Changing profiles of individuals with autism spectrum disorder admitted to a specialized inpatient unit

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the profiles of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requiring an inpatient psychiatric admission. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines profiles of 27 inpatients with intellectual disability (ID) and ASD who were admitted to a specialized inpatient unit in two time periods (January 2005 to June 2009 and July 2009 to December 2013) to explore changes over time in patient profiles. Findings Findings suggest that individuals who were admitted more recently between July 2009 and December 2013, were younger and more likely to come from other ethnic backgrounds than those admitted between January 2005 and June 2009. There was a trend for recent admissions to come from family homes, have moderate to profound ID and have longer hospital stay. Originality/value This is the first study to compare profiles of adults with ASD receiving inpatient services over time. The value of the study lies in illustrating that the needs of this growing patient group are changing which has implications for the treatment provision including specialized inpatient treatment.

Prevalence of intellectual and developmental disabilities among first generation adult newcomers, and the health and health service use of this group: A retrospective cohort study

“…Alternatively, newcomers with IDD may choose to delay help-seeking due to fears that they will experience even greater discrimination due to having multiple disadvantaged statuses and/or fears they will be given instructions for follow up care (e.g., medications) without explanation or support [53]. If accessing health services is delayed (for any reason), when services are finally accessed, an individual’s acuity may be higher, potentially leading to greater use of ED visits, admissions and repeat ED and hospital visits [54]. Longitudinal studies would help elucidate these help seeking patterns over time [55].…”

“…It may be that certain types of IDD such as autism are more difficult to diagnose among newcomers, due to language, poor familiarity with the healthcare and educational systems, witnessing traumatic events, and the absence of screening tools tailored to particular newcomer or ethnic groups [54,60,61]. Since the data for this study are from 2009/10, and the composition of the newcomer population in Canada has changed since that time [62,63], studies with more recent data will be critical.…”