Health Priority: Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Australian Context

This report focuses on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a significant health priority, particularly within the Australian context. It begins by defining ASD as a neurological disorder affecting communication, social interaction, and behavior, and highlights its prevalence. The report delves into the soci...Read More

Running head: ASSESSMENT TASK 1
NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

ASSESSMENT TASK 11
Health priority is a collective effort of the global and national healthcare facilities to
provide equal, adequate and best quality care to the people around them (Kohl et al., 2012).
Ensuring this wide health coverage irrespective of other facts helps to achieve the health
objectives decided by the World Health Organization as the sustainable development goals.
Today’s world is interconnected and therefore, public health emergency in one country spreads
to another rapidly (Hastings, 2012). Hence, these healthcare emergencies are designated as
health priority because when the countrymen are healthy and free from disease, the country
benefits (Anderson et al., 2012). Autism is one of the health priorities in Australia and the
Australian government is taking important steps to provide necessary care to those affected
people so that collective improvement can be achieved. According to data from Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare (2017), Autism spectrum disorder is one of the health priority
area as 1 in every 150 Australian children is affected with autism. Further, it also provides the
information that more than 85% of autism affected people are under low socio-economic status
(Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017). Therefore, in this assignment, Autism will be
discussed as the health priority and will discuss the health determinants and risk factors of this
disorder. Further, healthcare promotion strategies for the improved health outcomes will
discussed in the context of Australian society.
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological disorder that affects the communication and
social interaction skills as well as restricts the individual with repetitive pattern of actions and
activities (Castañeda et al., 2015). There are several social determinants of autism spectrum
disorder including parent’s socio-economic status, their education level and to some extent race
or ethnicity that affects the improvement of the autistic condition of health (Rivard et al., 2014).
Further as discussed in previous section, people in low and middle income countries people do

ASSESSMENT TASK 12
not believe that autism spectrum disease can be treated with pharmacological treatments and
therefore they apply mental healthcare interventions which are ineffective in this situation. The
risk factor of autism includes genetic and environmental factors (Russell et al., 2012). Further,
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, fragile X-syndrome, learning disability, down syndrome,
tuberous sclerosis, emotional dysregulation are few of the risk factors associated with this
disease. Further, this disorders affects the five elements of wellbeing, which are career, social,
emotional, physical and community wellbeing (Veenstra-VanderWeele et al., 2012). Within
these, emotional wellbeing holds major importance, as due to autistic condition, individual with
autism become anxious, conscious and confused as their language disability, learning disability,
social understanding of relationships, sensory development and imagination is affected due to
this disorder. Therefore, they are not being able to clearly express their emotions and comfort or
discomfort affecting their social as well as physical wellbeing (Rivard et al., 2014). Furthermore,
due to autism spectrum, affected individuals are unable to make decision regarding their personal
hygiene, sexuality, physical changes moreover females affected with autism are not being able to
maintain their female health needs. Therefore, their physical, mental and social wellbeing is
affected (Veenstra-VanderWeele et al., 2012).
According to the governmental data of Australia, in June 2016, there were more than
75,000 children aged from 0 to 15 years affected with autism spectrum disorder. Further, the
maximum number of affected children were seen in the age group of 5 to 14 years of age.
Further, according to Elsabbagh et al., (2012), the boys are at higher risk as compared to girls in
case of autism spectrum disease. Researchers Castañeda et al., (2015), described the occurrence
sex ratio 4:1 (male: female) by including 52 girls and 273 boys receiving autism care in their
study. Further from the conducted study they identified that there are phonotypical difference

ASSESSMENT TASK 13
between the male and female autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, such difference in sex ratio
are been observed in the target population of Autism spectrum disorder. In the framework of
wellbeing, individuals affected with autism are more exposed to environmental and social
stressors that normal healthy individuals, as these stressors triggers their emotional well-being
and social relationship affecting their mental health condition (Elsabbagh et al.,2012).
In 2014, May, the World Health Organization took a resolution regarding autism that
states that the organization will take comprehensive and coordinated efforts to manage the
autism spectrum disorder around the world and this resolution was supported by more than 60
countries. According to this resolution the efforts were directed to increase the world’s
commitment and engaging respective governments for the advocacy of autism. Further, it
decided to create guidelines and frameworks so that nations can create policies and action plans
so that addressing autism as a mental health priority becomes easier. Moreover, the organization
also helped the associated countries by providing evidences and effective strategies so
assessment and treatment and its associated disorders. The strategies and action plans that should
be implemented are inducing the communication related to autism in the society so that the taboo
of mental healthcare can be minimized. Further, preparing the society for autism emergency,
increasing their adaptability to environmental change and using positive behavior to support will
help to create a situation that will help to promote the autism spectrum in the society (Kumar &
Preetha, 2012). For this purpose, the 4 action plans should be followed including clarity,
consistency, simplicity and continuation. the health promotion program and its team members
should be clear about the action plan strategies, target area and the flow of the process,
expectations and procedure so that the process becomes easier. Further, the team members
should maintain consistency regarding the intervention and approaches and maintain simplicity

ASSESSMENT TASK 14
in description and practical work flow so that associated people can follow the process (Ayo,
2012). Finally, continuous communication and understanding should be maintained throughout
the process so that management of such a difficult program becomes easier. Continuous positive
support and adaptive skills will help in improving social context about autism and people will
contribute to help the affected individuals rapidly (Rivard et al., 2014).
For development of a successful and effective health promotion plan, the Ottawa Charter
of health promotion related strategies implemented by World Health Organization should be
followed (Kumar & Preetha, 2012). The WHO driven health promotion plan discusses about five
key actions such as building of healthy public policy, creating supporting environment for health,
strengthening action of communities related to health, developing personal skills and reorient the
health services of the key disorder with three basic strategies including enabling, mediating and
advocating (Ayo, 2012). Therefore, through these healthcare policies and strategies, the Ottawa
Charter of health promotion describes the health promotion as the positive influential process
that affect the health behavior of individuals and communities so that their health can be
improved. The health promotional campaign for Autism should also follow the Ottawa charter
regarding the health promotion so that by complying with the strategies, influencing society to
face the health priority with determination can be achieved (Kumar & Preetha, 2012). Further,
people can be taught that autism affected individuals deserve pharmacological interventions than
mental healthcare treatment as this is a neurological disorder than can be controlled to some
extent (Ayo, 2012).
Health promotional programs are important aspect to spread the health related literacy in
the population and create an awareness in the society so that people can seek healthcare

ASSESSMENT TASK 15
intervention in case of such situation. Autism is a disease that affects maximum of the middle
and lower income countries due to the variation in socio-economic status, exposure to
environmental stressors and pressure of social constructs (Schulz & Nakamoto, 2013). Due to
these, the general conceptualization of people has affected as people discriminate the affected
individuals as mental patients and do not provide them with their fundamental human rights.
Hence, the need of health promotional programs for autism becomes important. According to
Obrusnikova and Miccinello (2012), arrangement of health promotional program will help to
create a general awareness in the society and a development will be noticed if the society absorbs
that positives form the health promotional program. However, Kasari and Smith (2013) thinks
that instead of health promotional programs governments should focus on implementing modern
and developed interventions so that autistic condition can be treated, but without a successful
health promotional campaign, it is not possible. According to Hinckson et al., (2013), health
promotional campaign changes the social norms by challenging the stereotypical thinking of
people and enlighten them by changing their views regarding a disorder, that ultimately helps the
people affected with the disease (Schulz & Nakamoto, 2013). Further, utilizing health
promotional program for autism will help the nation to change the mental state of parents by
influencing them to use pharmacological interventions for their children instead of mental
healthcare treatments. Further, people will come out of their home instead of feeling shameful or
conscious regarding their health status and will seek medical assistance for such disorder
(Hinckson et al., 2013).
While concluding the assignment, it should be mentioned that wellbeing is not just
associated with physical health, but social, mental emotional, economic and communication
related wellbeing are also a part of health. Health priority is a category, under which global and

ASSESSMENT TASK 16
national healthcare facilities put some healthcare situations that need continuous assessment and
help from the government as well as society. In this assignment, discussion about autism was at
the center and all the social determinants of autism were discussed with possible risk factors of
the disease. Further, the target group of the disease with rationale was discussed and the
components of wellbeing it affects was discussed. Further, the strategies and action plan for a
successful health promotional program regarding autism spectrum disease was discussed

ASSESSMENT TASK 17
References
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