Autism Spectrum Disorders Co-Occurring Conditions and Substance Misuse
Live Event

Autism Spectrum Disorders Co-Occurring Conditions and Substance Misuse

Fri, May 30th, 2025
11:00am – 2:15pm US Eastern Time
Skip to Event Registration Info

About the Event

As the prevalence and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder continues to increase, it is relevant to have an understanding of the multi-faceted nature of this condition. Individuals with autism have a high propensity to develop other co-occurring conditions that impact their lives and their overall quality of life. High rates of mental health conditions and substance use disorders have been found among individuals with autism. The increased prevalence of substance use and misuse among the autistic population warrants awareness, screening, and tailored services and clinical support. This webinar will provide a foundation of autism, discuss common co-occurring conditions, and explore substance use and abuse realities.

Live Event
This live online event will be held as a Zoom Webinar. Attendees will have the option to interact through features such as the Chat and Q&A, but cameras and microphones will not be enabled.

Live Event Instructor

Christina Marsack-Topolewski

Christina Marsack-Topolewski

Dr. Christina Marsack-Topolewski is an associate professor of Social Work in the College of Health and Human Services at Eastern Michigan University. Dr. Marsack-Topolewski received her PhD in Social Work with a dual title in Gerontology from Wayne State University. She has worked with individuals with various intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for 20 years. Her research focuses on individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities, their caregivers, advance care planning, the service delivery model, and service utilization. She has over 90 publications in national and international journals and encyclopedias, mainly focusing on individuals with IDDs, caregiving, as well as services and supports. In addition, she has presented her work locally, nationally, and internationally.

Target Audience

This live interactive webinar is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, MFT's and Addiction Professionals.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Define the characteristics and variance in the manifestation of autism.
  2. 2 Identify common co-occurring mental health conditions among individuals with autism.
  3. 3 Describe the substance use and abuse realities relevant to individuals with autism.

Anderson, S. A. R., & Catallozzi, M. (2021). Autism spectrum disorder and the risk of substance use disorder: a call for targeted screening and prevention in adolescents. JAMA pediatrics, 175(2), e205376-e205376. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.5376

Haasbroek, H., & Morojele, N. (2022). A systematic literature review on the relationship between autism spectrum disorder and substance use among adults and adolescents. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 9(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-021-00242-1

Kunreuther, E. (2021). Autism spectrum disorder and substance use disorder: a dual diagnosis hiding in plain sight. Psychiatric Clinics, 44(1), 35-49. DOI: 10.1016/j.psc.2020.11.004

Marsack-Topolewski, C. N., & Chan, K. T. (2024). The relationship of opioid misuse and suicidality among adolescents with disabilities. Families in Society, 10443894241229168. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044389424122916

Ressel, M., Thompson, B., Poulin, M. H., Normand, C. L., Fisher, M. H., Couture, G., & Iarocci, G. (2020). Systematic review of risk and protective factors associated with substance use and abuse in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Autism, 24(4), 899-918. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320910963

Walhout, S. J., Zanten, J. V., DeFuentes-Merillas, L., Sonneborn, C. K., & Bosma, M. (2022). Patients with autism spectrum disorder and co-occurring substance use disorder: a clinical intervention study. Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment, 16, 11782218221085599. https://doi.org/10.1177/11782218221085599

Weir, E., Allison, C., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2021). Understanding the substance use of autistic adolescents and adults: a mixed-methods approach. The Lancet Psychiatry, 8(8), 673-685. DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00160-7

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty

There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Use our CE Approvals tool to look up your state requirements and how can help you meet them, or log in to your member account to show approvals relevant to your licensure.

Joint Accreditation (JA)

3 IPCE CE credit hours General
3 Psychologist CE credit hours General
3 Social Worker CE credit hours Clinical
Eligible until May 31st, 2025
In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems, LLC, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
More Info
Logo: Jointly Accredited Provider (tm) - Interprofessional Continuing Education

American Psychological Association (APA)

3 CE credit hours Clinical
Eligible until May 31st, 2025
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
More Info
Logo: American Psychological Association

Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB ACE)

3 CE credit hours Clinical
Eligible until May 31st, 2025
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, CE Learning Systems LLC is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credit(s).
More Info
Logo: ASWB ACE approved continuing education

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2025
CE Learning Systems has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5951. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE Learning Systems is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 3 NBCC hour(s) awarded.
More Info
Logo: Approved Education Provider - NBCC

NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2025
This course has been approved by CE Learning Systems, service provider of Impact CE, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #192243, CE Learning Systems is responsible for all aspects of their programming.
More Info
NAADAC Approved Education Provider

Florida Certification Board (FCB)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2025
Impact CE, a service of CE learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Certification Board (FCB) to offer continuing education programs (Provider # 5069A).
More Info

Missouri Credentialing Board (MCB)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2025
AddictionCounselorCE is an approved provider of the Missouri Substance Abuse Professional Credentialing Board (Provider #101). AddictionCounselorCE maintains responsibility for this course and its contents.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Social Work

3 contact hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2025
CE Learning Systems, LLC, (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers. Provider #0060.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Creative Arts Therapy (NYSEDCAT)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2025
CE Learning Systems (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0008
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Mental Health Counseling

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2025
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Psychologists

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2025
CE Learning Systems, LLC, (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for psychologists, # PSY-0016.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Marriage and Family Therapy

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2025
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0045.
More Info

Virginia Certification Board (VCB)

3 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2025
Virginia Certification Board educational provider # 106
More Info

Event Agenda

Agenda times are listed in US Eastern Time. That is 3 hours later than US Pacific Time. The event starts at 8:00am US Pacific Time.

11:00 - 11:20am - Introduction and Orientation
11:20 - 11:40am - Description of autism and varying manners in its manifestation
11:40 - 12:00pm - Autism, co-occurring conditions, and prevalence of substance misuse
12:00 - 12:15pm - Multi-faceted nature of autism among those misusing substances 
12:15 - 12:30pm - Unique considerations of misuse among this population

12:30 - 12:45pm - BREAK

12:45 - 1:05pm - Understanding substance misuse among populations with autism 
1:05 - 1:50pm - Screening, supporting, and treating populations with autism misusing substances
1:50 - 2:00pm - Resources and support materials 
2:00 - 2:15pm - Recap and Q&A

Policies

If a grievance arises pertaining to your participation in our continuing education activities, please contact our support team immediately. See our full grievance policy for more information.

ADA accommodations will be made in accordance with the law; please indicate your special needs when you register by contacting us.

Up to 30 days prior to the event, live event registrations may be canceled for a refund via the current courses tab in your member account. Less than 30 days prior to the event, live event registration purchases are not eligible for a refund, but can be transferred to a different event. Please contact our support team for assistance with changing your registration.

  • This is a live event, hosted via Zoom Webinar. you may be prompted to download or upgrade your Zoom app if using a mobile device. A strong WiFi/internet connection will be required for best quality.

  • We recommend clicking your "Join Webinar" button early and checking that your speakers are on before the event begins. Please do not worry about being seen or heard! Attendee video feeds and mics are turned off by default when entering a webinar. You will be able to ask questions via the Q&A feature. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page .

  • Please respect that no copying, recording, or distribution of live session content is allowed.

We report all course and event completions to CE Broker. If your licensing board uses CE Broker for CE tracking, please be sure to enter your correct license information in your account.

If you need to cancel your registration for a webinar, please contact our support team for assistance prior to the event. Please note our refund policy, above.

If the activity must be cancelled by the provider, all attendees will receive an email notifying them of the cancellation. The email will also provide details about transferring the registration to another educational activity or receiving a refund of the registration fee. As always, you can contact our support team if you have questions or concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you register, you'll receive an email with the link and instructions to join the live event. The event will be hosted via Zoom. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page We recommend logging in 10-15 minutes early to be sure your connection is ready.

Most live events are recorded and made available to registered participants for a limited time after the event. Check your event materials for specific details about recording availability.

Certificates for live events are typically available within shortly after the event concludes, as soon as attendance verification is completed. You'll receive an email notification when your certificate is ready to download.

If the event is recorded, you may be able to access the recording after the live session. Contact support for information about makeup options for your specific event.

If you need to withdraw 30 or more days before the event, you can do this your self from your current courses tab.

Start your CE Journey now - complete your first course today, on us.

Try for free - no commitment required.

Start a Free Trial Course

Continuing Education

Copyright © 2026 CE Learning Systems LLC

Please Confirm