The neurodivergent perinatal experience — A systematic literature review on autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

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Elliott, J. K., Buchanan, K., & Bayes, S. (2024). The neurodivergent perinatal experience — A systematic literature review on autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Women and Birth, 37(6), 101825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2024.101825

Journal or book title
Women and Birth
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
37
Issue
6
Pages
101825
Article number
101825
Publication date: 2 Oct 2024 Added to AutiHub: 7 Aug 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Jata K. Elliott *
  2. Kate Buchanan
  3. Sara Bayes

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Neurodivergent individuals often face unique challenges during the perinatal period, which can significantly impact their experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenting. Despite growing awareness of neurodiversity, there remains a gap in perinatal care that fully addresses the lived experiences and needs of those with neurodivergent conditions such as Autism (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). OBJECTIVE: To compile and analyse recent literature on the perinatal experiences of neurodivergent parturients. To provide an overview of current knowledge, identify prevalent challenges, and suggest opportunities for improving perinatal services. Additionally, we aim to highlight research gaps that guide future studies and enhance care quality for neurodivergent individuals during the perinatal period. METHODS: The Systematic Reviews methodological process was utilised to search relevant scientific databases to gather current research articles on neurodivergent perinatal experiences. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria and were appraised using a rigorous quality checklist. Thematic analysis identified recurring themes across the selected papers. RESULTS: Three major themes emerged: Care provider support, Perinatal mental health needs, and Resilience and growth of neurodivergent parturients. These themes highlight significant differences in perinatal experiences between neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals, underscoring the need for tailored care approaches. CONCLUSION: The findings reveal that current perinatal care practices do not adequately address the specific challenges faced by perinatal neurodivergent individuals. There is a critical need for perinatal care systems to integrate neurodiversity-affirming practices. Future research should consider intersectionality to include marginalised and underrepresented neurodivergent voices.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 08:06.

Cited references
45
With a DOI
38
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
6
7 / 45 (15.6%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
3 / 45 (6.7%)
References with detected author names
43 / 45 (95.6%)
Without detected author names
2
Without a structured title
2
Without a stable identifier
6
References with raw author names still to review
1
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
252
From DOI or external metadata
252
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
1
47 / 252 (18.7%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 205 / 252 (81.3%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
13 / 252 (5.2%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 13 / 47 (27.7%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 10 / 237 (4.2%).
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