Since 2001, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has been breaking down barriers for children and adults with developmental disabilities. In 2005, the center welcomed the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD), which was originally established within the Department of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 1998. For more than 16 years, TRIAD has worked to improve the quality of life for those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which are now believed to affect 1 in 68 children according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A Novel Approach
The TRIAD team made news recently when they partnered with the Tennessee Department of Education to bring a novel intervention program to families of young children with ASD in Middle Tennessee. The Early Denver Start Model (EDSM) is aimed at early treatment of toddlers with autism to determine if prevention or reversal of autism patterns might be possible.
Pablo Juarez, associate director of TRIAD, said the team had been looking for innovative ways to work with families of young children with autism when they heard about a new therapeutic initiative underway at the University of California – Davis MIND Institute in 2010. A relationship that started with staff training soon grew into a promising collaboration now involving Vanderbilt and a handful of elite partnerships nationwide.
“There are a lot of different practices out there, but this one was interesting because it directly worked toward communication, social and play skills for children under three,” Juarez said.
A relationship-based intervention, EDSM is provided in the home by trained therapists and parents during natural play and daily routines and involves use of a detailed parent's guide outlining everyday activities to help kids connect, communicate and learn.
“A lot of intervention tries to involve family but can be hard because it’s directed at a child’s level,” Juarez said. “This allows us to intervene at a family level and build sustainable skills for better long-term results. We have to understand the environment a child is in and help their surroundings become healthy enough to sustain long-term programming.”
How EDSM Works
According to the MIND Institute, the aim of EDSM is to increase the rates of development in all domains for children with ASD, as it simultaneously works to decrease symptoms of autism. In particular, intervention focuses on boosting children’s social-emotional, cognitive, and language skills, as development in these areas is particularly affected by autism. EDSM also uses a data-based approach and empirically supported teaching practices that have been found effective from research in applied behavior analysis.
ASD & Early Diagnosis
Since the program’s inception in April, seven families have been selected to participate in TRIAD’s EDSM study, with plans to fill 30 spots by February 2015. Physicians with patients under the age of 30 months with suspected ASD are encouraged to contact the TRIAD office about possible eligibility. Within two weeks of evaluation and diagnosis, trained TRIAD professionals are in the family’s home developing routines, strategies and reports to help lay a foundation for each family.
“Diagnostic evaluations are very scary for families, but receiving a diagnosis of autism is even scarier,” Juarez said. “Earlier diagnosis is important because of the brain’s neuroplasticity, and the fact that we’re able to shape so many new behaviors and skills. If we can get started early there’s a lot of strong research to show we can have more results.”
The one-year program includes a 12-visit model and is offered free of charge to families. Juarez hopes to extend the state’s contract to provide the program to additional Middle Tennessee families in the future. For more information, contact (877) ASD-VUMC.
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