Gabriel Bennett

2023; Springer

166 pages

eISBN 9789819923595

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With 1 in 44 people now being diagnosed as autistic, there is a view that clinical environments should be 'autistic friendly'. However, despite this expectation, medical and dental students are rarely taught how they can make their future clinical workplaces comfortable for autistic patients, for whom undergoing examinations and treatment can be a daunting experience. Due to this lack of knowledge, autistic people and their families are exposed to potentially stressful clinical situations that can jeopardise the delivery of effective treatment. To help mitigate this situation, this book will give university students as well as established healthcare professionals an understanding of how they can assist autistic patients in clinical settings.

This book has four objectives: first, to summarise the literature about the dental and medical experiences of autistic people from their own perspective and the perspectives of their families and the professionals who treat them; second, to explain the barriers that autistic patients encounter - sensory sensitivities, communication difficulties, and a lack of understanding about the autism spectrum by healthcare providers - and associated solutions to these barriers; third, to explain the limitations in the literature about the medical and dental experiences of autistic people; and fourth, to provide strategies that can be used to help autistic people participate in medical and dental examinations and procedures.