Members of the CAST team. Credit: Courtesy of Jessica Schiering
For individuals with autism, going to the doctor’s office can be overwhelming. When transitioning to a new doctor or setting — like a college campus for example — those emotions are heightened.
However, the Center for Autism Services and Transitions, or CAST, is intended to eliminate some of that stress throughout the process.
The program, located in four Wexner Medical Center branch offices — Grandview, Hilliard, Lewis Center and New Albany — offers services such as primary care with licensed physicians, psychotherapy, social work and in-office procedures to individuals with an autism diagnosis. Patients must be between the ages 18 and 35 at the time of enrollment, with a documented autism diagnosis, but can receive care for as long as they choose, according to the program’s website.?
“With community outreach, [we] hear directly from those who are impacted and live the day-to-day life of having either themselves or a loved one with autism and navigating the healthcare system,” Jessica Schiering, CAST’s community outreach liaison, said. “[The] goal is to make primary care more accessible and in a friendly environment, to help make it a little less scary and have providers and staff be more open and understanding.”
Though the level of care is fundamentally the same, like performing the standard check-ups and offering primary care, the things that set CAST apart from a typical doctor’s office are the resources they provide for patients, Schiering said.?
“One of the initiatives that our group did is that all of our clinics have fidgets, popper balls, slap bracelets, noise-cancelling headphones, sunglasses; things to help the appointment go smoother,” Schiering said. “If they come in, we have something there that meets their sensory needs to the best of our ability.”?
Outside the exam room, CAST offices also have psychotherapy services. Rachael Menssen, a psychotherapist and social worker by training for CAST, said she takes a very flexible approach to sessions with patients.
“I have an open space set up with a comfy chair and a big basket full of fidgets to make people comfortable,” Menssen said. “I have the ability to dim the lights, or I can sit in a different spot if we need to move things around, because eye contact is uncomfortable. Really, just asking somebody what they need, and meeting them where they are.”
Being vulnerable about physical and mental struggles isn’t an easy task, especially in an uncomfortable environment, which might steer staff away from the CAST program, Menssen said.?
“We’ve noticed that a lot of our patients need somebody who can help navigate mental health concerns and help address anxiety, depression; all the things that anyone else can experience,” Menssen said.??
Even if the issue might not be something out of the ordinary, Menssen said it can cause a roadblock with other therapists.?
“The problem is that when you go to a therapist, and you say, ‘I have concerns about my mental health,’ [then they can say], ‘You have an autism diagnosis, I can’t do that,’ when, most of the time, it’s not different at all,” Menssen said. “So that’s where [we are] here to say, ‘I know what autism is. I can help you with that, and we can do this anyway, even though other people have told you they can’t.’”
The same goes for the physicians on staff, Schiering said.?
“All of our providers have chosen to be in our program, so they are really passionate about taking care of our patients who are on the spectrum and getting [them] the primary care that they need,” Schiering said. “They’re very understanding, and we’ll meet patients where they’re at. We have had primary care providers go into the parking lot to do a physical, because that was a barrier the patient hit.”
Though the center has an emphasis on primary care transitions, the deeper side goes into helping to make sense of a system that can feel larger than life for some and entirely daunting for others, both Schiering and Menssen said.?
“We’re here to support, we’re here to help support and navigate needs, and help give the tools to navigate health care in general,” Schiering said. “Even as someone who works in health care, it can be difficult navigating healthcare systems, so we do our best to help ease that burden and transition.”
For more information on CAST, visit its website.
