Nearly 1 in 36 children in the United States is autistic and more than 35,000 autistic children are enrolled in the Military Health System. Autism spectrum disorder, often referred to as autism, creates social, emotional, and communication challenges. Symptoms widely vary between people, and early intervention and supportive care communities are key to positive health outcomes.
The Autism Research Program, managed by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, supports innovative research that advances the understanding of autism and leads to improved outcomes for the autistic community.
Since 2007, the CDMRP has managed more than $145 million in autism research awards. These awards funded innovative research aimed at helping autistic youth transition to adulthood; improving healthcare delivery to autistic adults; and improving diagnosis, treatment, and co-occurring conditions to enhance the quality of life for autistic people and their families. Among the program's priorities for FY24, the ARP seeks to fund research into factors impacting quality of life for current and former military Families.
"Factors impacting quality of life for autistic military Family members, such as permanent change of station, is a focus of the ARP and an area where our research investment continues to grow," Nicole Williams, Ph.D., ARP program manager, said.
Military Families can move every two to three years due to the requirements of military service. For Families with autistic children, continuous medical care can be challenging. Adequate resources can be difficult to secure when Families are stationed in remote locations.
Autistic children need early and consistent therapy with practitioners who are trained to care for and understand their needs. Early and intensive therapies are helpful but prove difficult for military Families who cannot always access trained professionals.
Autistic children often have care teams that include multiple physicians and therapists. Finding appropriately trained medical professionals can be difficult, and autistic children often struggle with changes in routine. Continuity of care is important to health outcomes for autistic people and for caregiver support.
To help alleviate this accessibility issue for both military Families as well as those in rural and underserved communities, the ARP continues to encourage applications looking at ways to improve health care delivery for autistic individuals again in FY24. Some ongoing ARP-funded research seeks to better understand how telemedicine can help connect autistic children and their caregivers in underserved or remote communities with trained support professionals.
"The telehealth model has relevance to the military workforce and their Families because this model could inform how early diagnostic evaluation services are created, provide training tools to both physicians and caregivers, and to meet the needs of personnel across tremendous geographies," Williams said.
The ability to remain connected with established care teams while re-locating will help optimize the continuity of care and health outcomes for the autistic youth in the Military Health System.
A recently ARP-funded study at the University of California, Los Angeles, led by Jeffrey Wood, Ph.D., focuses on using videoconferencing to train and support clinicians in cognitive behavioral therapy, a therapy identified as beneficial for autistic people. The research team hopes to better understand how this training method can not only improve accessibility for clinicians to learn cognitive behavioral therapy, but also improve children's therapy outcomes by expanding delivery of CBT in community settings.
Another ARP-funded award went to Zachary Warren, Ph.D., and his team at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to better address traditional barriers to care that contribute to disparities in diagnostic care, such as geography, provider shortages, socioeconomic status, race or ethnicity, and primary language. By partnering with his local early intervention system, Warren's team aims to understand how implementing videoconferencing could help improve early diagnoses and intervention in under-served communities.
You can learn more about the Autism Research Program at http://cdmrp.health.mil/arp/default.
For more information about the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, our research programs, and to read research highlights, please visit the website at https://cdmrp.health.mil.
| Date Taken: | 10.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.23.2024 14:05 |
| Story ID: | 483762 |
| Location: | FORT DETRICK, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 49 |
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