Implementing and Evaluating Community-Based Early Intervention

SIG Leaders: Kristelle Hudry & Giacomo Vivanti SIG Co-Leaders: Melissa Maye & Cathy Bent There is a growing body of high quality research supporting the efficacy of early-intervention for young children with autism. However, less is known about factors that may support or impede the effective implementation, evaluation and scale-up of early intervention in real world settings. Different perspectives have emerged from scholars who participated in the 2015 and 2016 meetings of this SIG, including regarding whether the development and evaluation of interventions should follow a pipeline similar to that used in medicine – from clinical trials to community effectiveness trials – versus a more pragmatic model where resources and practices already established in the community inform how interventions are developed and tested. As the final SIG in this series on Community-Based Early Intervention, this 2017 SIG meeting will engage attendees to identify key questions of ongoing interest. Attendees will be invited to submit, in advance, questions/issues for consideration by an invited and diverse panel to discuss at the meeting. The aim will be to move towards a best practice framework to inform the implementation and evaluation of community-based early intervention and to establish a network of working groups to continue discussions and work in this area beyond the INSAR-supported SIG meetings.