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This is an interdisciplinary event and the bookings will be managed by the office in the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland. This half-day workshop will help participants to understand the unique occupational needs of the autistic community. This training will be invaluable to upskill healthcare professionals so that they are equipped to deal effectively with this client cohort.
About the course:
Autistic people show more depressive symptoms than neurotypical people (Mazzone et al., 2013) and children diagnosed with autism are 28 times more likely to show evidence of suicidal ideation compared to neurotypical children (Mayes et al., 2013). Autistic people (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) are seen in mental health services (Zener, 2019) however, there is increasing evidence that the autistic community struggles to access psychiatric treatment (Adams and Young, 2020; Camm-Crosbie et al., 2018; Crane et al., 2018) and that health professionals’ knowledge on how to support autistic clients may be developing (Maddox et al., 2019).
Typical areas of difficulty for autistic people include transitions, sensory regulation, social participation and navigating the environment. We want to support our clients to explore their occupational identities and build capacity. Sound knowledge of the mental wiring that underlies autism is essential to enable us to best support this population in the mental health setting.
Learning Outcomes:
About the presenter: Susan Madigan OT has more than 10 years’ experience working with the neurodivergent community as an OT in CAMHS and College based services. She has specific expertise in supporting autistic adults through an occupational lens. Susan has presented on neurodiversity and occupational therapy at the AOTI Mental Health Advisory Group (MHAG), Autistica, ASIAM, and to international groups including OT-U. A sample of this presentation can be seen here: Supporting neurodiverse students at third level for occupational therapists