Implications of an Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis: An Interview Study of How Physicians Experience the Diagnosis in a Young Child

Jacobs, Delphine; Steyaert, Jean; Dierickx, Kris; Hens, Kristien

doi:10.3390/jcm7100348

Cited by 20 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(60 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The material and methods used in this study have already been described in our article on the first half of the study results, answering the first research question (35).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…This aim was broken down into two main objectives: 1) physicians’ experiences of the psycho-relational impact of an ASD diagnosis; and 2) physicians’ views of ASD and an ASD diagnosis 2 . The results belonging to the former research question showed that physicians experience several important psycho-relational implications of an ASD diagnosis besides clear treatment-related consequences (35). Here we present the results answering the latter research question, exploring physicians’ views of ASD and an ASD diagnosis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Physician View and Experience of the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children

Jacobs

Steyaert²,

Dierickx

et al. 2019

Front. Psychiatry

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Clinicians working with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occupy an important position between parents and the wide-ranging research findings. However, it is not widely known how clinicians view and experience ASD in children, even though their perspective has been shown to significantly influence their work. Material and methods: Sixteen physicians working with preschool children without a diagnosis of (intellectual or other) disability with a (presumed) diagnosis of ASD participated in a semistructured interview. They described their professional views on ASD, and how they experienced its use in their clinical practice. The data were analyzed by applying the qualitative research method of interpretative phenomenological analysis of the data through Nvivo 11. Results: The main topic of the interviewed physicians’ views and experiences of ASD in a young child comprised three inductively established themes: 1) physicians’ views on ASD are multifaceted but fit within their personal clinical styles; 2) the ASD diagnosis is a “descriptive” part of a clinical trajectory; and 3) ASD treatment is a mix of “standard” approaches and a personalized search. These physicians’ perspectives on ASD are composed of multiple and sometimes ambiguous facets. However, their views are embedded in their personal clinical styles in general (i.e., beyond ASD) and are experienced as clinically “workable.” With the aim of finding an adequate approach to the problems parents bring to their office, many interviewed physicians say that—complementary to or rather than a classificatory diagnosis—they prefer using a personalized “profile” of a child in a therapeutic “process.” Conclusions: The interviewed physicians consider doubts and concerns to be an inherent part of their clinical work with ASD in young children, but do not experience this ambiguity as an obstacle to clinical care. These physicians deal with the multiplicity of their views on ASD by basing their eclectic views on their generally adopted clinical styles, and by selecting what works for them, and for the parents and child, from what they regard as the ‘textbook knowledge’ on ASD. We discuss the implications of these findings for translating research results to the clinic.

show abstract

“…The material and methods used in this study have already been described in our article on the first half of the study results, answering the first research question (35).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physician View and Experience of the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children

Jacobs

Steyaert²,

Dierickx

et al. 2019

Front. Psychiatry

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This insight can serve an important therapeutic function. 33 In the context of psychiatric disorders in general, certain findings suggest that people with a diagnosis that is considered innate, genetic, and biological are considered less responsible for their actions than those with a personality disorder. 34,35 For example, in a vignette study by Lebowitz et al it was found that lay people's conceptions of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as caused by either biological or psychosocial factors influenced stigmatizing attitudes and prognostic beliefs.…”

Section: The Normative Implications Of Biological Interpretationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Today, a diagnosis of autism may have the function of deculpabilizing the parents of the child, or the diagnosed adult; the fact that autism is seen as originating from a difference ‘in the brain’ or ‘in the genes’, is often taken to imply that people should not be blamed for their behaviour. This insight can serve an important therapeutic function . In the context of psychiatric disorders in general, certain findings suggest that people with a diagnosis that is considered innate, genetic, and biological are considered less responsible for their actions than those with a personality disorder .…”

Section: The Normative Implications Of Biological Interpretationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The many meanings of autism: conceptual and ethical reflections

Hens

2019

Develop Med Child Neuro

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autism is a polysemous concept. It is defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder that is diagnosed based on an assessment of behaviour and dysfunction. Autism also refers to a specific way of information or sensorial processing. For those diagnosed with autism, it is a real and shared experience. In this paper, I sketch the moral work that biological conceptions of autism perform. They help to conceptualize the diagnosis and associated challenges as real and they remove some of the blame from the diagnosed person and/or their parents. But such approaches also risk neglecting the role of behaviour as a meaningful reaction to experiences. In thinking about the ethics of autism research, diagnosis of autism, and autism care, the recent findings of epigenetics and systems biology may help us overcome the dichotomy between biology and psyche, and point the way to a more nuanced and ethical view. What this paper adds The meaning of ‘autism’ has different layers and as such autism is a polysemous concept. The lived experience of autistic people matters in research.

show abstract

“…The longitudinal evolution from T1 to T2 to T3 is described in another article [39] which addresses the understanding and experiences of ASD throughout time by the included Flemish parents. This longitudinal study in turn is part of a broader research project which triangulates this study's findings by investigating doctors' understanding and clinical experiences of an ASD diagnosis [40][41][42][43].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Parents’ multi-layered expectations when requesting an Autism Spectrum Disorder assessment of their young child: an in-depth interview study

Jacobs

Steyaert²,

Dierickx

et al. 2020

BMC Psychiatry

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Parents are valued stakeholders in research, clinical practice and policy development concerning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, little is known about what drives and moves parents besides their obvious worries and help request when they ask for a diagnostic ASD assessment of their child. Methods Seventeen Flemish parents of 11 young children participated in a longitudinal study consisting of three in-depth interviews before and after their child’s diagnostic ASD assessment. Data were analysed in Nvivo 11 according to the procedures of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results In this paper we report the results of the first series of interviews which were conducted after parents had asked for an ASD assessment of their young child, and before this assessment started. The pre-assessment experiences of the parents were dominated by the anticipation of various implications of an ASD diagnosis, comprising both positive and negative expectations. The theme of positive expectations consisted of two equally prominent subthemes: treatment-related implications but also expectations pertaining to their psychological and relational experiences. Conclusions This study suggests important issues for clinicians to bear in mind during a consultation with parents who request an ASD assessment of their young child. We argue that attending to and communicating about parents’ expectations prior to their child’s ASD assessment may help clinicians to better understand parents’ requests for help, and to address their needs more effectively.

show abstract

Implications of an Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis: An Interview Study of How Physicians Experience the Diagnosis in a Young Child

Cited by 20 publications

References 50 publications

Physician View and Experience of the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children

Physician View and Experience of the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children

The many meanings of autism: conceptual and ethical reflections

Parents’ multi-layered expectations when requesting an Autism Spectrum Disorder assessment of their young child: an in-depth interview study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About