The purpose of this study is to identify the impact of state policies on publicly funded healthcare utilization among children with ASD.

Health care and related services for ASD are often intensive and expensive, with much controversy over what treatments work for which children under what circumstances. State Medicaid agencies have taken varied approaches to addressing the needs of children with ASD. The proposed study will provide a national picture of this variation, and will examine the resulting access to and appropriateness of care associated with different state policy models.

The purpose of this study is to measure the social, communicative, socialization and educational outcomes of children with autism through two instructional methods for teaching children with autism- Structured Teaching and the Strategies for Teaching based on Autism Research (STAR) Program.

Students currently enrolled in a K-2 Autism Support Classroom and their teachers in the School District of Philadelphia are eligible to participate in the study. Students’ cognitive, social, and behavioral functioning will be assessed by psychologists at the beginning and the end of the school year.  Parents will be asked to complete surveys regarding their experience, and will receive a comprehensive evaluation of their child’s needs and strengths. This study will allow us to assess the two instructional methods, determining how easy they are to implement, what sort of skills they are best at targeting, and how they best fit each child’s needs, in an effort to identify successful strategies and interventions for families and schools.

Enrolling for the upcoming school year.

Please contact 215-573-4383 for more information.

"Living with Autism Study"

The purpose of this study to understand the obstacles associated with raising a child who has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), what goals parents/guardians set regarding treatments, services, and supports, and what strategies are most successful in achieving these goals.

Families of children recently diagnosed with ASD will be asked to describe their experiences related to their children's autism, what precipitated their concerns, and experiences related to getting screened, diagnosed and treated using semi-structured interviews. Parents will be interviewed 8 weeks post diagnosis and one year later. Parents will also complete measures related to parent stress, use of supports and services, barriers to care, and employment and child care decisions.

Closed for recruitment.

Please contact autism@mail.med.upenn.edu or 1-866-506-5841 for more information.

The purpose of this project is to determine the extent to which patients in state psychiatric hospitals meet criteria for an autism spectrum disorder. Another goal of the study is to learn more about different psychiatric diagnoses, like schizophrenia, and how different or alike they are with autism.

Nurses will administer an autism screening instrument to inpatients at a state hospital. Patients will be asked to participate in the study. Patients' charts will be reviewed and family interviews will take place. Family members will be asked about the patient's childhood development and the presence of autism symptoms. Patients will also be assessed by a team of clinicians from the University of Pennsylvania. The results of this study will aid in efforts to determine the prevalence of ASD among institutionalized adults, increase understanding of the prevalence of ASD in adults, and guide policy and practice regarding diagnostic practices and service delivery to adults with ASD.

Study is closed.

Please contact autism@mail.med.upenn.edu for more information.