Forensic healthcare is a sub-specialty of mental health care that supports individuals who have come into contact with the legal system, typically the criminal justice system. Some attention has been directed to forensic service provision for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. However, research specific to ASD has only recently gained attention and has not yet been explored in Canada.

This presentation shares information on research to date, highlights potential practice and research gaps, and shares risk and protective factors and preliminary recommendations for improving forensic service provision for adults with ASD who may encounter this system. Risk and protective factors of interest to forensic service providers, mental health professionals, community professionals, and family members are shared supporting strengths-based preemptive practices that reduce risk of involvement in the criminal justice system.

While this presentation highlights a specific sub-speciality within mental health care, the implications can be beneficial in informing the broader context of Canadian mental health care, and the efficacy of mental health interventions and treatment programming for individuals with ASD.

Learning Objectives

• Review international research relating to forensic healthcare and ASD.
• Identify practice complexities, challenges, and gaps in forensic healthcare service delivery for individuals with ASD.
• Reflect onsome risk and protective factors for individuals with ASD before, during, and after coming into contact with the forensic healthcare system.

Recorded at ACT’s 13th Annual Focus on Research Conference – April 2017

Presented by Professor Anthony Bailey, Institute of Mental Health Chair, Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of British Columbia

In this succinct and illuminating presentation, Dr. Anthony Bailey discusses the role of psychotropic medications in the treatment of individuals with ASD with a range of mental health diagnoses. Drawing on nearly 30 years of experience, he addresses:

• when the cautious use of medications can be helpful in treating co-morbid conditions, including anxiety, depression and OCD;
• the need to consider the effect of age, and other factors in increasing the potential for adverse impacts, and which medications are less likely to lead to side-effects for those diagnosed with autism;
• the important of addressing relevant environmental factors rather than relying solely on medication ;
• differentiating between challenging behaviors and co-morbid psychiatric disorders when making therapeutic decisions;
• the importance of access to CBT for individuals with ASD.

Learning Objectives

• Understand that medications are only one part of a comprehensive management plan;
• Recognise that challenging behaviours require careful behavioral analysis and appropriate intervention before medication is considered;
• Be aware that comorbid psychiatric disorders are under recognised in ASD’s and that psychotropic medications are effective treatments in combination with psychological interventions.

Anthony Bailey, BSc, MBBS, DCH, MRCPsych, FRCPC

Anthony Bailey is Institute of Mental Health Chair and Professor and Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.  Dr. Bailey’s clinical work focuses on teenagers and able adults with ASD.