Autism

Top 10 priorities

1. Which interventions improve mental health or reduce mental health problems in autistic people? How should mental health interventions be adapted for the needs of autistic people?
2. Which interventions are effective in the development of communication/language skills in autism?
3. What are the most effective ways to support/provide social care for autistic adults?
4. Which interventions reduce anxiety in autistic people?
5. Which environments/supports are most appropriate in terms of achieving the best education/ life/ social skills outcomes in autistic people?
6. How can parents and family members be supported/educated to care for and better understand an autistic relative?
7. How can autism diagnostic criteria be made more relevant for the adult population? And how do we ensure that autistic adults are appropriately diagnosed?
8. How can we encourage employers to apply person-centred interventions & support to help autistic people maximise their potential and performance in the workplace?
9. How can sensory processing in autism be better understood?
10. How should service delivery for autistic people be improved and adapted in order to meet their needs?

The following questions were also discussed and put in order of priority at the workshop:

11. Which interventions are effective in the treatment/management of challenging behaviour in autism?
12. How can training for health and social care professionals be improved so that they are more able to recognise symptoms of autism/treat autistic people appropriately?
13. Which early interventions are most effective in autism? And do they lead to better outcomes?
14. What is the impact of adolescence on autism? And what support is effective in helping autistic adolescents into adulthood?
15. How can we diagnose autism earlier? And does diagnosis/earlier diagnosis improve outcomes/wellbeing?
16. Which interventions improve social skills in autistic people?
17. What training do school and nursery teachers need to achieve the best possible experiences/outcomes/employment prospects for children with autism and/or identify the early signs of autism?
18. Which interventions improve sensory processing in autistic people?
19. What is the experience of living with autism? How can non-autistic people better understand what it's like to be autistic? How can autistic people better understand themselves?
20. What are the causes of autism?
21. How can the benefits of autism/special talents of autistic people be recognised and used more widely?
22. How can public understanding and tolerance of autism be improved? And what is the impact of any improvement in awareness on the wellbeing of autistic people?
23. What mental health problems are common in autism?
24. Does Applied Behaviour Analysis improve wellbeing/developmental progress in autistic people?
25. Which behavioural interventions are most effective for autistic people?

Key documents