Resources for Optimizing Outcomes in Toddlers on the Spectrum

Expediting Access to Autism Specific Intervention for Young Autistic Children Living in Rural North Carolina: a Pilot Study

The goal of this clinical trial is to assess whether telehealth-based Family Navigation (FN) expedites enrollment (e.g., reduces time in days) in community-based autism intervention for toddlers under the age of 4 living in Rural NC after their initial diagnosis of autism.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does Family Navigation decrease the time to initiation of intervention for rural toddlers with autism?

Does Family Navigation improve developmental outcomes at 18 months post-diagnosis of autism?

Does Family Navigation improve caregiver well-being?

Caregivers in the Family Navigation condition will receive 4 research-based individual sessions with a trained navigator to support them in identifying and enrolling in recommended autism early intervention services. All navigation sessions will be delivered virtually via phone/Zoom.

Researchers will compare participants who receive family navigation to participants who receive the standard of care (educational materials) to see if family navigation outperforms the standard of care.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children up to 48 months who have a new diagnosis of autism (within the last month) or who are waiting for a diagnosis of autism AND their caregiver.
• Live in North Carolina, in one of the 78 rural counties.
• Caregiver must be over the age of 18
• The caregiver must speak conversationally fluent English.

Exclusion Criteria:

• No access to a telephone or internet connection for phone calls or video conferencing.
• Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is ruled out in the child.