Assessing Community Needs for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of Rural/Frontier Needs Through Community Outreach With Developmental Pediatrics.

Early intervention is known to improve long-term outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Access barriers to care limit timely engagement with supportive services. This report characterized the community needs and supportive services for children and families with suspected or diagnosed ASD. Families and providers participating in outreach clinics identified available services and their attitudes about support for ASD diagnosis. Chart reviews provided referral history, insurance, and current services. Children were nearly 6 years old, 95% of families relied on public health insurance, whereas 50% reported traveling 11 miles or greater for supportive services. Most providers (83%) were medically trained in primary care and placed 1-5 referrals per month to a tertiary referral hospital. Providers reported travel difficulty as the primary reason for referring patients for evaluation. Multiple barriers for supportive services were identified, highlighting the importance to increase the capacity and availability of local ASD supportive services.

Evaluating Social Interactions Using the Autism Screening Instrument for Education Planning-3rd Edition (ASIEP-3): Interaction Assessment in Children and Adults with Fragile X Syndrome.

An efficient and direct measure of social interactions and autism symptoms is needed for fragile X syndrome (FXS) research and clinical care. The Autism Screening Instrument for Educational Planning-Third Edition (ASIEP-3) Interaction assessment is a brief standardized measure that quantifies social responses under different conditions. The feasibility and validity of the ASIEP-3 was evaluated in 26 males and 13 females with FXS, along with cognitive testing and behavior questionnaires. The videos were scored at 10-second intervals, and the observed behaviors were scored as an interaction, independent play, no response, or aggression. In total, 39/41 participants successfully completed the ASIEP-3 (age M = 14.4 ± 10.2), with a range of cognitive abilities (abbreviated IQ (ABIQ) M = 58.9 ± 17.3, median = 50), behaviors (Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) Total M = 37.00 ± 27.3), and autism diagnoses (N = 22/39). Reliable administration was demonstrated by all team members. The mean coded behaviors included interaction (40.6%), independent play (36.8%), no response (21.1%), and aggressive behavior (<10%). The interaction score was negatively correlated with the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) score (p = 0.037), and the profiles differed by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranged from 0.79 to 0.93 for master's level and above. Administration of the ASIEP-3 was feasible for FXS across sex, age, ability, and behavior ratings by a trained research team. Reliable scoring required advanced training in the assessment of social development and FXS experience. The scores correlated to ratings and diagnoses of ASD. The ASIEP-3 shows promise to reliably index social interactions in FXS.