Women Seeking an Autism Diagnosis in Australia: A Qualitative Exploration of Factors That Help and Hinder

Autor/inn/en	Murphy, Sarah; Flower, Rebecca L.; Jellett, Rachel
Titel	Women Seeking an Autism Diagnosis in Australia: A Qualitative Exploration of Factors That Help and Hinder
Quelle	In: Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 27 (2023) 3, S.808-821 (14 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Flower, Rebecca L.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1362-3613
DOI	10.1177/13623613221117911
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Clinical Diagnosis; Females; Affordances; Barriers; Health Personnel; Individual Characteristics; Self Concept; Knowledge Level; Disability Identification; Australia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Autism; Autismus; Weibliches Geschlecht; Medizinisches Personal; Personality characteristic; Personality traits; Persönlichkeitsmerkmal; Selbstkonzept; Wissensbasis; Australien
Abstract	An autism diagnosis in adulthood can increase women's self-compassion and inform appropriate supports. This study explored what helped and hindered autistic women when accessing an adulthood autism diagnosis in Australia. Ten autistic women diagnosed as adults within the past 5 years participated in a semi-structured interview about their experiences of accessing a diagnosis. Framework analysis was used to identify barriers and facilitators on person, provider and system levels. Person-level factors included women's recognition of their autism, motivation, preparation, social support and approach during the assessment. Provider-level factors related to providers' level of knowledge and skill in working with autistic women, as well as the women's experience of being dismissed or misdiagnosed. Interactions between person- and provider-level factors highlighted that the diagnostic process is relational. System-level factors included the requirements of the diagnostic process (time, financial costs, and technology) and the nature of diagnostic criteria and assessment tools used. These factors provided the context in which person-level and provider-level factors operated. The experiences of participants highlight improvements that could be made to accessing an adulthood autism diagnosis for women in Australia, including provider knowledge of the heterogeneity of autism and the development of resources to help autistic women prepare for their diagnostic assessment. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01