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Improving Systems, Practices, and Outcomes

Specific Disability Populations and Children At-Risk

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Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a developmental disorder which includes individuals that have substantial differences in their social communication and behaviors. The diagnostic criteria, updated in 2013, by the American Psychiatric Association in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual defines the diagnostic criteria for ASD as "a child must have persistent deficits in each of three areas of social communication and interaction plus at least two of four types of restricted, repetitive behaviors".

Bringing the Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders Into Focus

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

See also: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Recursos en Español: Información Sobre el Autismo

Evidence-Based Practcies on Autism

The Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules (AFIRM)

The Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules (AFIRM) are available for free and are designed to help practitioners and families learn step-by-step, the process for planning, using, and monitoring evidence-based practices with autistic children and youth ages birth–22.

Developed in conjunction with the ECTA Center, these AFIRM for Toddlers modules are specifically designed for early interventionist working with families and early care providers. An introductory video provides a brief introduction to the set of modules:

  • Behavior Supports (BEH) for Toddlers may be appropriate to use resources and supports when toddler behaviors interfere with their engagement with caregivers, learning through play, participating in daily routines, or keeping themselves and others safe.
  • Naturalistic Intervention (NI) for Toddlers in the Childcare Setting is an evidence-based practice (EBP) consisting of a collection of techniques and strategies that are embedded in typical activities and/or routines in which the toddler participates to naturally promote, support, and encourage target skills/behaviors.
  • Parent Implemented-Intervention (PII) is an evidence-based practice that involves coaching parents or family members to deliver an intervention to their toddler within daily routines that promotes the toddler's target skills and behaviors.
  • Prompting Procedures (PP) for Toddlers are verbal, gestural, and/or physical assistance given to learners to help them in acquiring or engaging in a targeted behavior or skill.Adults generally give prompts before or as a toddler attempts to use a skill.
  • Reinforcement (R) for Toddlers is when caregivers promote the toddler's target skills/behaviors by providing an arranged consequence that occurs immediately after the toddler displays the target skill/behavior. It usually focuses on increasing the target skill or behavior. In such cases, the consequences should be natural and developmentally appropriate for toddlers (for example, favorite object, sensory play, preferred food).
  • Visual Supports (VS) for Toddlers are a set of evidence-based practices (EBPs) that use images, pictures or objects that cue the toddler to engage in a desired skill or behavior. They provide the toddler with meaningful information about an activity, routine, behavioral expectation, or skill.

Supplemental materials and resources associated with the modules are also available for download, including materials designed for use by caretakers, some of which have been translated or adapted into a number of languages:

See also: Learn with AFIRM

Evidence-Based Practices for Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Autism (2020)

With the increased the increased prevalence of autism, there has been an intensified demand for effective educational and therapeutic services. A 2020 update to the 2014 report, Evidence-based Practices for Children and Adults with ASD, describes a set of practices that provide clear evidence of positive effects on children and youth with autism.

Five new practices and several reconceptualizations/recategorizations of practices that positively impact children and youth with autism are identified in the report. Also, for the first time, new demographic data related to the study participants' race, ethnicity and nationality are highlighted.

See also: FPG National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice

Interdisciplinary Technical Assistance Center (ITAC) on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (AUCD)

The purpose of the Interdisciplinary Technical Assistance Center (ITAC) on Autism and Developmental Disabilities at AUCD is to improve the health of infants, children, and adolescents who have, or are at risk for developing, ASDs and other developmental disabilities. The Center accomplishes this by providing technical assistance to interdisciplinary training programs (i.e., the LENDs and Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP) programs) to better train professionals to utilize valid and reliable screening tools to diagnose or rule out and provide evidence-based interventions for children with ASD and other developmental disabilities.

IRIS: Autism Spectrum Disorder Modules

This module from the IRIS Center, provides information on the early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as an overview of the difference between a medical diagnosis and an educational determination of ASD.

Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee

The Children's Health Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-310), Title I, Section 104, mandated the establishment of an Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) to coordinate autism research and other efforts. The National Institute of Mental Health at the National Institutes of Health has been designated the lead for this activity. Members of IACC include agencies across departments and parents or legal guardians of individuals with autism or other pervasive developmental disorders.

See also: 2018 Summary of Advances in Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practices (NCAEP)

NCAEP has published Evidence-Based Practices for Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (2020), a systematic review of the current intervention literature that targets individuals with autism. NCAEP's review is a continuation of the evidence review that was completed by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders (NPDC) which included research published as of 2011. The current review extends the literature review up until 2017 and updates the review published by Wong, et al in 2015. NCAEP identified five new evidence-based practices (EBPs) in this review, bringing the total number of evidence-based practices to 28. The review also classified a number of evidence-based practices as Manualized Interventions Meeting Criteria (MIMC)and provided a chart indicating which evidence-based practices the MIMCs were included.

See also: FPG researchers find five new evidence-based practices for children and youth with autism, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (January 2021)

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIMH's Topical page on ASD on includes Signs and Symptoms of ASD, Causes and Risk Factors, Diagnosing ASD, and Treatments and Therapies, along with other topics.

Child Maltreatment

See: Child Maltreatment: Referral Requirements under CAPTA and IDEA

Communication Disorders

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

The Identify the Signs campaign provides materials to support earlier identification of speech/language, hearing loss and communication disorders. These materials include:

Deaf-Blindness/Combined Vision and Hearing Loss

The National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB)

The National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) is a technical assistance center funded by the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. NCDB works to improve the quality of life for children who are Deaf-Blind and their families. National initiatives include:

Deaf/Hard of Hearing

See also: Early Hearing Detection, and Intervention Program (EHDI) and Early Intervention

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

Implementation Tip Sheet: Promoting Early Hearing Detection and Intervention is written for primary pediatric health care providers. It provides timelines for the 1, 3, 6 benchmarks of the EHDI program with checklists and screening algorithms for the birth to 6-month period to ensure that screening, surveillance, referral, and intervention occurs at appropriate times. The tip sheet includes recommendations, resources for pediatric practices, links to NCHAM's list of state EHDI Coordinators, and resources for families.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

HRSA administers the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program and provides grants to states, territories, families, and providers In order to develop coordinated systems of care. The goal is early identification of newborns, infants and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing in order to get needed services.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

Office of Special Education Programs and Civil Rights Division of Department of Justice

National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM)

NCHAM provides extensive resources for families of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing and for those who provide their services. Their website also includes a table of EHDI Program Guidelines and Websites by State.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

Identify the Signs is ASHA's campaign that provides materials to support earlier identification of speech/language, hearing loss and communication disorders, including Know the Signs of Hearing Loss.

Hands & Voices

Hands & Voices (H&V) is a non-profit, parent-driven organization that supports families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Non-biased about communication methodologies, H&V believes that families can make the best choices for their children through access to good information and support. H&V provides thought leadership in health, education and parenting arenas, and works with families and supporting systems such as hearing screening, identification, early intervention, school-age, and transition from high school. See all the work that H&V is involved in.

  • The Family Leadership in Language and Learning Center (FL3) at H&V is a technical resource center for parents and caregivers of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Its goal is to increase family engagement and leadership, and strengthen family support in Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) systems of care to enable families to optimize language, literacy, and social-emotional development. Work of the FL3 includes technical assistance, training and education, resource development, quality improvement methodology and evaluation, and policy initiatives.
  • Off to a Great Start! provides resources to support the early intervention journey for families of children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, including:
  • The Hands & Voices Virtual Waiting Room: This site was created for families with children who have been referred to or are in the care of an audiologist and who are receiving those services through technology or "telehealth".

Fragile X

Learning Disabilities

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Development

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Development has an informational page on Learning Disabilities that describes Learning Disabilities and the signs, diagnosis, treatment options, studies and resources for parents and professionals.

Mental Health and Challenging Behaviors

Office of Special Education Programs

  • The report, Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Needs, from the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), highlights seven challenges and seven recommendations to enhancing children's and students' mental health and well-being.
  • National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations assists states and programs to implement the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children (Pyramid Model) within early intervention and early education programs. The focus in on promoting the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of young children birth to five, reducing the use of inappropriate discipline practices, promoting family engagement, using data for decision-making, integrating early childhood and infant mental health consultation and fostering inclusion.

National Head Start Technical Assistance Centers

Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center: Mental Health provides information on a variety of topics related to social emotional development including the following pages:

Prenatal Exposure to Substances

See: Young Children Exposed Prenatally to Substances and Their Families

Visual Impairments

Office of Special Education Programs

Eligibility Determinations for Children with a visual impairment (2017) is a memorandum policy letter from OSEP that provides additional guidance to assist states with supporting their local education agencies in reaching appropriate eligibility determinations for children with a visual impairment disability, including blindness. Links to resources are included to help states examine their procedures that relate to the identification and evaluation of children with this disability.

Prevent Blindness

Prevent Blindness: Your Baby's Developing Sight: Vision problems affect one in 20 preschoolers and one in four school-age children. Untreated eye problems can worsen and lead to other serious problems as well as affect learning ability, personality and adjustment in school.

Zika Virus

Centers for Disease Control

The Centers for Disease Control maintains a page on Congenital Zika Syndrome and Other Birth Defects. It includes an overview of Zika-associated birth defects, timing Zika in pregnancy, Zika symptoms and birth defects, statistics on Zika infections in the US, and links to resources to support families.

See also: eNotes on Zika Virus