The Global Reach of Autism Navigator® Mobile Technology to Improve Early Detection

Background: Advances in research have documented that ASD can be diagnosed by trained professionals at 18-24 months of age, and yet the median age of diagnosis in the US still hovers at 4 years. There is currently a research-to-practice gap in high-resource countries, and this gap widens for professionals and families in low-resource countries. Autism Navigator^® is a collection of web-based courses and tools that has used an implementation science framework to promote coordinated change to support community uptake and sustained utilization in medical, social service, and early intervention systems. Access to mobile technology is increasing worldwide and offers one potential solution to bridging the research-to-practice gap that offers the potential for rapid access globally.

Objectives: This technology demonstration will showcase the web-based Autism Navigator for Primary Care that uses extensive video and offers a new online screening tool with links to our Seamless Path for Families to lower the age of detection and referral and report on the deployment.

Methods: The Autism Navigator collection of web-based resources was developed by the FSU Autism Institute. Autism Navigator for Primary Care is an 8-hour online course using interactive slides with narration, closed captions, and illustrative video clips of two-dozen toddlers with ASD. Providers who complete the course can use the online automated Smart ESAC (Early Screening for Autism and Communication) screening tool with provider and family portals linking to 5 resources. Families of all children are invited to the 16-by-16 Lookbooks and Social Communication Growth Charts. Families of children with a positive autism screen are invited to About Autism in Toddlers, ASD Video Glossary and the How-To Guide for Families. Input from advisory boards and focus groups involving stakeholders informed the development of content built through an iterative process of feedback, review of material for cultural appropriateness, and revolving enhancements to the portal.

Results: We will describe the deployment of the courses and family resources over the past 4 years beginning in Florida and expanding to other states in the US and other countries including South Africa. About Autism in Toddlers was first launched in April 2015 and enrollment has increased incrementally to 29,713 unique users from 152 countries to date. Autism Navigator for Primary Care was launched in 2016 and has 1,690 unique users enrolled from 6 countries. The How-to Guide for Families was launched in 2017 and has 562 unique users from 10 countries. Strategies to engage physicians, community health workers, and childcare providers in the US and South Africa and lower the age of referral will be highlighted. Tablet computers will available to experience the screening tool and web-based resources.

Conclusions: Innovative models to increase the number of culturally and ethnically diverse professionals who can deliver evidence-based services are vital to improving global competence in early detection and intervention. Autism Navigator provides a highly-needed cost-efficient platform for professionals and families, using mobile technology to combine an automated screening tool, parent and provider portals, and links to interactive resources that are built for rapid scalability.