The alarming increase in the rate of diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has put pressure on publicly funded services to meet the needs of these children and their families. Intensive behavioural interventions for preschoolers with ASD have good research support, showing that they improve children's language and problem-solving, as well as everyday functioning. However, they are costly and many provinces struggle with high demands for services. As the number of children with ASD rises, policy makers require evidence regarding which programs may be the best value for children and families. Across Canada, intervention programs for preschoolers with ASD differ in many ways, including which children are eligible, how therapy is delivered, and which government department provides the funding. Our team of researchers and policy makers conducted the 'Preschool Autism Treatment Impact' (PATI) study, the first prospective comparison of different ASD interventions in Canada. We compared the behavioural intervention program funded by Health and Wellness in Nova Scotia to the one funded by Education and Early Childhood Development in New Brunswick. Our PATI study gathered critical information about children's everyday functioning and behaviour, as well as costs of intervention and services to the public sector and families. Our results are key evidence for decision-makers allocating funds for ASD services. This grant will enable the production of a video and other multimedia resources to share our study results with each of the important groups concerned about services for children with ASD. These include families of children with ASD, policy makers, ASD advocacy organizations, clinical service providers, and researchers. This would allow us to accomplish our goal of providing research evidence to improve policy and practice related to early intervention for ASD.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
