Please find all the latest info on the IPT UK Autism SIG
(Scroll down for meeting invite & information)

AIMS:
  • To discuss practice examples and research around IPT and autism.
  • To create guidance on adaptations that can help increase the effectiveness and accessibility for IPT for people on the autism spectrum.
If you would like further information, please get in touch with us at contact@iptuk.net
All IPT UK members are welcome to attend - please see the invitation below. ​

INVITE to next meeting Tuesday 4th April at 10.00am to 11.30am 2023:

IPT with Expectant and New Parents living with Autism - a collaboration with the Autism SIG, hosted by Angela Wood.
Microsoft Teams meeting
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Meeting ID: 374 333 803 677
Passcode: uXVJ6Z
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RESOURCES:

Please click on the boxes to read further...
Ben began the meeting by introducing himself and the group saying the following:
I’m based in NE at Northumbria Healthcare Trust, working in a child and adolescent mental health service. IPT-A but have experience with IPT. Get quite a lot of young people showing symptoms of autism or have already been diagnosed with autism being put forward for our services, lacking support. Following IPT UK regional and national meetings where autism was the topic, I realized that IPT is a therapeutic intervention that could really work well for a lot of children and adults who are autistic. We thought it would be helpful to have a special interest group to grow our collective knowledge and skills around providing the therapy to autistic people. Increase our understanding about what helps autistic people gain access to this kind of therapy.
Today’s meeting is to collectively think about the structure of the group going forward. Plans as to what these sessions would look like in the future – what is helpful to you as practitioners and the usefulness of IPT for autistic people.
Everyone took a turn to introduce themselves explaining why they are interested in the group and what they hope to achieve. Issues raised included:
  • Worries about approaching IPT therapy in an unmodified way could be damaging were raised.
  • What we can’t do as well as what we can.
  • Should it be autism specific or broader that that, and are we a working group or a special interest group?
  • Struggle in accessing services.
  • Communication issues.
  • Masking.
  • Parenting and impact on other children. Problems with social services, school.
  • Older people services where the patients don’t have a diagnosis. Missing quite a lot. Meeting their needs and adapting therapies.
  • Impact of Covid.
 
Opportunity to collaborate in moving IPT forward in treating autistic people.
 
GOALS. AIMS. PURPOSE. What people hoped group would do and how it would look.
Fiona explained the format of the other SIG groups, which are also proving to be very popular with IPT UK members. Mostly, there is a guest speaker, a bit of a catch-up on the group, then a chance to discuss cases and share experiences in a safe, non-recorded space.
Some points to think about:
  • Need to formulate objectives of the group.
  • Self-education
  • Alternative model to be more of a working group – signing up to do some work?
  • So much resource and practice guidelines – IAPT neuro diversity interest group.
  • Given degree of multiple diagnoses – do we want to be specific to autism?
  • Understanding what resources already exist and how to share and disseminate that among the group then take it to the wider membership. Allow that fuller understanding to form the base of anything further we do as a group. An adapted model.
  • Guidelines for ASD initially then perhaps moving to the broader range of diagnoses.
 
Ben moved on to trying to establish a specific aim for the next meeting(s) proposing the following:
  • Information gathering; collaboratively looking at what is out there and then bringing that to the group to share it for informed practice.
  • Structure – CPD element and potentially have a subject for each group, for example, language and how we look at language. A space to share what we have found and then a space to discuss any practice discussions.
  • Very important to get the perspective of autistic people in this too. How could we integrate that? Maybe guest speakers with a specific focus for that meeting.
 
NEXT MEETING:
Quarterly meetings – only thing is if we are trying to be proactive, it might be a bit slow. Although we might be working in that period between meetings. 
Please click on the box to view the video presentation from the NE region.
The subject was THE IMPACT ON INTERPERSONAL FUNCTIONING & MOOD DISORDERS.
The hosts were Mel Temple, Karen Howe and Doug James.