Paper Presentation

Disability Issues

Session: Disability Lens in Behavioral Health: Autism, Therapy, and Healthcare Discrimination

Disability Justice in Behavioral Health for Autistic Young Adults with Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Presenter(s)

Jeeyeon Hong, LCSW (she/her/hers)

PhD student
University of Texas at Austin
Cynthia Franklin, PhD, LCSW-S (she/her/hers)

Stiernberg/Spencer Family Professor in Mental Health
The University of Texas at Austin

There is a need for evidence-based behavioral health interventions for adults with autism. This presentation discusses a four-session Solution-focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) intervention adapted for autistic young adults. Both quantitative and qualitative results indicated improved well-being and positive experiences after adults received the SFBT intervention in a community agency.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:

To teach strength-based and solution-focused approaches in social work education that can be practiced with autistic young adults, fostering empowerment and resilience.
To explore strategies for adapting SFBT to address the specific needs of autistic young adult populations, enhancing engagement in services and promoting positive behavioral health outcomes.
To understand the importance of tailoring acceptable and feasible interventions based on the principles of disability justice when developing and evaluating evidence-based interventions for autistic young adults.