Exploring parents' experiences of interprofessional collaboration among health professionals in the assessment and support of autistic children.

Abstract

Interprofessional collaboration among health professionals is increasingly recognized as best practice in assessing and supporting autistic children, however limited research has explored whether this collaboration is being practiced. This study explored parents' experiences of interprofessional collaboration between health professionals involved with the assessment and support of their autistic children. Seventeen parents of autistic children participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their unique experiences of health professional collaboration. Six themes were developed inductively using reflexive thematic analysis. Parents suggested that health professionals are taking a siloed and staggered approach to the assessment of autistic children. When providing support to autistic children, parents reported health professionals had variable understanding of others' roles, with minimal direct communication across practices, often limited by time and funding. The parents identified the importance of collaboration between the health professionals and school teachers, but identified several barriers to the implementation of supports in the school setting recommended by the health professionals. Overall, parents perceived themselves as their child's case manager, facilitating professionals' collaboration. This study's findings suggest the need for a review of systems and processes to better support interprofessional collaboration between health professionals, along with schools, in the assessment and support of autistic children.