Name
#77 Bridging Barriers to Intervention Access for Children on the Autism Spectrum Using Digital Tools
Speakers
Content Presented on Behalf of
Other/Not Listed
Services/Agencies represented
Other/Not Listed
Session Type
Posters
Room#/Location
Prince Georges Exhibit Hall A/B
Focus Areas/Topics
Behavioral and Mental Health
Learning Outcomes
1. Describe barriers to care access that prevent many families of young children with autism from accessing timely care.
2. Overview the development of a digital tool to support ways to overcome barriers to care access for young children with autism and how this model can be translated to support military-connected children.
2. Overview the development of a digital tool to support ways to overcome barriers to care access for young children with autism and how this model can be translated to support military-connected children.
Session Currently Live
Description
CChildren on the autism spectrum benefit from early identification and early intervention. However, children and their families face extensive barriers to care access that can delay intervention for months, or years. Telehealth- enabled interventions to coach caregivers on early support strategies to promote social-communication and behavioral skills is a novel approach to shorten the wait time to the initial onset of intervention. The current study used a randomized control trial to examined a remote ASD evaluation and intervention package that was completed fully remotely, with synchronous telehealth and asynchronous learning modules, with a particular focus on recruiting children who resided in rural locations. 100 children who were waitlisted for either ASD evaluation or intervention and at least one caregiver were enrolled into the study, with both child outcomes (social-communication, behavioral needs, and service utilization) and caregiver outcomes (treatment acceptability, caregiver stress, and feelings of efficacy). Steps that our team is taking to translate this model for use with military-connected children, particularly for families residing in geographically dispersed or rural locations will be discussed.