ABSTRACT Background Many autistic young people and/or those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have co‐occurring mental health conditions. These individuals can experience significant challenges when transitioning from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adult mental health services (AMHS). However, barriers and enablers to the transition from CAMHS to AMHS are poorly understood for this population. This scoping review sought to synthesise the available evidence on barriers and enablers to the transition from CAMHS to AMHS for autistic young people and/or those with ADHD. Methods Arksey and O'Malley's six‐step framework for scoping reviews was used to map out the evidence available and report the findings with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines (PRISMA‐ScR). Electronic databases of Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus and ProQuest Central were searched for relevant studies published in English with no date limitations. The review included studies that focused on young people with a primary diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or ADHD (population) and their care transition barriers and/or enablers (concept) from CAMHS to AMHS (context). A socioecological framework informed data extraction and narrative synthesis of data on barriers and enablers to transition. Results This review identified 1677 studies, of which 66 proceeded to full‐text screening, and 10 were included. Most studies focused on institutional‐level transition barriers, including poor communication between CAMHS and AMHS and lack of clarity about their role in the transition process. Involvement of the neurodivergent young person in decision‐making processes about their mental health care and clinicians who tailored their approaches to the needs of the neurodivergent young person emerged as key enablers of a positive transition experience. Studies largely failed to examine community and policy‐related barriers to mental health care transitions. Most studies examined the perspectives of providers or carers, with only five representing the perspectives of neurodivergent people. Conclusion Young people who are autistic and/or have ADHD experience many barriers to their transition from CAMHS to AMHS; however, few studies have examined barriers and enablers to the service transition process.
Tang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.