Every year, over 50,000 youth with ASD enter adulthood in the USA. According to an article called ‘Tackling healthcare access barriers for individuals with autism from diagnosis to adulthood,’ published on 25 March 2021, most individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—a complex, life-long developmental disorder—do not have access to the care required to address their diverse health needs.
Their research paper suggests creating novel approaches to increasing healthcare access, and at NeuroHomes, that’s our mission.
The research concluded that families living outside metropolitan areas have less access to care for ASD than those in urban areas, often due to a shortage of specialists. “Families that do not have access to care in their community are less likely to seek care due to the additional cost, time commitment and disruption to daily obligations (e.g., work) associated with long-distance travel.” NeuroHomes will provide Washington state with a radical new approach to adult services. Our residents will enjoy on site therapy, and additionally we will open our doors to off site clients who are able to travel and would like to come to visit us, but we will also employ several therapists to travel to adult clients off site and provide service via home visits.
Another barrier to adults receiving services that the paper addressed is that the cost of healthcare for individuals with ASD is very high. In the USA, annual healthcare costs for autistic individuals increase with age from USD6467 (age 0–5 years) to USD9053 (age 6-17 years) to USD13,580 (age 18+ years). The authors said that “recommended ASD services are often excluded from insurance plans held by families with lower socioeconomic status.” The therapy services that NeuroHomes provides adults will be offered free to the neurodiverse, and are funded from our generous donors.
The article states that stigma can contribute to feelings of rejection and isolation among parents of autistic children and can prevent individuals with ASD from engaging with the healthcare system at all stages of life. At NeuroHomes we create a safe and welcoming community that everyone can belong in and will also proactively work to lower stigmas by increasing knowledge, acceptance, and inclusion of neurodiverse adults and the issues that affect us on a statewide level.
Autistic youth transitioning to adulthood are often reluctant to seek support for their mental health due to social stigma and uncertainty around where to go for care, often leading to the worsening of symptoms. NeuroHomes aims to foster continuity between pediatric and adult care.
As the rate of childhood diagnosis increases, the number of aging individuals with ASD will continue to rise. Based on a recent statistical model using data from the National Study of Children’s Health, 2.2% of US adults are estimated to have ASD. There is a need for aging neurodiverse adults that is not currently being addressed in this country. NeuroHomes is trying to change that, and reduce housing insecurity for vulnerable and at risk populations.
This paper also mentions that in the USA, autistic adults are often unable to find care that addresses developmental delay together with mental health issues. NeuroHomes is currently working with therapists on a new approach that combines both, along with being trauma informed, creating an effective community delivered program offering services and support for the state.
While advances in ASD screening have the potential to improve diagnosis and care, they also have the potential to increase the disparity in care between higher and lower resource settings. NeuroHomes fixes that issue by creating services rurally, addressing a lack of services and high costs.
The study suggests developing tailored solutions and encourages researchers, care providers, and others within the autism community to dedicate resources to better characterize needs and barriers faced by individuals with ASD across their lifespan; developing programs that foster public awareness of ASD and facilitate access to healthcare and deploy existing and new programs and educational campaigns that focus on reducing stigma and empowering people with ASD and their families; codeveloping solutions that are applicable to multiple psychiatric and developmental disabilities in order to maximize cost-effectiveness and impact on those in need; developing novel approaches to increasing healthcare access for ASD adults. NeuroHomes will do all of this and more.
To read more, view the published study in Pediatric Research.
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