Akron Childrens

Challenge:

Akron Children’s Hospital faced the challenge of providing early intervention services to children, especially those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), in underserved areas. The goal was to increase accessibility to these critical services, improve parental skills and confidence, and expand the reach of their successful tele-early intervention program, Tele-EI4ASD, to cover more regions and address additional developmental concerns. They also aimed to integrate innovative technologies to enhance the effectiveness and convenience of their virtual interventions.

Solution:

In partnership with IDS, Akron Children’s Hospital implemented a secure, HIPAA-compliant video conferencing system in 2012. This system supported the Tele-EI4ASD program, which significantly improved access to early intervention services for 21 families across nine counties. The program's success led to the expansion of services to include toddlers with broader developmental concerns. The introduction of the Connections initiative provided intensive support for newly diagnosed toddlers with ASD. The program now serves families in 11 counties, utilizing robotics like Kubi from Revolve Robotics to enhance the virtual interaction experience. The integration of graduate students into sessions for real-time training further maximizes resource use. The program has received positive feedback from families, who report improved quality of life and increased confidence in supporting their children's development.