Autism Adaptive Community-Based Treatment to Improve Outcomes Using Navigators (ACTION) Network

One of the greatest challenges in autism treatment is how to bridge the health care science-to-service gap and address disparities in access to evidence-based early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder. This project will establish a new interdisciplinary network of eight institutions to blend implementation and clinical effectiveness research designs, with an overarching aim to study the individual and combined effects of three intervention components: 1) Infusing mobile technology for professional development and family education using the Autism Navigator collection of web-based courses and tools; 2) Engaging families to access resources and support when they first learn their child has autism spectrum disorder, using a brief engagement intervention by community healthcare workers as family navigators to accelerate access to care; and 3) Coaching families to embed evidence-based intervention strategies in everyday activities using the Early Social Interaction Parent Coaching model to improve outcomes for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder.

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