Saturday, May 22, 2010
Franklin Hall B Level 4 (Philadelphia Marriott Downtown)
10:00 AM
Background: Access to quality mental health services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is crucial to their later outcomes and quality of life (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001). Unfortunately, access to these important services is somewhat limited, especially for individuals living in rural areas (Chen, Liu, Su, Huang, & Kim, 2008). This is despite evidence that early identification and early intervention (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2001; Rickards, Walstab, Wright-Rossi, Simpson & Reddihough, 2009) have substantial impacts on the individual’s acquisition of important skills, such as social skills, language, and communication methods.
Currently, research indicates disparities exist between the number of available mental health professionals in rural areas compared to their urban counterparts (Baldwin et al., 2006). Further, there is initial research findings demonstrate that individuals with ASD are often diagnosed at a later age than their urban counterparts (Chen et al., 2008; Mandell, Novak & Zubritsky, 2009). Current research suggests that for children with ASD living in rural areas, access to services may be limited due to shortages of professionals in these areas. Further, the quality of the services they receive may be limited by the nature of their ability to access these services.
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to compare the quality of preschool services received by children with ASD in early childhood (ages 3 to 4 years) in rural areas. Quality of services will be measured through information obtained through family interviews and teacher surveys, which will be used to assess the congruence of these services with best practices for this population. It is predicted that children with ASD living in rural areas will have access to lower quality of services than those living in urban areas.
Methods: This study will use existing data from a multi-state study conducted through the National Early Childhood Transition Center. While this data set includes children with a variety of disabilities (age 0 - 6 years), data analysis will be focused on children who have a diagnosis of Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and PDD-NOS who are exiting public preschool services. The independent variable in this study is the area or region in which the child with ASD lives in (i.e., rural versus urban). The dependent variable in this study is the quality of services the individual with ASD receives. Rurality of the area or community the individual lives in will be established from the zip code in which they report residing in. Rurality of a county will be determined using the Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (Butler & Beale, 1993).
Results: To address the predictions posed by the study, a Univariate One-Way Analysis of Covariance will be used. Socio-economic status will serve as a covariate.
Conclusions: The results from this study will provide information regarding the current environment and quality of services received by children with ASD in rural areas. Further, the findings may highlight the current disparities between rural and urban regions, and provide evidence for the need of the improvement of the services available to this population.
Currently, research indicates disparities exist between the number of available mental health professionals in rural areas compared to their urban counterparts (Baldwin et al., 2006). Further, there is initial research findings demonstrate that individuals with ASD are often diagnosed at a later age than their urban counterparts (Chen et al., 2008; Mandell, Novak & Zubritsky, 2009). Current research suggests that for children with ASD living in rural areas, access to services may be limited due to shortages of professionals in these areas. Further, the quality of the services they receive may be limited by the nature of their ability to access these services.
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to compare the quality of preschool services received by children with ASD in early childhood (ages 3 to 4 years) in rural areas. Quality of services will be measured through information obtained through family interviews and teacher surveys, which will be used to assess the congruence of these services with best practices for this population. It is predicted that children with ASD living in rural areas will have access to lower quality of services than those living in urban areas.
Methods: This study will use existing data from a multi-state study conducted through the National Early Childhood Transition Center. While this data set includes children with a variety of disabilities (age 0 - 6 years), data analysis will be focused on children who have a diagnosis of Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and PDD-NOS who are exiting public preschool services. The independent variable in this study is the area or region in which the child with ASD lives in (i.e., rural versus urban). The dependent variable in this study is the quality of services the individual with ASD receives. Rurality of the area or community the individual lives in will be established from the zip code in which they report residing in. Rurality of a county will be determined using the Rural-Urban Continuum Codes (Butler & Beale, 1993).
Results: To address the predictions posed by the study, a Univariate One-Way Analysis of Covariance will be used. Socio-economic status will serve as a covariate.
Conclusions: The results from this study will provide information regarding the current environment and quality of services received by children with ASD in rural areas. Further, the findings may highlight the current disparities between rural and urban regions, and provide evidence for the need of the improvement of the services available to this population.