Community-Based Participatory Research and Training on the Identification and Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Ukraine

Background: In Ukraine, the diagnosis of autism in young children is often significantly delayed. Professionals have had limited education on autism, limited access to formal diagnostic assessments such as the ADOS 2, and neither general developmental or autism specific screens are routinely used in primary care or other common service settings.

Objectives: Describe the process for improving identification and treatment of young children with ASD in Ukraine and determine factors that support successful implementation of workshop methods and materials.

Methods: Our group has conducted workshops in Ukraine for the past 3 years. Local priorities have been identified through Skype sessions and post-workshop evaluations of participants. In September/October 2018, we conducted workshops in 3 cities and offered formal training in the STAT (Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers) a brief hands-on assessment to help identify young children with or at-risk for ASD; Reciprocal Imitation Training (RIT), a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention for young children with ASD; workshops for Speech Pathologists on treatment of children who have limited verbal skills including children with ASD; and workshops for parents of children with ASD. The parent workshops addressed themes identified as high priority by parents and focused on building parent advocacy skills. Two STAT kits were left in each of the 3 cities for participants in the STAT workshops. After the workshops, STAT trainees follow established procedures for on-going coaching and certification while RIT and speech trainees engage in supervision and case discussions by Skype every 2-3 months.

Results: A total of 55 professionals attended STAT and RIT trainings, 25 participated in Speech workshops and 68 participated in the parent workshops. Participants included psychologists, child psychiatrists, pediatricians, speech pathologists, teachers and parents. The professionals’ years in practice ranged from 1 to 30, and the parent-reported age of their children with ASD ranged from 2 years to 18 years. Participants rated the workshops highly. For example, 76% of participants “strongly agreed” they would pursue STAT certification and use it in their practice. We will report on number of STAT workshop participants who complete STAT certification procedures and RIT participants and speech pathologists who engage in remote supervision. We also will report data from 3 and 6 month email follow-up with workshop participants regarding use of tools, strategies and information, and will discuss barriers to and factors supporting successful implementation.

Conclusions: Tools and treatment strategies developed in USA were enthusiastically embraced by local professionals and can be successfully implemented in Ukraine. Barriers to and factors that support successful implementation will be discussed.