Examining Practice Patterns For Children with Autism

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): My goal in applying for this career development award is to obtain the advanced training I need to successfully develop independent R01 applications that assess the effectiveness of research-based treatments for children with autism in community settings. My research, academic and clinical training to date have prepared me to pursue this goal by providing substantive background in behavioral interventions, individualization of treatment strategies and autism specific issues. My objective is to build on this training to develop an independent translational research program designed to bridge the gap between behavioral intervention research in autism and implementation of efficacious treatments in the service delivery system. A rigorous training program is proposed which includes (1) training in methods moving efficacious interventions into effectiveness trials; (2) training in statistical methods appropriate to translation research including meta-analysis, clinical trials and sampling methods; (3) advanced training in working with culturally and economically diverse populations; and (4) continued training in the ethical conduct of research. Training will be put into practice through the conduct of a pilot research project which addresses all of the training areas. The specific aims of the proposed research project include: (1) assessing the extent to which research-based treatment developed and testing in research settings have been disseminated and translated into service systems and possible barriers to translation; (2) examining the fidelity of implementation of research-based programming in an early intervention system and adaptations to these programs made in service systems; and (3) a small scale study examining the effect of the use of research-based treatments in the service system and family factors on child outcomes. This project will provide me with experience working with culturally and economically diverse families, assessing interventions and outcomes within a public service system and conducting statistical analyses on large data bases. This combination of training and research will provide me the necessary background to conduct independent translational research for young children with autism.