S4:E64 No Patient Left Behind

Special Needs Kids Are People Too!

In No Patient Left Behind, our second episode of Season 4: Neurodivergent Healthcare, I am joined by Angela Gehrt. Angela is an Occupational Therapist working on her capstone project for her doctoral work, and the focus of her research is on improving Neurodivergent Healthcare!

She had some very interesting statistics to share with us such as:

- Autistic life expectancy is reduced by 16-30 years, and Autistics are more likely to die in every disease category than their non-Autistic counterparts.

- Autistic people are twice as likely to use emergency departments and die after attending emergency care.

- Autistic people are three times more likely to require inpatient admissions.

- 80% of Autistics reported difficulty visiting a GP when needed unrelated to costs, compared with 37% of non-Autistics.

- 56% of Autistics delayed seeking care because they don't feel understood. Only 13% of non-Autistics reported the same challenges.

- Only 13% of physicians felt they had adequate (not good but adequate) tools and resources to serve Autistic patients.

Check out the Show Notes for links to some of the research Angela cited in this episode!

Show Notes: https://amybodkin.com/podcast-episode-64

For more info about Amy Bodkin, a Special Needs Consultant for parents and professionals, visit our website:
Amy Bodkin Consulting – Seeing the Possibilities through a Neurodivergent Lens because Special Needs Kids Are People Too!