Examining Services for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Parent Satisfaction and Predictors of Service Utilization

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the fastest growing group of neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood. Earlier detection means an increased need for early intervention and other educational services. This study examined what services a sample of young children with ASD received, what variables predicted service utilization, and how satisfied parents were with the services. Sixty children (2–7 years) and their families from the Northwestern United States participated in the study. Results suggest that, on average, children received 13 hours of educational and therapeutic services per week, with younger children receiving fewer services than older children. Child age, atypical behavior, and family income predicted number of service hours received. Children’s adaptive behavior and autism symptoms did not predict service hours. Although services received were, by most standards, minimal and far below best practice recommendations, parents reported high satisfaction, especially for their toddlers and preschool-aged children. Implications and future directions are described.

Early Detection, Diagnosis and Intervention Services for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the European Union (ASDEU): Family and Professional Perspectives

“…The ages of detection, diagnosis and access to intervention reported by family members are markedly lower than those reported in some previous studies (Baio et al, 2018;Oswald, Haworth, Mackenzie, & Willis, 2017) but similar to those reported in others (Adelman & Kubiszyn, 2017;Daniels et al, 2017;McIntyre & Zemantic, 2017;Moh & Magiati, 2012). It is possible that the variation in families' reports of age at first access to services for children with ASD simply reflects differences in socio-economic status, since it has been observed that families with greater socio-economic resources enjoy better access to services and specialists.…”

Effects of a parent training using telehealth: Equity and access to early intervention for rural families

“…A functional relationship between the P-ESDM via telehealth intervention and parent fidelity of intervention strategies was demonstrated. This result is consistent with literature that telehealth can be used as a mechanism to deliver naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions and achieve positive child outcomes (McIntyre & Zemantic, 2017;Wainer & Ingersoll, 2015). In rural areas, equity and access to early intervention and parent coaching services can be a challenge (Olsen, Fiechtl, & Rule, 2012).…”

“…In this study, parent fidelity of implementation was shown to increase during the generalization and maintenance phases; a possible assurance that parents' sustained implementation may likely impact the child's developmental trajectory and targeted communication and social behaviors over time. This "real life" intensity of services is necessary for significant change in toddlers with ASD, and these results are congruent with other researchers who have demonstrated that parent involvement helps to facilitate generalization across environments (Brian et al, 2017;McIntyre & Zemantic, 2017;Wallace & Rogers, 2010).…”

“…Parent-mediated interventions can positively impact child outcomes, which speaks to the importance of individualized, evidence-based early intervention by parents as mediators and adequate interventionist coaching (Beaudoin, Sébire, & Couture, 2019;Fettig & Ostrosky, 2011). Recent studies have suggested that when parents are actively engaged in the treatment process and are coached to incorporate specific behavioral and developmental strategies into daily routines and family activities, then positive outcomes are achieved for young children with ASD (McIntyre & Zemantic, 2017). Likewise, researchers have demonstrated parent involvement helps to facilitate generalization across environments, thereby providing the "real life" intensity of services necessary for significant changes in many toddlers with ASD (Brian, Smith, Zwaigenbaum, & Bryson, 2017;McIntyre & Zemantic, 2017;Wallace & Rogers, 2010).…”

Service Use Classes Among School-aged Children From the Autism Treatment Network Registry

“…21 Children with ASD may use multiple services 17,19,22 ; however, little research has identified service use patterns and related characteristics among children with ASD. Rather, past research has been focused on specific services used (eg, psychotropic medication), [14][15][16][17][18][19]23,24 the number of services, 17 weekly service hours, 14,25,26 and/or certain combinations of services used (eg, behavioral intervention and schoolbased therapy). 22 Increased understanding of the services most likely to be used together and the characteristics associated with service use groups among children with ASD will provide a greater basis for studying health trajectories and help inform interventions that support shared decision-making about appropriate service use.…”