Mental Health and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Basic Concepts and Diagnoses
Presented by Lindy Weaver
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Meet your instructor
Lindy Weaver
Lindy L. Weaver, PhD, MOT, OTR\L is an Assistant Clinical Professor at The Ohio State University. She has 9 years of experience as an occupational therapist working in developmental pediatrics and mental health across inpatient, outpatient, and residential settings. She has presented at state, national, and school-based…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Framing Mental Health and Illness in ASD
This chapter will introduce learners to a framework for thinking about how mental health and illness are viewed and described in autism spectrum disorder. It will also provide learners information on general factors that influence these views and descriptions. This section is important for orienting learners to concepts such as dual-diagnoses, diagnostic masking, and the unique issues pertaining to ASD and mental health and illness.
2. Co-Occurring Psychiatric Disorders in ASD
This chapter will identify and describe common psychiatric disorders that have been identified in clinical and research literature as co-occurring in persons with ASD. It will describe basic diagnostic criteria and current rates of occurrence as they are known from research. This chapter is important for covering the breadth of disorders that co-occur with ASD and for illustrating the variable nature of these disorders.
3. Other Factors That May Impact Mental Health and Well-Being
This chapter will explore other factors, such as sleep and gastrointestinal issues, that may impact the mental health, well-being, and daily functioning of a person with ASD. It will emphasize the importance of viewing a client with ASD from a holistic perspective and guide practitioners to consider how these factors may impact well-being and how they may present in a person with ASD.
