Mind the NIH-Funding Gap: Structural Discrimination in Physical Health–Related Research for Cognitively Able Autistic Adults

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

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McDonald, T. A. & Scudder, A. (2023). Mind the NIH-Funding Gap: Structural Discrimination in Physical Health–Related Research for Cognitively Able Autistic Adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(4), 1411-1424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05856-w

Publication date: 13 Jan 2023 Added to AutiHub: 5 Oct 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 2 (50.0%)
  1. T. A. McDonald *
  2. Audrey Scudder

Abstract

Autistic adults experience disparities in physical health and health care access. A major barrier to addressing these disparities is a lack of federal funding for research on this topic. In seeking funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we discovered nodes that contribute to structural discrimination in physical health-related research for autistic adults. To examine this structural discrimination, we systematically searched funded research on all physical health-disparity conditions in autistic adults using NIH RePORTER. Among 61 unique studies, none focused on improving the relevant physical health condition through intervention, programs, or services for autistic adults. Thus, we need updated policies and procedures that support research on physical health disparities in populations with developmental or mental health conditions.

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: 17 Oct 2026 01:10.

Cited references
45
With a DOI
38
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
7
4 / 45 (8.9%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
7 / 45 (15.6%)
References with detected author names
38 / 45 (84.4%)
Without detected author names
7
Without a structured title
7
Without a stable identifier
7
References with raw author names still to review
7
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
174
From DOI or external metadata
174
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
17
54 / 174 (31.0%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 120 / 174 (69.0%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
12 / 174 (6.9%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 12 / 54 (22.2%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 9 / 165 (5.5%).
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