Recognising autism in healthcare

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

Metadata sources used for this reference

OpenAlex Crossref OpenCitations
Learn more about the sources used

Doherty, M., Haydon, C., & Davidson, I. A. (2021). Recognising autism in healthcare. British Journal of Hospital Medicine, 82(12), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.12968/hmed.2021.0313

Publication date: 2 Dec 2021 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 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. Mary Doherty *
  2. Clair Haydon
  3. Ian A Davidson

Abstract

Recognition of autism and the associated co-occurring physical and mental health issues has increased over recent years. However, undergraduate and postgraduate curricula take time to adapt and to impact on what is delivered in training so healthcare professionals, including doctors, report little training on these topics. Doctors need to know when someone might be autistic in order to respond to them appropriately. This article sets out the reasons why recognition of autism is important and the positive impacts of recognising and understanding autism on health outcomes, service delivery and patient experience. The negative consequences of not recognising autism or understanding the impact of autistic traits on the person are also explored. A companion article then covers how practice can be made more appropriate for autistic people to improve outcomes.

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 13:57.

Cited references
27
With a DOI
26
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
1
1 / 27 (3.7%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
1 / 27 (3.7%)
References with detected author names
26 / 27 (96.3%)
Without detected author names
1
Without a structured title
1
Without a stable identifier
1
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
133
From DOI or external metadata
133
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
2
54 / 133 (40.6%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 79 / 133 (59.4%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
3 / 133 (2.3%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 3 / 54 (5.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 3 / 118 (2.5%).
  1. 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.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2579-2 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1258271155
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  2. Ilhom Akobirshoev , Monika Mitra , Robbie Dembo , Emily Lauer (2020). In-hospital mortality among adults with autism spectrum disorder in the United States: A retrospective analysis of US hospital discharge data . Autism, 24(1), 177-189. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361319855795 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2952614592
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  3. Tatja Hirvikoski , Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz , Marcus Boman , Henrik Larsson , Paul Lichtenstein , Sven Bölte (2016). Premature mortality in autism spectrum disorder . British Journal of Psychiatry, 208(3), 232-238. Royal College of Psychiatrists.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.160192 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2168424072
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  4. Sherri A. Hinchey , Jeffrey L. Jackson (2011). A Cohort Study Assessing Difficult Patient Encounters in a Walk-In Primary Care Clinic, Predictors and Outcomes . Journal of General Internal Medicine, 26(6), 588-594. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s11606-010-1620-6 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2060875710
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  5. González Moreno, Andrés Santiago (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . American Psychiatric Association.
    Type: Book DOI: 10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4247665917
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  6. Will Mandy (2019). Social camouflaging in autism: Is it time to lose the mask? Autism, 23(8), 1879-1881. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361319878559 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2975468007
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  7. Deborah Bilder , Elizabeth L. Botts , Ken R. Smith , Richard Pimentel , Megan Farley , Joseph Viskochil et al. (2013). Excess mortality and causes of death in autism spectrum disorders: A follow up of the 1980 Utah/UCLA autism epidemiologic study . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(5), 1196. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1664-z OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2096889758
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  8. Donald M. Berwick , Thomas W. Nolan , John Whittington (2008). The Triple Aim: Care, Health, And Cost . Health Affairs, 27(3), 759-769. Health Affairs Publishing, LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.27.3.759 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2164510796
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  9. Marion Rutherford , Karen McKenzie , Kirsty Forsyth , Deborah McCartney , Anne O’Hare , Iain McClure et al. (2016). Why are they waiting? Exploring professional perspectives and developing solutions to delayed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in adults and children . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 31, 53-65. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2016.06.004 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2488842254
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  10. 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.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361315577517 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2108322879
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  11. Noah Sasson , Daniel J. Faso , Jack Nugent , Sarah Lovell , Daniel P. Kennedy , Ruth B. Grossman (2017). Neurotypical Peers are Less Willing to Interact with Those with Autism based on Thin Slice Judgments . Scientific Reports, 7(1), 40700. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1038/srep40700 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2585989266
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  12. Traolach Brugha , Nicola Spiers , John Bankart , Sally-Ann Cooper , Sally McManus , Fiona J. Scott et al. (2016). Epidemiology of autism in adults across age groups and ability levels . British Journal of Psychiatry, 209(6), 498-503. Royal College of Psychiatrists.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.115.174649 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2400322275
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  13. Laura Crane , Ian A Davidson , Rachel Prosser , Elizabeth Pellicano (2019). Understanding psychiatrists' knowledge, attitudes and experiences in identifying and supporting their patients on the autism spectrum: online survey . BJPsych Open, 5(3), e33. Royal College of Psychiatrists.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2019.12 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2935455368
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  14. Rini Vohra , Suresh Madhavan , Usha Sambamoorthi (2016). Emergency Department Use Among Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(4), 1441-1454. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2692-2 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2233466805
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  15. Lorcan Kenny , Caroline Hattersley , Bonnie Molins , Carole Buckley , Carol Povey , Elizabeth Pellicano (2016). Which terms should be used to describe autism? Perspectives from the UK autism community . Autism, 20(4), 442-462. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361315588200 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2227393071
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  16. (n.d.). Emerson E, Baines S. The Estimated Prevalence of Autism among Adults with Learning Disabilities in England. 2010. Durham: Improving Health and Lives Learning Disabilities Observatory
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  17. Siobhan Tierney , Jan Burns , Elizabeth Kilbey (2016). Looking behind the mask: Social coping strategies of girls on the autistic spectrum . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 23(Suppl. C), 73-83. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2015.11.013 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2252057154
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  18. Sílvia Mamede , Tamara Van Gog , Stephanie C E Schuit , Kees Van den Berge , Paul L A Van Daele , Herman Bueving et al. (2017). Why patients’ disruptive behaviours impair diagnostic reasoning: a randomised experiment . BMJ Quality & Safety, 26(1), 13-18. BMJ.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1136/bmjqs-2015-005065 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2311073278
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  19. Laura Hull , K.V. Petrides , Carrie T. Allison , P. Smith , Simon Baron-Cohen , Meng-Chuan Lai et al. (2017). “Putting on My Best Normal”: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(8), 2519-2534. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2616560149
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  21. Deborah Kinnear , Ewelina Rydzewska , Kirsty Dunn , Laura Anne Hughes-McCormack , Craig Melville , Angela Henderson et al. (2019). Relative influence of intellectual disabilities and autism on mental and general health in Scotland: a cross-sectional study of a whole country of 5.3 million children and adults . BMJ Open, 9(8), e029040. BMJ.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029040 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2970501191
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  22. Silvana Unigwe , Carole Buckley , Laura Crane , Lorcan Kenny , Anna Remington , Elizabeth Pellicano (2017). GPs’ confidence in caring for their patients on the autism spectrum: an online self-report study . British Journal of General Practice, 67(659), e445-e452. Royal College of General Practitioners.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.3399/bjgp17x690449 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2614102167
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  23. Lucy A Livingston , Punit Shah , Francesca Happé (2019). Compensatory strategies below the behavioural surface in autism: a qualitative study . The Lancet Psychiatry, 6(9), 766-777. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(19)30224-x OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2963462665
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  24. Noah Sasson , Kerrianne E Morrison (2019). First impressions of adults with autism improve with diagnostic disclosure and increased autism knowledge of peers . Autism, 23(1), 50-59. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361317729526 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2766361726
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  25. Linlin Zhang , Yang Qiu , Nan Zhang , Shuang Li (2020). How Difficult Doctor‒Patient Relationships Impair Physicians’ Work Engagement: The Roles of Prosocial Motivation and Problem-Solving Pondering . Psychological Reports, 123(3), 885-902. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/0033294119826887 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2913165166
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  26. Leann Smith DaWalt , Jinkuk Hong , Jan S Greenberg , Marsha R Mailick (2019). Mortality in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: Predictors over a 20-year period . Autism, 23(7), 1732-1739. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361319827412 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2919551617
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  27. Andres Roman-Urrestarazu , Robin van Kessel , Carrie T. Allison , Fiona E. Matthews , Carol Brayne , Simon Baron-Cohen (2021). Association of Race/Ethnicity and Social Disadvantage With Autism Prevalence in 7 Million School Children in England . JAMA Pediatrics, 175(6), e210054. American Medical Association (AMA).
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.0054 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3148807712
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations