Autism spectrum disorder in high secure psychiatric care: Current issues and considerations

This article explores the current issues and considerations relating to patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) within high secure psychiatric care. ASD are neurodevelopmental disorders which are characterised by impairments in social reciprocal interactions and communication and restricted, repetitive pattern of interests and behaviour (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Around one in a hundred individuals in the general population have ASD (Baird et al., 2006). Males are more likely to receive a diagnosis of ASD (Brugha et al., 2011; Loomes et al., 2017). However, it is increasingly recognised that the prevalence rate among women is underestimated significantly (Beggiato et al., 2016). There are some recent reviews of the literature which have explored possible explanations for why ASD in women is being underestimated (see recent reviews Allely, 2019a, 2019b).