Abstract
Purpose
Evidence-based intervention can significantly improve the trajectory of symptoms and overall outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), especially when implemented at an early age. However, families residing in rural communities experience barriers to accessing ASD-related services. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess how the provision of accessible caregiver psychoeducation related to new service acquisition for children recently diagnosed with ASD in rural Southwest Virginia.
Methods
Psychoeducation was delivered either live by a clinician (Live PE, n = 13 caregivers) or via paper materials (Paper PE, n = 10 caregivers) and included content on ASD epidemiology and symptoms, risk factors, evidence-based interventions, and navigating service systems. Survey data were collected from caregivers of 20 children to measure new service acquisition within six months following psychoeducation.
Results
Results indicated that 81.8% of children whose caregivers received Live PE obtained at least one new service within six months, compared to 55.6% of those whose caregivers received Paper PE. An independent samples t-test showed a significant difference in the number of new services obtained between groups, such that the Live PE group received over 2.5 times as many services as the Paper PE group.
Conclusion
Results suggest that psychoeducation, particularly delivered by a clinician, positively impacted service acquisition, and emphasize the clinical importance of personalized, accessible ASD psychoeducation for rural families. Future implications are discussed, including recommendations to evaluate the role of psychoeducation on service acquisition in larger samples.
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Acknowledgements
Research reported in this work was supported in part by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UL1TR003015. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. This project was also supported in part by grants/contracts from Autism Speaks and Commonwealth Autism. We would also like to acknowledge work by our outreach coordinator Jennifer Pollard Scott, and all of the families who participated.
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Angela Scarpa is an associate editor for Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. She was not involved in the editorial process for this manuscript. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to report.
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Martino, D.C., Bertollo, J.R. & Scarpa, A. Service Acquisition for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Rural Southwest Virginia: The Role of Caregiver Psychoeducation. J Autism Dev Disord (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06305-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06305-6