It is estimated that around 700,000 people in the UK have a diagnosis of autism.

According to the British Medical Association it is estimated that 1 in 100 children in the UK are autistic. It is thought that there is a genetic link so if a child is autistic there may be other autistic members of the family.

Some children and adults ‘fly under the radar’, are not diagnosed and can spend their lives without any support in place. It is important for midwives to appreciate that some autistic people may not have had a diagnosis.

A diagnosis later in life is more common in women and also in black and Asian people, according to research by the National Autistic Society (NAS).

This module will aim to explore how autism can affect day to day activities, how midwives can support autistic women through the journey of childbirth more effectively and provides an opportunity for reflection on midwifery practice.

After completing this module you should be able to:

  • describe autism
  • have an understanding of the difficulties that an autistic person - diagnosed or undiagnosed - might experience day to day
  • have an understanding of the co-existing conditions that may be apparent for an autistic person
  • support and advocate for autistic women using the SPELL framework approach
  • signpost service users to appropriate resources and further support

Study time: 30 minutes (module includes four videos of between 2 and 4 minutes' duration)

Original content: 2021