#123 - Co-Occurring Conditions and Crisis Intervention
Recognizing that a new diagnosis or co occurring condition exists in addition to an already existing autism diagnosis can be tricky. Our guest is one of few doctors in the country specializing in identifying and treating cooccurring conditions in autistic patients. She shares insight on identifying and treating cooccruing conditions as well as advice for parents should things escalate to a crisis situation.
About the Guest:
Dr. Robin Gabriels, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Gabriels has over 30 years’ experience developing intervention programs along with assessing and treating a variety of pediatric and adult populations. Dr. Gabriels established the Neuropsychiatric Special Care program at Children’s Hospital Colorado, one of the few nationally-recognized specialized psychiatric inpatient and day treatment units for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disabilities. Dr. Gabriels’ research efforts have focused on the ASD population for the past 22 years and for the past 12 years, her research has focused on evaluating the effects of human-animal interactions (HAI) on youth with ASD. Dr. Gabriels conducted the first large-scale NIH-funded randomized controlled trial of Therapeutic Horseback Riding on Children and Adolescents with Autism. In Jan 2020, Dr. Gabriels received a follow-up grant from the Eunice Kennedy Schriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the NIH to evaluate the physiological mechanisms of action relating to the immediate and long-term effects of therapeutic riding in children with ASD and co-existing psychiatric diagnoses.
Dr. Gabriels is a certified trainer for the “gold standard” ASD diagnostic tool, the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule). She has written articles and book chapters in the fields of autism, asthma, and art therapy, and has lectured and conducted workshops on ASD, both nationally and internationally. She has published two edited books, Autism: From Research to Individualized Practice, (2002) Jessica Kingsley Publishers and Growing Up with Autism:Working with School-Age Children and Adolescents (2007) Guilford Press.
Links to Mentioned Content:
Chapter written by Dr. Gabriels, A Model for Addressing Crisis Behavior in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder Within a Functional and Contextual Framework, in The Oxford Handbook of Autism and Co-Occurring Psychiatric Conditions
Assessment considerations upon hospitalization written by Dr. Gabriels and Dr. Siegel, Psychiatric Hospital Treatment of Children with Autism and Serious Behavioral Disturbance
The Autism & Developmental Disorders Inpatient Research Collaborative (ADDIRC), a research platform of specialized child psychiatry hospital units that serve children and adolescents with autism and developmental disorders.