#14: The Services Cliff and Autism with Debora Davidson (CE Course)

[debora (Debora Davidson)]

Take the Quiz to get 1 CEU

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Full Course Details: Public course page
Learn more about our guest: Debora Davidson, PhD, OTR/L

Read the article and discussion upon which this podcast is based.

Course Description

Released August 2, 2021 from Aurora, NE

As autistic individuals transition from adolescence to adulthood, they encounter a new and unique set of challenges. Yet, at this critical time, the support available to them drops dramatically. This is known as the “services cliff.”

In this one-hour continuing education course, we’ll begin by looking at the journal article “Service Needs Across the Lifespan for Individuals with Autism.”

Then, to discuss how your occupational therapy skills can help bridge this service gap, we’ll invite Debora Davidson, PhD, OTR/L to discuss the research and her own experience providing transitional services in her private practice.

Primary Research Explored

Be sure to check out the OT Potential Club’s written breakdown of the following research article, then share your questions and thoughts with fellow practitioners.

Turcotte P, Mathew M, Shea LL, Brusilovskiy E, Nonnemacher SL. Service Needs Across the Lifespan for Individuals with Autism . J Autism Dev Disord. 2016 Jul;46(7):2480-9. doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2787-4. PMID: 27084080.

Secondary Research

Ling-Yi Lin & Pai-Chuan Huang (2019) Quality of life and its related factors for adults with autism spectrum disorder , Disability and Rehabilitation, 41:8, 896-903, DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2017.1414887

Kristie Patten Koenig & Lauren Hough Williams (2017) Characterization and Utilization of Preferred Interests: A Survey of Adults on the Autism Spectrum , Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 33:2, 129-140, DOI: 10.1080/0164212X.2016.1248877

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to describe the unique challenges that autistic individuals face as they transition from adolescence to adulthood.
• You will be able to identify the unmet service needs of autistic adults (based on the findings in the research).

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Breakdown and analysis of journal article (10 minutes)

• What we know (and don’t know) about the service needs of autistic adults
• Why was this paper written?
• What were their methods?
• What were the results?
• Authors’ conclusion and recommendations
• Takeaways for OT practitioners

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (with guest Debora Davidson) (45 minutes)

• What were your initial impressions of the article?
• Did you observe the “services cliff” in your own work?
• In what ways do you think OTs could be supporting our autistic clients as they enter into and navigate adulthood?
• What business models do we need as OTs to provide those kinds of services?
• How do we navigate the high frequency of co-occuring conditions?
• We’ve been talking a lot in the Club about listening to our clients and supporting them in choosing the life that is meaningful to them. Do you have experience with this in your work?
• What future do you envision for OTs serving autistic clients (and other clients) as they transition into adulthood?

Contact Hours

1 hour (0.1 AOTA CEUs)

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about the service cliff in autism. The educational level is introductory.

Instructional Methods/Registration/Special Needs Requests/Cancellation Policy

This course is an independent/self-study course delivered via podcast on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play. Explore your listening options on the OT Potential Podcast page.

If you need accommodations to take this course, please contact us and we will address your needs on an individual basis.

If this course were to be cancelled, please see our cancellation policy on our terms page.

Course Completion Requirements

In order to receive a certificate for this course, you must first listen to the podcast in its entirety. Then, you will need to take the test (found at the top of this page) and earn 75% or higher. If you pass, a certificate will be automatically generated and sent to your email.

Speakers

Debora Davidson, PhD, OTR/L :

Debora has engaged in Occupational Therapy since 1979 as a practitioner and clinical supervisor, professor, researcher, writer/editor, and business owner. She earned a B.S. in Occupational Therapy from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Master of Science from Boston University’s Sargent College, and PhD in Educational Studies from Saint Louis University.

Debora specializes in providing OT services to children, adolescents, and young adults with mental health disorders and/or intellectual developmental disabilities. She has worked in hospital psychiatry, community mental health, therapeutic schools, public schools, residential treatment centers, and home / community-based private practice.

She has worked with people with autism spectrum disorders throughout her career, and across the life span (preschoolers through older adults). Debora is fond of saying, “The more people with ASD I get to know, the fewer the assumptions I fall into. Each client is unique and teaches me something new!”

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L:

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011. Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital.

In 2011, Sarah launched OT Potential because she realized we needed a reliable source of quality occupational therapy-related content and resources. She has also had the opportunity to create content for brands like WebPT, MedBridge, Saebo, and NeuroLutions.

She launched the OT Potential Club in 2019 to marry her love of simplifying complex topics with her desire to help therapists access the most important OT-related research released each year.

Sarah is a prairie girl at heart, which is why she returned to her hometown to raise her children in Aurora, Nebraska (home of the strobe light).

After earning your certificate, please consider taking a moment to answer the following three questions:

1.) On a scale of 1-5 please indicate the degree to which the learning objectives were met.

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2.) Please rate our instructors on a scale of 1-5.

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3.) On a scale of 1-5, please rate the learning environment of the Club.

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Please share any other feedback below! Including, ideas for future programming, and most importantly, how you feel this podcast will impact your practice!

[jennifer17 (Jennifer Beck)]

I really enjoyed this podcast. I work with adults with I/DD many with autism spectrum disorder. The flexibility of being a state employee is I am able to advocate for individuals and participate in a team approach to helping people meet their goals. I could see the value of Deborah’s service model in private practice. The population I provide services to is limited to those who receive residential supports. Typically if I am involved with someone living in the community it has come to a crisis of intervention for them. It’s such a niche practice. Thanks for providing education opportunities in this area.

[bobbie (Bobbie Vergo)]

Deborah Davidson spoke to my class when I was in grad school, and it was one of the most influential and memorable lectures from my three years in OT school. Her style of practice greatly influenced my own. So grateful that she continues to share her wisdom!

[SarahLyon]

Wow! @debora, I wanted to make sure you saw this nice compliment!

I agree we are so lucky for all of the teaching that Debora has done and that she continues to share her knowledge! I hope that people continue to share this episode and feel as inspired by her work as I did!

[debora (Debora Davidson)]

Thank you, Bobbie! Your kind words are so very appreciated. Knowing that you are carrying the work forward means the world to me. --Debora

[alexandra (Alexandra Goltz)]

This was such an inspiring and helpful podcast! As someone looking to support this population, I walked away with a few more ideas on how to start. Thank you for all your hard work Debra!

[okumoku (Okumoku Akpobome)]

I very much enjoyed the podcast, and I could relate with most of the challenges Debora cited therein. I really learnt from her excellent ideas on how she problem-solved, therapeutically used self and put client(s) at the centre of care. I work as an OTA at a Therapy Centre and also a hospital, with a goal to help and train these Neuro diverse population be as independent as possible and transition seamlessly to adulthood. Thank you too @ Sarah for the good work.

[sheila1 (Sheila Bosc)]

I really enjoyed this podcast and thinking about how we can assist people in getting connected to community after school. I work at a school with a transition program and it seems we could play a big role in setting students up for success and community connection. I was wondering if anyone knows of an almost like functional capacity evaluation type assessment that we could use with a transition program population both for identifying rehab goals and for informing what skills a specific student has when looking for employment or other community engagement opportunities.

[tara6 (Tara Smith)]

I really enjoyed the course content! I work with an adolescent to adult population with autism and transition and subsequent employment are our biggest challenges!

[veda1 (Veda Collmer)]

This was one of my favorite episodes. I loved Debora’s stories about her clients, including how she structured her sessions and assisted with goal planning. The story about the college student was so inspiring and reminded me of the OT framework we were taught in school. It really opened my eyes to the lack of services available to adults with ASD to help them live rich, fulfilling lives with friends, hobbies, and an job.
Where can we find the services menu? How can we connect with Debora if we decide to open our own private practice serving adults with ASD and would like to consult with her?

[SarahLyon]

Hi @veda1!! So great to see you in here! Debora is SUCH a good story teller! I’m glad you like this episode! Last I talked to Debora she was in the middle of a move- and trying to figure out what her future work would look like! @debora , any updates on your availability for consultation?

[debora (Debora Davidson)]

Hi, Veda–
I’m happy to know that you are enthusiastic about helping adults with ASD to achieve their life goals! It’s such rewarding work, and the need is immense. I’d be delighted to talk with you sometime. You can email me at debora@b-futures.com.
–Debora

[elisabeth1 (Elisabeth Hornberger)]

I loved hearing about Debora’s private practice. It was definitely inspiring to hear some of the differences she made in her clients’ lives. As a school based OT, I would love to start addressing some of the unmet needs of transitioning to adulthood while my students still have access to more services. However, it is clear that we need to do more to help increase services into adulthood.

[chloe1 (Chloe List)]

I loved this podcast! I actually went into the job I am currently working because of my college program that promoted independence with adults who primarily had ASD or intellectual disability in their transition from high school to college/independent living. They were able to experience college without actually being enrolled in the heavy curriculum. I now work with adults with developmental disabilities in an article 16 clinic and absolutely love it! I wish their were more research and clinicians that work with this population as it is hard being a new grad! Thank you so much for your dedicated work!

[SarahLyon]

Wow, I just looked up the clinic you work at- and it looks like you are doing such important work. I went into OT to work with adults with IDD and still haven’t had the opportunity. It is definitely on my heart to have a podcast dedicated to OTs work with this population this fall. If you have any suggestions for OTs to interview let me know!

[rachel.divergecomm (Rachel Robertson)]

Hi Chloe! I, too, work with adults with I/DD and ASD in Michigan. I was unfamiliar with article 16 clinics and want to learn more! Access and reimbursement for this population is an ongoing struggle and I’m always looking for ways to improve this. We should connect sometime

[yvonne (Yvonne Carlson)]

Great podcast! I learned so much from Debora. Thanks Sarah!

[patricia11 (patricia A dolan)]

Loved this podcast:) The article was good - but as Deb said - results disappointing and sad. But, as we know in therapy, progress shows at surprising times, and as Sara said, we have made a lot of progress since 2016- hopefully it will show in the research:) It was great to hear Deb’s reflective experience through the same number of years as my own working with ASD children and adults. It’s a beautiful and rewarding experience although some slow progress in this area through the years. I think funding is such an impactful issue. However, the personal successes of our clients is inspiring and what keeps us going:) Thanks!