered from childhood and the health check appointment should last between 15 and 30 minutes. Autistic people were positive about providing primary care staff with contextual information regarding their health and the reasonable adjustments they would like before their health check appointment. Training about autism and the health check was considered important, alongside adequate time for discussions in the health check appointment (all by over 70% of responders). The clinician’s autism knowledge, seeing a familiar clinician, environmental adaptations, appropriate information, and accessible appointments were considered particularly important in making a health check accessible. Conclusion: Autistic people and relatives were supportive of a primary care health check for autistic people. Information gathered was used to support the design of a primary care health check for autistic adults.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Bibliography inclusion overview

These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:31.

Cited references
35
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
6 / 35 (17.1%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
14 / 207 (6.8%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 14 / 117 (12.0%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 5 / 140 (3.6%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
117 / 207 (56.5%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 54 / 140 (38.6%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
103 / 117 (88.0%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 103 / 207 (49.8%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 49 / 54 (90.7%).
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