Childhood adversity, resilience, and autism: a critical review of the literature

Heselton, Gabrielle A.

doi:10.1080/09687599.2021.1983416

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Using the key insights documents created during the evidence-gathering phase, a basic outline of the intervention and case examples were written and then critically reviewed with the ERG. Literature from Critical Autism studies (Heselton, 2021;Milton, 2018) ) and from the neurodiversity movement (Dyck & Russell, 2020;Leadbitter et al, 2021) were explored and integrated into the intervention.…”

Section: Phase 2: Evidence Checking and Content Writingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-production of a Neurodiversity-Affirmative Anxiety Intervention for Autistic Children

Cullingham,

Rennard,

Creswell

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Mental health difficulties are common for autistic people; however, few interventions have been co-produced with the autistic community. Mental health interventions constructed with a non-autistic lens likely miss key understandings from autistic experiences and priorities of the autistic community. Additionally, the style and aims of intervention may be prone to unconscious bias around the pathologisation of autism. Currently, there are limited methodological and practical examples of how to rigorously co-produce mental health interventions with autistic people. This paper details the methodology and processes of co-adapting an intervention for autistic children with anxiety problems. Providing a worked example of co-producing a neurodiversity-affirmative mental health intervention which reflects autistic, parental, academic, and clinical, experience and expertise. Methods: We co-adapted content from a brief, parent-led, CBT approach for non-autistic children with anxiety problems to meet the needs of autistic children and their parents. The adaptation for autistic children was co-constructed using processes and strategies adopted from Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD). The research team, comprising autistic and non-autistic members, worked alongside an expert reference group (ERG). The ERG comprised parents (autistic and non-autistic) of autistic children with anxiety problems, autistic adults with experience of anxiety problems, and clinicians with experience supporting autistic children with mental health difficulties. Data were obtained from qualitative research interviews with autistic children with anxiety problems and parents. These data were considered reciprocally by the research team and the ERG. Results: The resulting intervention includes a neurodiversity-affirmative perspective that considers how anxieties for autistic children can emerge from being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world integrated with traditional CBT techniques and understandings of anxiety. Conclusion: Successful co-production can help to integrate multiple theoretical backgrounds and result in the creation of interventions that are potentially acceptable to clinicians, autistic people and their family members.

show abstract

Section: Phase 2: Evidence Checking and Content Writingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-production of a Neurodiversity-Affirmative Anxiety Intervention for Autistic Children

Cullingham,

Rennard,

Creswell

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition to intersectionality dynamics, professionals working with neurodivergent people should adopt a trauma‐informed approach. Such a lens acknowledges that individuals across all demographics have experienced adversity, often starting with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) (Heselton, 2021; Kerns et al, 2017). ACEs include physical and emotional abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, parental divorce, parental substance abuse or mental illness, community violence, and various other adversities (Felitti et al, 1998; Wade et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing multidisciplinary professionals' capacity to support neurodiverse families

Oehme,

Bradley,

Cameron

et al. 2023

Diversity & Inclusion Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Persistent stigma surrounding neurodivergent people still exists. This article advocates for changes to societal systems to improve the well‐being of neurodivergent individuals and families, beginning with widespread awareness and support. Our suggested approach to improve societal infrastructure includes large‐scale online educational training of multidisciplinary professionals who operate within these systems to increase understanding, awareness, support, and accommodations for neurodivergent people. Multidisciplinary professionals who have received neurodiversity training can advocate for their respective systems to improve services for neurodivergent clients. We describe the 2023 development of Florida State University's (FSU) new online Professional Certification in the Fundamentals of Neurodiversity. The asynchronous psychoeducational training provides continuing education credit to a wide range of professionals. The framework for this training and curriculum content are described. Such training, along with a set of accompanying open‐access resources, can be replicated by institutions in many languages and cultures to improve professionals' knowledge and skills across the globe.

show abstract

The process of co‐design for a new anxiety intervention for autistic children

Cullingham,

Rennard,

Creswell

et al. 2024

JCPP Advances

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundMental health difficulties are common for autistic people; however, almost no interventions have been co‐designed with the autistic community. Co‐design has the potential to add important insights from lived experience into intervention design, but there are currently limited examples of how rigorously to undertake this practice. This paper details a worked model of co‐design and its process, focussed on adapting an evidenced parent‐led intervention for non‐autistic child anxiety (HYC), to meet the needs of young autistic children. The aim is to provide an example of co‐design, integrating autistic, parental, academic, clinical, experience and expertise.MethodsUsing prior literature and theory, including Experience‐Based Co‐Design, we developed an iterative and collaborative process between the research team and an expert reference group (ERG). The research team comprised autistic and non‐autistic members. The ERG included parents (autistic and non‐autistic) of autistic children with anxiety problems, autistic adults with experience of anxiety problems, and clinicians with experience supporting autistic children with anxiety problems. The ERG and research team reviewed information from qualitative research interviews with autistic children with anxiety problems and their parents along with information from clinical experience and the academic literature to reach consensus on the adapted intervention design.ResultsThe creation of a truly co‐designed intervention that includes a neurodiversity‐affirmative perspective, alongside CBT techniques. With anxiety problems experienced by autistic children being framed by combining the impacts of being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world, developmental science and well known cognitive behavioural models of child‐anxiety.ConclusionCo‐design can help to integrate multiple perspectives and result in the creation of interventions that are potentially relevant and acceptable to autistic people, their family members, and clinicians.

show abstract

Childhood adversity, resilience, and autism: a critical review of the literature

Cited by 7 publications

References 48 publications

Co-production of a Neurodiversity-Affirmative Anxiety Intervention for Autistic Children

Co-production of a Neurodiversity-Affirmative Anxiety Intervention for Autistic Children

Increasing multidisciplinary professionals' capacity to support neurodiverse families

The process of co‐design for a new anxiety intervention for autistic children

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About