ECHO Autism Transition: Enhancing healthcare for adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder

Lay Abstract Teenagers and young adults with autism often have complicated medical and mental health problems, yet they often have trouble accessing healthcare. Unfortunately, there are very few healthcare providers who specialize in autism, and many primary care providers do not have training in caring for patients with autism. This study developed and tested a new training program for primary care providers to improve their knowledge and ability to provide effective healthcare for teenagers and young adults with autism. This program, called Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes Autism Transition, included 12 weekly 1-h videoconferencing sessions. During each session, primary care providers connected to a team of autism experts, including a neurologist, an internal medicine-pediatrics physician, a clinical psychologist, a sleep specialist, a parent advocate and transition specialist, and a self-advocate. Sessions included brief lectures, case presentations, and discussion. Participants completed a knowledge test and answered questions about caring for patients with autism both before and after the program. After participating in Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes Autism Transition, primary care providers had greater confidence in their ability to effectively care for patients with autism. They also described several practice improvements as a result of participation. However, they did not show improvements in overall knowledge or in the number of barriers they experienced when providing healthcare to patients with autism. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes program may be helpful for improving primary care provider confidence and interest in working with teenagers and young adults with autism. However, further refinements may be helpful to improve its effectiveness.