More psychiatric hospitals are working to meet the needs of a burgeoning population of kids with autism and other developmental disabilities, a new study finds, but despite significant growth, services remain limited.
Researchers found just nine hospital units across the country that focus specifically on the needs of those with autism and other developmental disorders. That’s more than twice the number that existed 10 years ago.
Nonetheless, the specialized programs are far from meeting the national need, accounting for just 137 beds at psychiatric hospitals. Most of the facilities are concentrated in the Northeast and none are located west of Denver, according to the study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders late last month.
Researchers surveyed officials at all of the specialized facilities and found that kids are most often admitted due to problems with aggression, self-injury or elopement. All nine units reported employing both child psychologists and behavioral specialists to best meet the children’s unique needs.
But the biggest challenge the hospitals face is finding adequate services for the children once they are discharged from inpatient settings, according to the study led by Matthew Siegel of the Tufts University School of Medicine.
Don’t forget the needs of ADULTS with autism…we need support too. And it’s hard to find.
As a case manager working with children on the spectrum who are Baker Acted, I see first hand the LACK of appropriate care, assessments and meds managment. This growing population needs specific attention, assessments and treatment delivered by specialists in the field of autism. This needs to be addressed immediately.
It is a true need for hospitals to have facilities to support disabled citizens. An intellectually disabled person of adult age chronologically but of a child’s age intelligently should not be placed in ER’s or Hospital Rooms with adult patients with normal intelligence. Most mental health emergency rooms will have a whole gammet of violent and aggressive patients mixed with their developmentally disabled patients. It is heart breaking to see and it is devistating to have to put a “child” in such an environment.
we need medical doctors to treat core underlying symptoms of autism like immune dysfunction, brain inflammation and GI imbalance all of which are medical. Any treatment unit should include the following specialists: A gastroenterologist, an immunologist, a neurologist, a mitochondrial specialist and a geneticist.
My son does not have autism, but he does have other developmental disabilities.
Recently we found out the hard way that in Georgia a mental health facility may refuse to accept a patient transfer if the patient has a developmental disability.