A research study explores how mental healthcare can be adapted to better support autistic individuals and what still needs improvement.
Mental healthcare should be accessible to everyone, but for autistic people, getting the right support can be incredibly difficult. Many face long wait times, therapists who don’t fully understand their needs, or treatments that weren’t designed with autism in mind. A recent study by Loizou et al. (2024) takes a deep dive into what’s working—and what still needs improvement—in mental health services for autistic people.
The researchers reviewed 30 studies that explored different ways to make mental healthcare more effective for autistic individuals. The good news? There are promising approaches out there. The challenge? More work is needed to ensure they actually make a lasting difference.
The review found three key strategies being used to better support autistic people’s mental health:
Many studies focused on modifying well-known treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to better suit autistic individuals. Some of the most common adaptations included:
• Allowing more flexibility in how people communicate (e.g., using written responses instead of verbal ones).
• Making therapy more structured and predictable, reducing anxiety about the process.
• Using special techniques to help autistic individuals recognize and regulate emotions.
• Adjusting content to reflect the way autistic people process social interactions.
While many of these changes were well-received, the review noted that there’s still limited evidence proving their effectiveness.
Instead of focusing only on therapy techniques, some studies examined broader service improvements. Key findings included:
• Training mental health professionals to better understand autism, so they don’t rely on stereotypes or misunderstandings.
• Making therapy settings more autism-friendly (e.g., reducing sensory overload in clinics).
• Improving pathways to diagnosis and treatment, as many autistic individuals struggle to even get into the system.
However, despite these efforts, barriers still exist—many autistic people report feeling misunderstood by mental health professionals and struggling to access appropriate care.
Some researchers are taking a different approach: rather than adapting existing treatments, they are creating therapies designed specifically for autistic people. These include:
• Emotion regulation programs tailored to autistic individuals’ unique experiences.
• Group therapy models that provide peer support in a structured, autism-friendly way.
• Alternative therapies like mindfulness-based interventions and even animal-assisted therapy.
These newer approaches show promise, but because they are still being developed, more studies are needed to confirm their long-term benefits.
While many of these ideas sound promising, the research found that clear evidence of their effectiveness is still lacking. More studies are needed to determine what really helps autistic people manage their mental health and what’s just well-intentioned but not impactful.
What’s clear is that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to mental healthcare doesn’t work—especially for autistic individuals. The more we can tailor support to meet their specific needs, the better their mental health outcomes are likely to be.
Mental health challenges like anxiety and depression are more common in autistic individuals, yet many struggle to access the care they need. This review highlights that while progress is being made, there’s still a long way to go. Services need to be not only available but also designed in a way that truly works for autistic people.
If mental healthcare is to be genuinely inclusive, it must adapt to the people it serves—not the other way around. The more we listen to autistic voices and invest in research that puts their needs first, the closer we get to a system that truly works for everyone.
See the full article here: Loizou et al (2024) Approaches to improving mental healthcare for autistic people: systematic review. BJPsych Open.10(4):e128.