Interprofessional roles to support psychotropic medication prescribing for ASD

Abstract

While developmental and behavioral interventions are the primary treatment methods for youth with ASD, psychotropic medications are often prescribed by psychiatrists, developmental-behavioral pediatricians, and sometimes primary care clinicians (PCCs) to manage co-occurring disorders and symptoms. To maximize the effectiveness of these medications, collaborations across family, medical, community, and school systems are needed. However, there are numerous barriers unique to interprofessional collaboration around psychotropic prescribing for children with ASD. As such, this chapter aims to discuss these unique barriers, outline models of interprofessional care, and describe specific interprofessional and collaborative roles between prescribers and non-prescribers to support effective psychotropic management for children with ASD.