Utah Autism Spectrum Disorder Systems Development Project (UASD)

Project Details

Project Context:
Families of children and youth with autism spectrum disorder(ASD) and other developmental disorders(DD) in Utah struggle to access the services and supports they need. Utah's State Plan for Improving Outcomes for Children with ASD and DD focuses on increasing the proportion of children with special health care needs who have access to a medical home and health care services.

Project Focus:
The Utah ASD Systems Development Project (UASD), a project funded by the Utah Department of Health through the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, is collaborating with Utah's LEND program at the Center for Persons with Disabilities at USU, Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) Medical Home and Transition Program, and Utah's Pediatric Partnership to Improve Healthcare Quality Collaborative (UPIQ) to completed the following goals:
1. Develop more effective Medical Homes for children and youth diagnosed with ASD/DD and their families in Utah.
2. Increase access to evidence-based information resources to help families make informed choices regarding ASD/DD evaluation, diagnosis, and treatments.
3. Implement earlier diagnosis of children with ASD/DD and increase early entrance into the system of services.

Products/Services
The Utah Department of Health has subcontracted with the Center for Persons with Disabilities to conduct formative and summative evaluations of the Utah ASD Systems Development Project activities.