Autistic people commonly experience poor mental and physical health. We also face barriers accessing healthcare, including difficulties interacting with healthcare providers, which may contribute to known healthcare disparities, including increased morbidity and mortality. 

Autistic Doctors International is a peer support and advocacy organisation which serves a membership of over 600 medical doctors who identify as autistic. Through research, education and training, we also seek to improve the healthcare experiences and outcomes for all autistic people.  

During my talk, I will discuss our progress in raising awareness of autism and neurodiversity in medicine by highlighting the needs of autistic healthcare staff as well as patients. I will present findings from our research, offer some insights into neurodiversity-affirmative healthcare, and consider the prevention of mental health difficulties for autistic people.