Editorial: Persistent Challenges in Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Autistic People and a Suggested Way Forward

It is well documented that autistic people are at an increased risk for co-occurring mental health challenges and suicide.¹ There is also a robust and ever-growing body of literature delineating the challenges of meeting the varied mental health needs of autistic children, adolescents, and adults-most notably, access to efficacious treatments. For those who are able to access services, there are concerns about ableism and the failure of clinicians to understand how autistic characteristics may interact with mental health presentation and treatment response. Access difficulties are exacerbated by the general lack of disability- and autism-related content in curricula of preprofessional programs, resulting in a workforce who report being ill prepared to work with this population.^2,3 It is imperative to have evidence-based mental health treatments. Equally important is the method by which such treatments are developed, studied, and disseminated. The autism community has identified key considerations for researchers who study treatment development, implementation, and dissemination.^4,5 Most notable is the inclusion of and collaboration with autistic people, from all stages of research, treatment conceptualization through dissemination, and examining outcomes that matter to them. The emergence of rigorous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) such as those by White et al.⁶ are a strong step forward in addressing issues about efficacious treatment, as well as inclusion of the autistic community. As such, the White et al.⁶ study can serve as a model for others. Furthermore, the research community needs to diversify the composition of study participants, and as a field we need to turn more focus toward dissemination and training, both of which are imperative for improving access.