17.4 FROM KNOWLEDGE TO PRACTICE, PUTTING BEST PRACTICES INTO PLACE IN THE CLINIC AND WARDS

McGuire, Kelly

Objectives: At the conclusion of the lecture, attendees will: 1) understand how to implement best practices in the mental health care of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID);2) review how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected mental health services for individuals with ASD/ID;and 3) develop expertise in utilization of telepsychiatry to enhance training opportunities to increase exposure of child and adolescent psychiatry fellows to individuals with ASD/ID across treatment settings. Methods: Kelly McGuire, MD, MPA, will discuss several training services developed to: 1) implement best practices in the mental health care of individuals with ASD/ID;and 2) increase child and adolescent psychiatry fellow’s clinical competency in working with this population across treatment settings (including outpatient psychiatry, inpatient psychiatry, and psychiatric consultation-liaison). Dr. McGuire will also discuss how these services were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to telepsychiatry. Results: Dr. McGuire will review the need for and development of an outpatient consultation service, a short-term psychiatry outpatient clinic, and a consultation-liaison service for individuals with ASD/ID. Dr. McGuire will present the substantial increase in demand for all of these services post–COVID-19 shutdown, and how telepsychiatry allowed for the services to be maintained and even increased the capacity of providers to meet these needs during the shutdown. Conclusions: There are many opportunities across treatment settings for child and adolescent psychiatry to meet the needs of individuals with ASD/ID. The integration of psychiatry fellows on these teams can increase trainees’ experience in caring for this population. Telepsychiatry has the potential to facilitate and improve these opportunities, thereby increasing access to mental health services for this population. ASD, CON, TVM