Home > Screening for autism spectrum condition through inner city homeless services in the Republic of Ireland.

Boilson, A M and Churchard, A and Connolly, M and Casey, B and Sweeney, M R (2023) Screening for autism spectrum condition through inner city homeless services in the Republic of Ireland. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53, pp. 3987-3998. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05669-x.

External website: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-0...

Homeless service users were screened for autism spectrum disorder through one of Ireland's leading not for profit service providers. Keyworkers acted as proxy informants; their caseloads were screened using the DSM-5-Autistic Traits in the Homeless Interview (DATHI). Client current and historical health and behaviour data was collated. A representative sample of 106 eligible keyworkers caseloads were screened, identifying 3% "present" and 9% "possibly present" for autistic traits with the DATHI. These findings suggest a high estimate of autism prevalence and support emerging evidence that, people with autism are overrepresented in the homeless population, compared to housed populations. Autism may be a risk factor for entry into homelessness and a challenge to exiting homeless and engaging with relevant services.


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