Barriers to healthcare for people on the autism spectrum

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Dern, S. & Sappok, T. (2016). Barriers to healthcare for people on the autism spectrum. Advances in Autism, 2(1), 2-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/aia-10-2015-0020

Publication date: 4 Jan 2016 Added to AutiHub: 22 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 2 (50.0%)

Abstract

Purpose – Adults on the autism spectrum experience difficulties in receiving health care, and health care providers face difficulties in offering health care to adults on the autism spectrum. The purpose of this paper is first, to assess the various difficulties and second, to provide strategies to overcome them. Design/methodology/approach – In this qualitative research project, current barriers and facilitators to health care services were sampled from a collaboration of autistic self-advocates and autism professionals in Berlin, Germany. The findings were complemented by a review of practical guidelines and research about the service accessibility of patients on the autism spectrum. Findings – A comprehensive list of barriers to health care was compiled and structured according to various aspects, such as “making appointments”, “waiting area”, “communication”, and “examination”. Strategies considering the perceptual and communicative peculiarities of autism were found to improve access to health care for autistic adults. Practical implications – Providing access to the health care system may improve the diagnosis and treatment of mental and somatic illnesses, and thereby, the health status and quality of life for people on the autism spectrum. This recognition of the needs of adults on the autism spectrum may serve as a model for other areas in society, such as education and employment. Originality/value – Data acquisition in this project is of special value because it resulted from collaboration between an autistic self-advocacy organization and professionals working in the field of intellectual developmental disabilities considering the experiences of autistic adults in the entire range of intellectual functioning.

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 07:50.

Cited references
68
With a DOI
46
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
17
6 / 68 (8.8%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
19 / 68 (27.9%)
References with detected author names
49 / 68 (72.1%)
Without detected author names
19
Without a structured title
17
Without a stable identifier
17
References with raw author names still to review
17
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
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
224
From DOI or external metadata
224
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
62
82 / 224 (36.6%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 142 / 224 (63.4%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
17 / 224 (7.6%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 17 / 82 (20.7%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 10 / 195 (5.1%).
  1. Helen M. Johnson , Todd P. Levine (2014). Health Care and Services for Individuals with ASDs: Disparities and Transitions . In Comprehensive Guide to Autism (pp. 1195-1217). Springer New York.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  2. AASPIRE (2015), “AASPIRE healthcare toolkit. Primary care resources for adults on the autism spectrum and their primary care providers”, available at: www.autismandhealth.org/ (accessed 1 October).
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  3. González Moreno, Andrés Santiago (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . American Psychiatric Association.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  4. A. Gawronski , B. Kuzmanovic , A. Georgescu , H. Kockler , F.-G. Lehnhardt , L. Schilbach et al. (2011). Erwartungen an eine Psychotherapie von hochfunktionalen erwachsenen Personen mit einer Autismus-Spektrum-Störung . Fortschritte der Neurologie · Psychiatrie, 79(11), 647-654. Georg Thieme Verlag KG.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  5. Michael D. Kogan , Bonnie B. Strickland , Stephen J. Blumberg , Gopal K. Singh , James M. Perrin , Peter C. van Dyck (2008). A National Profile of the Health Care Experiences and Family Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children in the United States, 2005–2006 . Pediatrics, 122(6), e1149-e1158. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  6. Ousseny Zerbo , Maria L Massolo , Yinge Qian , Lisa A. Croen (2015). A Study of Physician Knowledge and Experience with Autism in Adults in a Large Integrated Healthcare System . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(12), 4002-4014. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  7. Gillian Baird , Emily Simonoff , Andrew Pickles , Susie Chandler , Tom Loucas , David Meldrum et al. (2006). Prevalence of disorders of the autism spectrum in a population cohort of children in South Thames: The Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP) . The Lancet, 368(9531), 210. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  8. (2012). 2.64% of South Korean children aged 7 to 12 have autism spectrum disorders . Evidence Based Mental Health, 15(1), 11-11. BMJ.
    OpenCitations
  9. Lisa I. Iezzoni , Bonnie O’Day (2005). More than Ramps: A Guide to Improving Health Care Quality and Access for People with Disabilities .
    Type: Book OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1504685023
    OpenAlex
  10. Ayelet Ben-Sasson , Liat Hen , Ronen Fluss , Sharon A. Cermak , Batya Engel-Yeger , Eynat Gal (2009). A Meta-Analysis of Sensory Modulation Symptoms in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39(1), 1-11. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  11. Rini Vohra , Suresh Madhavan , Usha Sambamoorthi , Claire St Peter (2014). Access to services, quality of care, and family impact for children with autism, other developmental disabilities, and other mental health conditions . Autism, 18(7), 815-826. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  12. Fred R. Volkmar , Justin Rowberry , Oana De Vinck‐Baroody , Abha R. Gupta , Jennifer Leung , Judith Meyers et al. (2014). Medical Care in Autism and Related Conditions . Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  13. Elspeth Bradley , Jane A. Summers , Hayley L. Wood , Susan E. Bryson (2004). Comparing Rates of Psychiatric and Behavior Disorders in Adolescents and Young Adults with Severe Intellectual Disability with and without Autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34(2), 151-161. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  14. Inge Kamp-Becker , Johanna Schröder , Helmut Remschmidt , Christian J. Bachmann (2010). Health-related quality of life in adolescents and young adults with high functioning autism-spectrum disorder . Psychological Medicine, 31(7), 1. German Medical Science GMS Publishing House.
    OpenAlex
  15. Ariane V. S. Buescher , Zuleyha Cidav , Martin Knapp , DAVID S. MANDELL (2014). Costs of autism spectrum disorders in the United Kingdom and the United States . JAMA Pediatr, 168(8), 721. American Medical Association (AMA).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  16. Tanja Sappok , Thomas Bergmann , H. Kaiser , A. Diefenbacher (2010). Autismus bei erwachsenen Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung . Der Nervenarzt, 81(11), 1333-1345. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  17. Chau, N. (2007), “More than ramps. A guide to improving healthcare quality and access for people with disabilities”, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Vol. 61 No. 4, pp. 367.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  18. Craig A. Melville , Sally-Ann Cooper , Jill Morrison , Elita Smiley , Linda Allan , Alison Jackson et al. (2008). The Prevalence and Incidence of Mental Ill-Health in Adults with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(9), 1676-1688. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  19. Vinood B. Patel , Victor R. Preedy , Colin R. Martin (2014). Comprehensive Guide to Autism . Springer New York.
    OpenAlex
  20. Lisa A. Croen , Ousseny Zerbo , Yinge Qian , Maria L Massolo , Steve Rich , Stephen Sidney et al. (2015). The health status of adults on the autism spectrum . Autism, 19(7), 814-823. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  21. Inyang A. Isong , Sowmya R. Rao , Chloe Holifield , Dorothea Iannuzzi , Ellen Hanson , Janice Ware et al. (2014). Addressing Dental Fear in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders . Clinical Pediatrics, 53(3), 230-237. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  22. Mary Oschwald , Sandra M. Leotti , Dora M. Raymaker *Autistic author. Learn more… , Marsha Katz , Rebecca Goe , Mark Harviston et al. (2014). Development of an audio-computer assisted self-interview to investigate violence and health in the lives of adults with developmental disabilities . Disability and Health Journal, 7(3), 292-301. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  23. Darves, B. (2008), “‘Gently does it,’ caring for adults with autism”, available at: www.acpinternist.org/archives/2008/11/autism.htm (accessed 10 January 2015).
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  24. I. Vaz (2010). Improving the management of children with learning disability and autism spectrum disorder when they attend hospital . Child: Care, Health and Development, 36(6), 753-755. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  25. Dilling, H., and World Health Organization (1994), Internationale Klassifikation psychischer Störungen: ICD-10, Kapitel V (F); Forschungskriterien, Hans Huber Verlag, Bern.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  26. Mayada Elsabbagh , Gauri Divan , Yun‐Joo Koh , Young Shin Kim , Shuaib Kauchali , Carlos Marcín et al. (2012). Global Prevalence of Autism and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders . Autism Research, 5(3), 160-179. Wiley.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1002/aur.239 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2098251401
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  27. Ashley Robertson , David R. Simmons (2013). The Relationship between Sensory Sensitivity and Autistic Traits in the General Population . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(4), 775-784. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  28. Ovsanna T. Leyfer , Susan E. Folstein , Susan Bacalman , Naomi Davis , Elena Dinh , Jubel Morgan et al. (2006). Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders in Children with Autism: Interview Development and Rates of Disorders . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(7), 849-861. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  29. Éric Fombonne (2009). Epidemiology of Pervasive Developmental Disorders . Pediatric Research, 65(6), 591-598. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  30. Éric Fombonne , Sara Quirke , Arlene Hagen (2011). Epidemiology of Pervasive Developmental Disorders . In Autism Spectrum Disorders (pp. 90-111). Oxford University Press.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  31. Michael L. Ganz (2007). The Lifetime Distribution of the Incremental Societal Costs of Autism . Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 161(4), 343. American Medical Association (AMA).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  32. Christopher Gillberg , Mary Coleman (1996). AUTISM AND MEDICAL DISORDERS: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 38(3), 191-202. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  33. Francesca Happé , Uta Frith (2006). The Weak Coherence Account: Detail-focused Cognitive Style in Autism Spectrum Disorders . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(1), 5-25. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  34. John J. McGonigle , Joann M. Migyanka , Susan J. Glor-Scheib , Ryan Cramer , Jeffrey J. Fratangeli , Gajanan G. Hegde et al. (2014). Development and Evaluation of Educational Materials for Pre-hospital and Emergency Department Personnel on the Care of Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(5), 1252-1259. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  35. Francesca Happé (1994). An advanced test of theory of mind: Understanding of story characters' thoughts and feelings by able autistic, mentally handicapped, and normal children and adults . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24(2), 129-154. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  36. FRED R. VOLKMAR , DOUGLAS S. NELSON (1990). Seizure Disorders in Autism . Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 29(1), 127-129. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  37. Hill, A. P., Zuckerman, K. and Fombonne, E. (2014), “Epidemiology of autism spectrum disoders”, in Volkmar, F. R., Paul, R., Rogers, S. J. and Pelphrey, K. A. (Eds), Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Fourth Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, pp. 57-96.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  38. Elisabeth L. Hill (2004). Executive dysfunction in autism☆ . Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 8(1), 26-32. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  39. Howlin, P. (2004), “Psychiatric disturbances in adulthood”, in Howlin, P. (Ed.), Autism and Asperger Syndrome: Preparing for Adulthood, Routledge, London, pp. 270-99.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  40. William F. Sullivan , Joseph M Berg , Elspeth Bradley , Tom Cheetham , Richard Denton , John Heng et al. (2011). Primary care of adults with developmental disabilities: Canadian consensus guidelines. PubMed, 57(5), 541-53, e154.
    Type: Article OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2106375788
    OpenAlex
  41. Teresa Shellenbarger (2004). Overview and Helpful Hings for Caring for the ED Patient With Asperger's Syndrome . Journal of Emergency Nursing, 30(3), 278-280. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  42. Kamp-Becker, I., Schröder, J., Remschmidt, H. and Bachmann, C. J. (2010), “Health-related quality of life in adolescents and young adults with high functioning autism-spectrum disorder”, GMS Psycho-Social-Medicine, Vol. 7, Doc 03, pp. 1-10.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  43. Kienitz, L., Diefenbacher, A. and Sappok, T. (2011), “Autismus spezifisches Basisassessment bei Krankenhauseinweisung: Optimierung des Übergangs”, Med Men Geist Mehrf Beh, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 7-13.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  44. Arvind Venkat , Edward Jauch , William Scott Russell , Candace Roman Crist , Robert Farrell (2012). Care of the patient with an autism spectrum disorder by the general physician . Postgraduate Medical Journal, 88(1042), 472-481. Oxford University Press (OUP).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  45. Young Shin Kim , Bennett L. Leventhal , Yun-Joo Koh , Éric Fombonne , Eugene Laska , Eun-Chung Lim et al. (2011). Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Total Population Sample . American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(9), 904. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  46. Kirchner, J., Appelmann, S., Chiewkowsky, C., Dern, S., Döhle, R., Elias, R., Götz, E., Gottschlich, R., Grambert, C. N., Kliemann, D., Melzow, F., Speer, O., Purwins, S. and Dziobek, I. (2010), “Wissen und Unwissen über Autismus”, poster presented at the 3rd Scientific Meeting for Autism Spectrum Conditions (WTAS), 18-19 February, Frankfurt am Main.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  47. Emily Simonoff , Andrew Pickles , Tony Charman , Susie Chandler , Tom Loucas , Gillian Baird (2008). Psychiatric Disorders in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Prevalence, Comorbidity, and Associated Factors in a Population-Derived Sample . Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 47(8), 921-929. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  48. Tina Koch , June Marks , Elaine Tooke (2001). Evaluating a community nursing service: listening to the voices of clients with an intellectual disability and/or their proxies . Journal of Clinical Nursing, 10(3), 352-363. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  49. Lehmkuhl, G., Sinzig, J., Sappok, T. and Diefenbacher, A. (2011), “Intelligenzminderung”, in Berger, M. (Ed.), Psychische Erkrankungen, Elsevier Health Sciences, Germany, pp. 811-28.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  50. Christina Nicolaidis (2012). What Can Physicians Learn from the Neurodiversity Movement? AMA Journal of Ethics, 14(6), 503-510. American Medical Association (AMA).
  51. Lipinski, S., Sünkel, U., Drimalla, H., Blanke, E., Bergmann, T., Hartmann, R., Anglim, J., Speer, O. and Dziobek, I. (2015), “Ambulante Psychotherapie bei Personen mit Autismus-Spektrum-Störung: Zugang und Zufriedenheit”, poster presented at the 8th Scientific Meeting for Autism Spectrum Conditions (WTAS), 26-27 March, Augsburg.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  52. Celine A. Saulnier , Fred Volkmar (2001). Mental health problems in people with autism and related disorders . In Psychiatric and Behavioural Disorders in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (pp. 215-224). Cambridge University Press.
    OpenAlex
  53. Nicolaidis, C. (2012), “What can physicians learn from the neurodiversity movement?”, Virtual Mentor, American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, Vol. 14 No. 6, pp. 503-10.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  54. Signild Vallgårda (2007). Healthier societies: from analysis to action . PubMed Central, 61(4), 367-367.
    Type: Article OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2161376790
    OpenAlex
  55. Noterdaeme (2009), “Komorbidität und Differenzialdiagnose”, in Bölte, S. (Ed.), Autismus, Verlag Hans Huber, pp. 46-64.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  56. Peeters, T. and Gillberg, C. (1999), “Education and guidance of people with autism: the medical viewpoint”, in Peeters, T. (Ed.), Autism: Medical and Educational Aspects, 2nd ed., Whurr Publishers, London, pp. 49-58.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  57. Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (2011), “Pennsylvania autism needs assessment: a survey of individuals and families living with autism”, Report No. 3: barriers and limitations to accessing services, Harrisburg, PA.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  58. (2012). 2.3 Komorbidität und Differenzialdiagnose . In Praxishandbuch ADHS. Georg Thieme Verlag.
    Type: Book chapter DOI: 10.1055/b-0034-25694 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2482197521
    OpenAlex
  59. Patricia Howlin (2004). Psychiatric disturbances in adulthood . In Autism and Asperger Syndrome (pp. 282-311). Routledge.
    OpenAlex
  60. Astrid Gawronski , Bojana Kuzmanovic , Alexandra L. Georgescu , Hanna Kockler , Leonhard Schilbach , K. Volpert et al. (2011). Erwartungen an eine Psychotherapie von hochfunktionalen erwachsenen Personen mit einer Autismus-Spektrum-Störung Expectations Concerning Psychotherapy of High-Functioning Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders .
    Type: Article OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2737003940
    OpenAlex
  61. Saulnier, C. and Volkmar, F. (2007), “Mental health problems in people with autism and related disorders”, in Bouras, N. and Holt, G. (Eds), Psychiatric and Behavioural Disorders in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 2nd ed., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York, NY, pp. 215-24.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  62. Horst Dilling (2015). Internationale Klassifikation psychischer Störungen .
    Type: Article OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2940330126
    OpenAlex
  63. Sullivan, W. F., Berg, J. M., Bradley, E., Cheetham, T., Denton, R., Heng, J., Hennen, B., Joyce, D., Kelly, M., Korossy, M., Lunsky, Y. and McMillan, S. (2011), “Primary care of adults with developmental disabilities: Canadian consensus guidelines”, Canadian Family Physician Médecin de Famille Canadien, Vol. 57 No. 5, pp. 541-3, e154-68.
    Type: Other
    Crossref