Autism is ubiquitous! It appears in every culture on every continent in every class race sexual orientation and gender profile and like any other condition varies in complexity and intensity from person to person and day to day. More than 5.4 million adults in the US or 2.2 percent of the population are autistic. This represents the identified population however there may be many who may be unidentified. This presentation aims at examining the key traits characteristics and qualities consistent with being on the autism spectrum while with special focus on identification challenges amongst the minority communities especially while being a person of color being a female including peripartum period. We theorize that when an individual previously undiagnosed presents to their physician seemingly higher functioning we as psychiatrists may not consider the possibility of autism because: (1) they do not fit the stereotypes including DSM-5 criteria (2) we as physicians misinterpret their symptoms or attribute them to another condition and (3) we as adult psychiatrists may lack adequate exposure to autism from our training years. While intersectionality of race and autism increase discrimination in people of color autistic women during pregnancy and the birthing process are observed to have more adverse pregnancy outcomes. Through this presentation we hope to explore the unique challenges of the autistic people of color and autistic women with a hope to increase awareness of their psychosocial needs and identify management strategies around unique situations such as peripartum care. Unidentified autistic adults could be exposed to multiple stressful experiences in their activities of daily living which could impact their mental health. Our goal is to pull back the curtain on the mystery of those on the autism spectrum so that our colleagues are more comfortable in identifying the underlying autism spectrum when patients report describing depression anxiety ADHD poor self concept dysregulated eating alcohol-drug abuse and so on. Through this presentation we will walk through the detailed assessment and management of psychiatric disorders with special focus on substance use disorders. As a conclusion to our presentation we hope to engage the audience to identify solutions including improving access to psychosocial care and management for autistic adults.
Format
Recorded webinar, non-interactive, self-paced distance learning activity.
This presentation was recorded at the 2024 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the identification challenges of autism in adults without intellectual disability and with low support needs (previously identified as “Asperger, higher functioning or autism level 1”),
- Understand the general impact of identified and unidentified autism in Black communities.
- Understand the unique challenges of autistic women, with special consideration during pregnancy and postpartum period
- Summarize overall mental health impact including patterns of substance use in autistic people.
- Describe both protective factors and risk factors for developing addiction in autistic people
Target Audience
Medical Students, Residents/Fellows, Psychiatrists
Estimated Time to Complete
Estimated Duration: 1.5 hours
Begin Date: April 1, 2025
End Date: April 1, 2028
How to Earn Credit
Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the event date and hours earned.
Continuing Education Credit
In support of improving patient care, the American Psychiatric Association is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physicians
The APA designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Faculty and Planner Disclosures
The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity — including faculty, planners, reviewers or others — are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.
Program Presenters
- Kristina Kise, MD
- Andrea Brownridge, MD, JD
- Karuna Poddar, MD
- Charlotte Medley, MBChB, LLM
Program Planners
- Vishal Madaan, MD. Chief of Education and Deputy Medical Director, APA.
Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities
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Technical Requirements
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- The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
- Internet Explorer 11+
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Optimal System Configuration:
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- Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
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