‘Life changer as a general adult psychiatrist’: delivering a National Autism Training Programme for Psychiatrists

Journal article

Autistic people are at high risk of mental health problems, yet psychiatrists report limited training and confidence with respect to autism. The National Autism Training Programme for Psychiatrists aimed to improve recognition and earlier diagnosis of autism and to promote reasonable adjustments and autism-informed practice. Over 1500 psychiatrists completed the foundation course, and over 250 undertook the enhanced course. Substantial improvements were observed in ten core autism-related competencies, alongside widespread reports of changes to individual clinical practice. The programme is among the largest autism training initiatives ever delivered to psychiatrists and provides important lessons for future programmes.

Authors: Davidson, C; Quinton, K; Raoof, A; Westgate, V; Alexander, RT

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Journal: BJPsych Bulletin More from this journal
• Pages: 1-7
• Publication date: 2026-10-10
• DOI: 10.1192/bjb.2026.10286
• EISSN: 2056-4708
• ISSN: 2056-4694
• Language: English
• Keywords: professional competence; training programme evaluation; autism diagnosis; reasonable accommodation; autism spectrum disorder; clinical practice change