Communication Barriers and Challenges for Accessing Autism Care: Conventional Versus Alternative Medicine

Background: Despite the widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for autistic children, little is known about the communication flow between the different parties involved in the care (i.e., parents/caregivers, conventional providers, alternative practitioners). This study aimed to describe how communication occurs through the first year of care to identify challenges and potential barriers to communication that may affect the care of autistic children. Methods: From an ecological perspective, we collected qualitative data through 12 semi-structured interviews with six parents/caregivers, three conventional providers (family doctor, neurodevelopmental pediatrician, psychologist), and three alternative practitioners (naturopath, occupational therapist, speech and language pathologist) operating in Ottawa, Canada. The data was interpreted using thematic analysis. Results: Findings revealed that parents/caregivers are the only links between the health professionals of both streams. The communication between parents/caregivers and conventional providers faces a perceived lack of knowledge of these professionals relating to CAM, a lack of care integration, flexibility, and time constraints. In alternative care settings, care integration and time constraints are an issue. From the five contexts examined, only the organizational and interpersonal contexts influence communication flow within the system. Conclusions: The increasing interest in alternative medicine is forcing changes in the healthcare system. Within the identified themes in the current study, the necessity for communication between all parties involved in the care of autistic children is evident. More ASD and CAM-related training for providers and openings for information-sharing between the two streams would support effective parent/caregiver-care provider communication. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the role of communication in the care management of autism, which has implications for effective autism care.