Primary Care for Adults with Autism
When most people picture autism care, they picture a pediatrician's office. For decades, that has been where the attention, the research, and the specialized accommodations have lived. But autism is lifelong. The children who were diagnosed grew up, and many adults are being recognized for the first time later in life. What too often disappears as patients age out of pediatric care is a clinic actually built around how they experience the world.
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Adults with autism deserve primary care that fits them, and that requires more than good intentions. It requires more time, more flexibility, and a physical space that can be adjusted to each patient's sensory and communication needs.
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A clinic that can dim the lights, quiet the waiting room, and reshape the exam itself is not offering a luxury; it is offering access.
Knowing You Before You Arrive
The Autism Healthcare Accommodations Tool (AHAT)
One of the most useful things we can do happens before a patient ever sits down in our office. We invite every new patient to complete the Autism Healthcare Accommodations Tool (AHAT), a resource developed by the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE). The tool walks a patient through their own preferences and challenges and then generates a personalized accommodations report that they can share with us.
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That report tells us how a patient prefers to communicate, what sensory factors help or hinder them, and what tends to make a medical visit harder than it needs to be. Instead of asking someone to explain all of this on the spot, in an unfamiliar room, while also trying to manage a new environment, we already have a roadmap. We use it to tailor communication and sensory accommodations to each patient from the very first appointment, and we revisit it over time as needs change.
Unhurried Visits, In Person or Virtual
Good care for adults with autism cannot be rushed. We schedule in-person visits for 60 to 90 minutes, which gives both the patient and the clinical team room to breathe. That time allows for a slower pace, for breaks when they are needed, and for the flexibility to use exam and blood-draw methods that work for the person rather than forcing the individual to adapt to a standard ten-minute slot.
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We also recognize that the clinic itself is not always the right setting. Depending on a patient's preferences and needs, visits can be completed in person or virtually. For some, a video visit removes the sensory load of a waiting room and a new building entirely. For others, being seen in person is important and worth the extra accommodations. The goal is the same either way: a visit that is built around the patient, not the schedule.
Collaborative Exams
The physical exam is where many patients with autism have had their hardest healthcare experiences, so it is where we put the most care. Our exam room can be adjusted for low sensory input, with lighting and sound kept to whatever level is comfortable. We keep sensory headphones and earplugs on hand, along with fidgets, for anyone who finds them grounding.
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Before we begin, we explain what to expect. Using picture cards or other non-traditional communication methods, we walk through each step of the exam in advance so that nothing comes as a surprise. We tailor the level of physical contact to the person: some patients are most comfortable with light touch, while others strongly prefer deeper, firmer pressure. Small details matter here, so we warm the stethoscope before it touches skin, offer soft patient gowns, and can provide a weighted blanket during the exam for patients who find the added pressure calming. None of this is incidental. An exam done collaboratively, at the patient's pace and on the patient's terms, is an exam that actually gets done.
Picture card given to patients before otoscopy (looking in your ears)
A patient examines a stethoscope before her physical
Accommodations for Blood Draws
Blood draws are one of the most common sources of anxiety in any medical setting, and they deserve their own dedicated approach. We complete blood draws in our office with an experienced phlebotomist who is calm, patient, and comfortable taking the time each person needs. Fidgets and other distractions are available, and lidocaine numbing cream can be applied ahead of time to reduce the sensation of the needle.
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Just as important, we work out the small choices in advance, because they are not small to the patient. Some people want a clear warning right before the needle goes in; others would much rather not be told at all. We ask, we listen, and we follow the patient's lead. A blood draw done this way is not a battle to be endured; it is a routine task handled with respect.
Tell Us About You or Your Loved One
Adults with autism have gone too long without primary care designed for them. Unhurried visits with flexible scheduling, collaborative exams shaped around each person's sensory and communication needs, and blood draws handled with patience and choice, are not extraordinary measures. They are what accessible, respectful primary care looks like when it is built for the whole lifespan rather than just the early years. Autism does not end at adulthood, and neither should the care that meets it.
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Schedule a 30 minute (free!) consultation with Dr. Hutchinson to discuss care for yourself or your loved one. During the meeting you will discuss the type of care you are looking for and our direct care membership model.