We know that a substantial number of autistic people are sexually-diverse (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual) or gender-diverse (e.g., transgender, gender non-conforming), but what do we know about their mental and physical health? Dr. Graham Holmes will discuss the current state of the literature and present findings from two studies that used innovative methods to learn about health disparities for this population. The first study investigated suicidality disparities among autistic versus non-autistic sexually-diverse and gender-diverse youth using a U.S. national sample recruited via social media. The second study investigated mental and physical health disparities more broadly among autistic sexually-diverse and gender-diverse adults versus cisgender heterosexual adults using electronic health record data. Clinical implications will be discussed.

This webinar will focus on the methods and preliminary results of a qualitative, community-engaged study with queer and transgender autistic adults. We will chart how we partnered with 19 community organizations working with this population to conduct open-ended, in-depth interviews with 65 adults in the Philadelphia area. Preliminary findings address nonbinary identity, self reported autism, health and wellbeing, community engagement, and social support. We are using these findings to structure autistic-led programming for autistic adults to improve wellbeing.

The Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P) will be hosting its sixth plenary Research Day at the AUCD 2023 Conference in November 2023. This event is part of the AUCD Conference and will emphasize research led by autistic researchers and collaborators, highlighting content related to the physical health and overall well-being of autistic individuals. This AIR-P Research Day will include a poster presentation symposium and two concurrent sessions. AIR-P will also be present at the AUCD 2023 conference via two exhibit tables. This in-person event is open to all.

While most medical students report that they want to learn more about seeing patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and feel underprepared to serve these patients when they graduate from their programs, the actual amount and quality of IDD-focused curricular content in medical and dental school curricula greatly varies between institutions. This webinar will present data from a recent WITH-funded research project examining the development of inclusive IDD curricula at medical and dental schools, and will also introduce an AADMD initiative, NICHE medical, that coordinates and supports medical schools who are working to develop innovative, community-engaged IDD curricula.

This webinar will explore findings from the latest National Autism Indicators Report (NAIR) focused on health care in autistic people during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and health care among autistic children and adults. To build a comprehensive picture, we included various data sources.

Dr. Samantha Ross will share updates on a current AIR-P Scholars Project that has engaged autistic youth and their parents as stakeholders to evaluate the construct validity of flourishing items within the National Survey of Children's Health.

AIR-P is glad to announce a date for the rescheduled webinar: Mind the NIH-Funding Gap: Structural Discrimination in Physical Health-Related Research for Cognitively Able Autistic Adults. Topics will include: Importance of addressing physical health disparity conditions in autistic adults Structural discrimination in NIH-funded studies on physical health disparity conditions in autistic adults Description of conflicts of interest within an NIH-funded culture of academia that contribute to systemic structural discrimination in funding policies.

In this webinar Dr. Heini Natri will discuss the topic that equitable and just genetic research requires an examination of the ethical questions pertaining to marginalized communities. Many have expressed concerns over current practices of autism-related genetic research, urging the field to shift towards practices that ensure benefits and protect against harm. As an interdisciplinary working group of autistic and non-autistic individuals, we have developed guidelines for leveraging genetics to enhance the quality of life, health, and autonomy of autistic persons.

In this webinar, Zack Williams will discuss the different types of sound sensitivity that exist in autistic people and present new research findings on the manifestations, clinical correlates, and neural/perceptual underpinnings of these sometimes debilitating conditions.

AUCD's Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) is sponsoring a series of webinars for Autism Acceptance Month. This webinar series will focus on mentorship and leadership in the Autism Spectrum community.

Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are prevalent in autistic individuals, but little is known about them in autistic adults. "G.I Wanna Talk About Autism" is a mixed-methods, participatory research study with the goal of 1) describing the lived experiences of autistic adults with GI symptoms, and 2) developing recommendations to improve the GI health of this population. Join this webinar to learn about the study's activities and preliminary findings.

The Autism Society of America's Vaccine Education Initiative has increased vaccine education, confidence, and accessibility throughout the Autism community. Join this discussion on health equity to learn about grassroots messaging, key lessons learned, evidence-based practices, and opportunities for community impact.

Big data can provide population-level indicators for autism research focused on physical health. Claims data are a useful big data tool that emerge from health systems and provide translational research opportunities to improve health outcomes across large groups and communities. Claims data are generated at local, state, and federal levels, and from multiple insurance sources. In this webinar, we will describe existing approaches to the use of claims data for autism research focused on physical health and present and discuss opportunities for future research.

This presentation will review literature on environmental factors, and gene-environment interactions, for autism and related traits and discuss gaps and needs for future research studies. Topics will include: -How do environmental factors contribute to Autism? -Autism comes from both genetic and environmental factors, though few studies have examined them jointly. -Future research needs to more frequently examine modifiable exposures and impacts on traits and disabilities associated with autism.