Acceptability and Implementation of a Primary Care Health Check for Autistic People: Findings From Evaluation Questionnaires and Interviews / Hannah MERRICK in Autism, 30-8 (August 2026)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism > 30-8 (August 2026) . - p.1955-1970 Titre : Acceptability and Implementation of a Primary Care Health Check for Autistic People: Findings From Evaluation Questionnaires and Interviews Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Hannah MERRICK, Auteur ; Helen TAYLOR, Auteur ; Barry INGHAM, Auteur ; Tracy FINCH, Auteur ; Sarah AL-ASHMORI, Auteur ; Ruby HERRINGTON, Auteur ; Clare SCARLETT, Auteur ; Carole BUCKLEY, Auteur ; Sally-Ann COOPER, Auteur ; Cristina FERNANDEZ-GARCIA, Auteur ; Shona HAINING, Auteur ; Rhianna LEES, Auteur ; Nicholas LENNOX, Auteur ; Sebastian MOSS, Auteur ; Tim NICHOLLS, Auteur ; Christina NICOLAIDIS, Auteur ; Malcolm OSBORNE, Auteur ; Dora M. RAYMAKER, Auteur ; Tomos ROBINSON, Auteur ; Anna URBANOWICZ, Auteur ; James M.S. WASON, Auteur ; Colin WILSON, Auteur ; Jeremy R. PARR, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1955-1970 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : acceptability  autism  health checks  implementation  primary care Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Autistic people experience higher rates of physical and mental health conditions and face barriers to accessing healthcare. This study evaluated the acceptability and implementation of a co-designed primary care health check for autistic people (18 years+), delivered within a randomised controlled trial in Northern England investigating clinical and cost-effectiveness. Following health checks, all autistic people, carers/supporters, and clinicians were invited to complete evaluation questionnaires and a subset invited for an interview. Eighty-one autistic people, 11 carers/supporters, and 18 clinicians returned questionnaires and were descriptively analysed; 44 participants were interviewed. Findings demonstrated that the pre-appointment questionnaire and health check appointment were reported to be acceptable, valued and beneficial by all groups. Carers/supporters reported positive impacts of their role in reducing anxiety and supporting communication. Interview analysis, informed by Normalisation Process Theory, highlighted important factors to consider for implementation of the health check at scale. This included the importance of providing clear guidance and resources ahead of the health check and ensuring enough funding and capacity in primary care. Health checks can be delivered to autistic people in local neighbourhoods to address heath inequalities. Health checks require adequate resources, staff training, and integration into care systems to ensure successful implementation and sustainability.Lay Abstract Improving healthcare for autistic people: a study of a new primary care health checkAutistic people often face more health problems and shorter average life expectancy compared to non-autistic people. They can also find it harder to access healthcare that meets their needs. To help with this, researchers developed a new health check specifically for autistic people to be used in general practice settings. This health check included a pre-appointment questionnaire to help prepare for the visit and a longer appointment with a trained clinician. This study looked at how acceptable the health check was for autistic people, their carers/supporters, and clinicians, and what factors will help it work well in practice. It used questionnaires and interviews to collect views from autistic people who received the health check, clinicians who delivered it, and carers/supporters who attended the appointment. Most autistic people thought the health check was helpful and they would attend one again. The pre-appointment questionnaire helped people share important information, although some found it difficult to complete and some people needed support to complete it. Carers/supporters also found the process helpful in supporting the autistic adult and improving communication. Clinicians said they were able to put adjustments in place, use the clinician health check template, and found the extra time and structure the health check provided useful. However, they mentioned needing more resources and support to make it work in everyday practice. The interviews showed that autistic people, carers/supporters, and clinicians thought the health check is a good idea and should be offered more widely. It is important to make sure autistic people understand what to expect from the health check and that they can ask for adjustments to meet their needs. For the health check to work well long term, general practice settings will need funding, staff training in autism awareness, and clear systems for delivering the health checks. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613261433106 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=590 [article] Acceptability and Implementation of a Primary Care Health Check for Autistic People: Findings From Evaluation Questionnaires and Interviews [texte imprimé] / Hannah MERRICK, Auteur ; Helen TAYLOR, Auteur ; Barry INGHAM, Auteur ; Tracy FINCH, Auteur ; Sarah AL-ASHMORI, Auteur ; Ruby HERRINGTON, Auteur ; Clare SCARLETT, Auteur ; Carole BUCKLEY, Auteur ; Sally-Ann COOPER, Auteur ; Cristina FERNANDEZ-GARCIA, Auteur ; Shona HAINING, Auteur ; Rhianna LEES, Auteur ; Nicholas LENNOX, Auteur ; Sebastian MOSS, Auteur ; Tim NICHOLLS, Auteur ; Christina NICOLAIDIS, Auteur ; Malcolm OSBORNE, Auteur ; Dora M. RAYMAKER, Auteur ; Tomos ROBINSON, Auteur ; Anna URBANOWICZ, Auteur ; James M.S. WASON, Auteur ; Colin WILSON, Auteur ; Jeremy R. PARR, Auteur . - p.1955-1970. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism > 30-8 (August 2026) . - p.1955-1970 Mots-clés : acceptability  autism  health checks  implementation  primary care Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Autistic people experience higher rates of physical and mental health conditions and face barriers to accessing healthcare. This study evaluated the acceptability and implementation of a co-designed primary care health check for autistic people (18 years+), delivered within a randomised controlled trial in Northern England investigating clinical and cost-effectiveness. Following health checks, all autistic people, carers/supporters, and clinicians were invited to complete evaluation questionnaires and a subset invited for an interview. Eighty-one autistic people, 11 carers/supporters, and 18 clinicians returned questionnaires and were descriptively analysed; 44 participants were interviewed. Findings demonstrated that the pre-appointment questionnaire and health check appointment were reported to be acceptable, valued and beneficial by all groups. Carers/supporters reported positive impacts of their role in reducing anxiety and supporting communication. Interview analysis, informed by Normalisation Process Theory, highlighted important factors to consider for implementation of the health check at scale. This included the importance of providing clear guidance and resources ahead of the health check and ensuring enough funding and capacity in primary care. Health checks can be delivered to autistic people in local neighbourhoods to address heath inequalities. Health checks require adequate resources, staff training, and integration into care systems to ensure successful implementation and sustainability.Lay Abstract Improving healthcare for autistic people: a study of a new primary care health checkAutistic people often face more health problems and shorter average life expectancy compared to non-autistic people. They can also find it harder to access healthcare that meets their needs. To help with this, researchers developed a new health check specifically for autistic people to be used in general practice settings. This health check included a pre-appointment questionnaire to help prepare for the visit and a longer appointment with a trained clinician. This study looked at how acceptable the health check was for autistic people, their carers/supporters, and clinicians, and what factors will help it work well in practice. It used questionnaires and interviews to collect views from autistic people who received the health check, clinicians who delivered it, and carers/supporters who attended the appointment. Most autistic people thought the health check was helpful and they would attend one again. The pre-appointment questionnaire helped people share important information, although some found it difficult to complete and some people needed support to complete it. Carers/supporters also found the process helpful in supporting the autistic adult and improving communication. Clinicians said they were able to put adjustments in place, use the clinician health check template, and found the extra time and structure the health check provided useful. However, they mentioned needing more resources and support to make it work in everyday practice. The interviews showed that autistic people, carers/supporters, and clinicians thought the health check is a good idea and should be offered more widely. It is important to make sure autistic people understand what to expect from the health check and that they can ask for adjustments to meet their needs. For the health check to work well long term, general practice settings will need funding, staff training in autism awareness, and clear systems for delivering the health checks. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613261433106 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=590

‘My Answers Don’t Fit Your Options’: Measuring Self-Harm With Autistic People Using the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviours Interview (SITBI) / Isabel GORDON in Autism, 30-7 (July 2026)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism > 30-7 (July 2026) . - p.1790-1801 Titre : ‘My Answers Don’t Fit Your Options’: Measuring Self-Harm With Autistic People Using the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviours Interview (SITBI) Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Isabel GORDON, Auteur ; Mirabel PELTON, Auteur ; Jane GOODWIN, Auteur ; Ruby HERRINGTON, Auteur ; Jacqui RODGERS, Auteur ; Sarah CASSIDY, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1790-1801 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : measurement  self-harm  SITBI  suicide Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Autistic people are a high-risk group for suicide, and self-harm is one of the strongest predictors of death by suicide among autistic people. There are no validated measures to assess self-harm with or without suicidal intent among autistic people. We aimed to describe the challenges reported by autistic people when completing the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviours Interview (SITBI) and researchers’ experiences of supporting them. We undertook thematic analysis of feasibility interview transcripts from a pilot randomised controlled trial of autism-adapted safety plans carried out in the United Kingdom. One theme, ‘Reaching an authentic answer’ overarched three subthemes: ‘Conceptualising suicidal plans’; ‘Defining parameters of suicidal thoughts’; and ‘Capturing self-harm’. Researchers validated autistic experience and developed trusting partnership with participants to overcome ambiguous language and a lack of valid response options. Data were gathered on an opportunistic basis, rather than with this intended purpose, meaning this may not constitute an exhaustive survey of this issue. Researchers can support autistic people to report self-harm using the SITBI and other measures designed with non-autistic people in mind by clarifying the meaning of questions and working collaboratively on a response that matches participants’ experience. Researchers and clinicians should validate autistic experiences of self-harm and suicidality.Lay Abstract The U.K. government has said that autistic people are a very important group for avoiding suicide. Self-harm often leads to death by suicide, but there are no questionnaires that definitely measure self-harm in autistic people. This means that the way that questionnaires ask about self-harm may not include relevant questions and may not ask about things that are important to autistic people. In our study, autistic people did a questionnaire that is often used to measure self-harm called the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviours Inventory (SITBI). We found out about challenges that autistic people had in understanding and responding to the questions. This was part of a larger project, which tested a suicide safety plan that was adapted for autistic people. There was one overall challenge (called an over-arching theme) for autistic people, which was about being able to give honest answers to the SITBI questions with the options given on the questionnaire. Within this, there were three specific challenges (called subthemes), which were about: (1) explaining own meaning of suicide plan within the choice of answers given (called ‘conceptualising suicide plans’); (2) explaining what suicidal thoughts are like showing with the choice of answers given (called ‘defining parameters of suicidal thoughts’); and (3) explaining what self-harm is like with the choice of answers given (called ‘capturing self-harm’). Researchers helped autistic people to answer the questions in four different ways: (1) by showing they understood the person’s experience; (2) by working together with trust; (3) by explaining unclear language; and (4) by helping them to choose answers. We did not set out to get this information when we did the larger project. This work shows researchers that self-harm can be different for autistic people compared to non-autistic people. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613261435249 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=590 [article] â€˜My Answers Don’t Fit Your Options’: Measuring Self-Harm With Autistic People Using the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviours Interview (SITBI) [texte imprimé] / Isabel GORDON, Auteur ; Mirabel PELTON, Auteur ; Jane GOODWIN, Auteur ; Ruby HERRINGTON, Auteur ; Jacqui RODGERS, Auteur ; Sarah CASSIDY, Auteur . - p.1790-1801. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism > 30-7 (July 2026) . - p.1790-1801 Mots-clés : measurement  self-harm  SITBI  suicide Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Autistic people are a high-risk group for suicide, and self-harm is one of the strongest predictors of death by suicide among autistic people. There are no validated measures to assess self-harm with or without suicidal intent among autistic people. We aimed to describe the challenges reported by autistic people when completing the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviours Interview (SITBI) and researchers’ experiences of supporting them. We undertook thematic analysis of feasibility interview transcripts from a pilot randomised controlled trial of autism-adapted safety plans carried out in the United Kingdom. One theme, ‘Reaching an authentic answer’ overarched three subthemes: ‘Conceptualising suicidal plans’; ‘Defining parameters of suicidal thoughts’; and ‘Capturing self-harm’. Researchers validated autistic experience and developed trusting partnership with participants to overcome ambiguous language and a lack of valid response options. Data were gathered on an opportunistic basis, rather than with this intended purpose, meaning this may not constitute an exhaustive survey of this issue. Researchers can support autistic people to report self-harm using the SITBI and other measures designed with non-autistic people in mind by clarifying the meaning of questions and working collaboratively on a response that matches participants’ experience. Researchers and clinicians should validate autistic experiences of self-harm and suicidality.Lay Abstract The U.K. government has said that autistic people are a very important group for avoiding suicide. Self-harm often leads to death by suicide, but there are no questionnaires that definitely measure self-harm in autistic people. This means that the way that questionnaires ask about self-harm may not include relevant questions and may not ask about things that are important to autistic people. In our study, autistic people did a questionnaire that is often used to measure self-harm called the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviours Inventory (SITBI). We found out about challenges that autistic people had in understanding and responding to the questions. This was part of a larger project, which tested a suicide safety plan that was adapted for autistic people. There was one overall challenge (called an over-arching theme) for autistic people, which was about being able to give honest answers to the SITBI questions with the options given on the questionnaire. Within this, there were three specific challenges (called subthemes), which were about: (1) explaining own meaning of suicide plan within the choice of answers given (called ‘conceptualising suicide plans’); (2) explaining what suicidal thoughts are like showing with the choice of answers given (called ‘defining parameters of suicidal thoughts’); and (3) explaining what self-harm is like with the choice of answers given (called ‘capturing self-harm’). Researchers helped autistic people to answer the questions in four different ways: (1) by showing they understood the person’s experience; (2) by working together with trust; (3) by explaining unclear language; and (4) by helping them to choose answers. We did not set out to get this information when we did the larger project. This work shows researchers that self-harm can be different for autistic people compared to non-autistic people. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613261435249 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=590

A survey of professionals’ experiences of using the Autism Clinical Interview for Adults (ACIA) in diagnostic practice / Jane GOODWIN in Research in Autism, 132 (April 2026)  

Public ISBD [article]  inResearch in Autism > 132 (April 2026) . - 202804 Titre : A survey of professionals’ experiences of using the Autism Clinical Interview for Adults (ACIA) in diagnostic practice Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Jane GOODWIN, Auteur ; Sarah WIGHAM, Auteur ; Barry INGHAM, Auteur ; Ruby HERRINGTON, Auteur ; Ann Le COUTEUR, Auteur ; Jeremy R. PARR, Auteur Article en page(s) : 202804 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Adult  Autism  Diagnosis  Interview  Assessment  Professionals Résumé : Purpose We aimed to investigate how the Autism Clinical Interview for Adults (ACIA) is being used in clinical practice and multi-disciplinary team (MDT) professionals’ views on clinical utility. Methods 1092 professionals trained in the ACIA from the UK and internationally were contacted via email to complete an online questionnaire focused on current ACIA use, implementation, clinical utility, and views about training. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis were used to analyse quantitative data. For open text responses, Framework Analysis was used. Results 337 professionals consented and completed the questionnaire. Of these, 257 answered all the questions (76 % from the UK). 232 professionals reported they had used the ACIA materials and 97 % found it helpful in enabling a decision about whether people do or do not meet criteria for autism. 92 % found the ACIA useful when giving feedback to the person being assessed. 89 % found the ACIA useful when writing reports. Professionals reported that 89 % of people having an autism assessment found the ACIA acceptable and useful. Following training and ACIA use, professionals in privately funded services reported improved skills in assessing possible autism in adults compared to those in publicly funded diagnostic services. Conclusions Most professionals who responded to the survey use the ACIA, and reported that the interviews are useful and acceptable for the assessment of autism in adulthood. Face validity and clinical utility in clinical practice was demonstrated. This interview and accessibility of training address an autism community research priority. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202804 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=583 [article] A survey of professionals’ experiences of using the Autism Clinical Interview for Adults (ACIA) in diagnostic practice [texte imprimé] / Jane GOODWIN, Auteur ; Sarah WIGHAM, Auteur ; Barry INGHAM, Auteur ; Ruby HERRINGTON, Auteur ; Ann Le COUTEUR, Auteur ; Jeremy R. PARR, Auteur . - 202804. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Research in Autism > 132 (April 2026) . - 202804 Mots-clés : Adult  Autism  Diagnosis  Interview  Assessment  Professionals Résumé : Purpose We aimed to investigate how the Autism Clinical Interview for Adults (ACIA) is being used in clinical practice and multi-disciplinary team (MDT) professionals’ views on clinical utility. Methods 1092 professionals trained in the ACIA from the UK and internationally were contacted via email to complete an online questionnaire focused on current ACIA use, implementation, clinical utility, and views about training. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis were used to analyse quantitative data. For open text responses, Framework Analysis was used. Results 337 professionals consented and completed the questionnaire. Of these, 257 answered all the questions (76 % from the UK). 232 professionals reported they had used the ACIA materials and 97 % found it helpful in enabling a decision about whether people do or do not meet criteria for autism. 92 % found the ACIA useful when giving feedback to the person being assessed. 89 % found the ACIA useful when writing reports. Professionals reported that 89 % of people having an autism assessment found the ACIA acceptable and useful. Following training and ACIA use, professionals in privately funded services reported improved skills in assessing possible autism in adults compared to those in publicly funded diagnostic services. Conclusions Most professionals who responded to the survey use the ACIA, and reported that the interviews are useful and acceptable for the assessment of autism in adulthood. Face validity and clinical utility in clinical practice was demonstrated. This interview and accessibility of training address an autism community research priority. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202804 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=583

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