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Brief Report: Healthcare Providers’ Discussions Regarding Transportation and Driving with Autistic and Non-autistic Patients

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To characterize healthcare and behavioral service providers’ transportation-related discussions with their autistic and non-autistic patients.

Method

78 providers completed a cross-sectional survey assessing their transportation discussions with patients. We used Mann–Whitney U tests and chi-square tests to compare differences in provider reports by patient diagnosis.

Results

Compared with one in two providers who reported they discuss transportation with non-autistic patients, only one in five have these conversations with their autistic patients. Few (8%) providers felt prepared to assess driving readiness in autistic patients, yet only a quarter refer patients elsewhere.

Conclusion

There is a critical need to develop resources for use in medical settings to effectively support autistic adolescents’ independence and mobility as they transition into adulthood.

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Acknowledgments

First, the study team would like to thank our participants for voluntarily completing this survey. Additionally, we would like to acknowledge Drs. Lisa Biggs, Carol Ford, Nate Blum, Annemarie Clarke, Jessica Mirman, Patty Huang, Miriam Monohan, and Julie Lounds Taylor, as well as Rania Mansour, for their contributions to this project and manuscript. This work was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health Awards R01HD079398 and R01HD096221 (PI: Curry). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The sponsor had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; or decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

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Authors

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection was led by Christina Labows and Meghan Carey, with input and guidance from all other authors. Emma Sartin and Kristina Metzger led data analyses. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Emma Sartin and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emma B. Sartin.

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The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

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Sartin, E.B., Myers, R.K., Labows, C.G. et al. Brief Report: Healthcare Providers’ Discussions Regarding Transportation and Driving with Autistic and Non-autistic Patients. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 2535–2539 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05372-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05372-3

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