TY - JOUR
AU - K. Tang
AU - C. Thompson
AU - E. Hill
AU - E. Pellicano
AU - P. Wan
AU - B. Myers
A1 - 
AB - 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.
AD - Curtin School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.; Curtin enAble Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.; Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK.; Mental Health, Alcohol, Substance Use and Tobacco Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, South Africa.; Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
AN - 41340547
BT - Child Care Health Dev
C5 - Healthcare Disparities
CP - 1
DA - Jan
DO - 10.1111/cch.70201
DP - NLM
IS - 1
JF - Child Care Health Dev
LA - eng
N2 - 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.
PY - 2026
SN - 0305-1862
SP - e70201
ST - Barriers to and Enablers of the Transition From Child to Adult Mental Health Services for Autistic Young People and/or Those With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Scoping Review
T1 - Barriers to and Enablers of the Transition From Child to Adult Mental Health Services for Autistic Young People and/or Those With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Scoping Review
T2 - Child Care Health Dev
TI - Barriers to and Enablers of the Transition From Child to Adult Mental Health Services for Autistic Young People and/or Those With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Scoping Review
U1 - Healthcare Disparities
U3 - 10.1111/cch.70201
VL - 52
VO - 0305-1862
Y1 - 2026
ER -