Behandeling van mensen met een autismespectrumstoornis en verslaving

Treating people with ASD and SUD: guidelines for practice People with autism and comorbid addiction problems appear more often in mental health care. In daily practice, care providers seem to be action-shy when encountering these patients. It is therefore difficult to provide appropriate care, and patients possibly terminate treatment prematurely. In this article, we present guidelines for care providers how to discuss and treat substance abuse and addictive behaviors in patients with autism. We also outline an integrated (group) therapy that pays attention to addiction, autism and associated stress. Next to specific interventions, we also highlight the attitude of the care providers. We hope that this article helps care providers to feel more comfortable treating people with autism and addiction problems.