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Autism Spectrum and Developmental Disorders

(PS3-B45) The Acceptability of Implementing the Group Early Start Denver Model in a Non-profit Autism Treatment Center

Friday, November 17, 2023
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PST
Location: Regency Ballroom, Level 7
The Center for Autism (CFA) is the first clinic in the United States established specifically to treat autism. Traditionally, CFA has focused on an eclectic mix of relationship-based practices to support their mission “to improve the quality of life for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families”, rather than subscribing to a specific manualized intervention model. Factors associated with adopting manualized interventions in community settings include philosophical alignment with the intervention principles, capacity for implementation with the available resources, and whether a program is perceived to be sustainable (Dingfelder & Mandell, 2010). Through community partnered participatory research (CPPR; Jones & Wells, 2007), a framework emphasizing collaborative practices in which researchers and community stakeholders are equal partners, CFA and the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute established a plan to adopt the Group Early Start Denver Model (G-ESDM; Vivanti et. al., 2017) to fulfill the CFA’s mission. G-ESDM is the group adaptation of the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM; Rogers & Dawson, 2010, a Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention, which was perceived to be aligned with the CFA’s focus on prioritizing relationship-based, play-based, and child-led experiences, while also providing an evidence-based framework for their intervention practices. Additionally, the group-based format of G-ESDM was aligned with resources available at CFA, which involve a 1 : 3, therapist:child ratio. As perception of acceptability predicts implementation outcomes, we examined whether staff at CFA who received training on the G-ESDM perceived the intervention to be acceptable. To this end, we administered a survey to three cohorts (N= 14) of CFA employees after they received four days of training on G-ESDM. The survey addressed acceptability of the G-ESDM training through questions focusing on the workshop content (e.g., “Overall, workshop was valuable and I would recommend to others”) using a Likert scale from 5-1 (5= strongly agree, 4= agree, 3= neutral, 2=disagree, 1=strongly disagree). Additionally, there were three open response questions focused on the acceptability of the training (e.g.,” How will the workshop help you in your job or career?”). 100% of participants strongly agreed or agreed that the G-ESDM workshop objectives were met and reported valuing the experience. Staff also reported to have increased their understanding of the G-ESDM model and their intention to incorporate the G-ESDM in their clinical practice. In summary, we examined the acceptability of implementing the G-ESDM at CFA as an illustrative case for commitment from community settings to adopting evidence-based manualized intervention models.