Building a Research‐community Collaborative to Improve Community Care for Infants and Toddlers At‐risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

This article describes the formation and initial outcomes of a research-community collaborative group that was developed based on community-based participatory research principles. The group includes a transdisciplinary team of practitioners, funding agency representatives, researchers, and families of children with autism spectrum disorders, who partnered to improve community-based care for infants and toddlers at risk for autism through the implementation of evidence-based practices. Data from this group provide support for the feasibility of developing and sustaining a highly synergistic and productive research-community collaborative group who shares common goals to improve community care.

Accelerating research on treatment and services for transition age youth and adults on the autism spectrum

“…An alternative to the traditional unidirectional model of intervention development is to design clinical interventions at the outset to fit with the targeted services context and maximize uptake. Partnering with community providers and consumers can facilitate research toward practice-relevant services interventions and avoid some of the pitfall and barriers to evidence-based practice implementation (Brookman-Frazee et al, 2012). There are a few examples of this approach for children with autism in early intervention services, mental health services, and schools (e.g.…”

Odd Couple? Reenvisioning the Relation Between Science and Practice in the Dissemination-Implementation Era

“…The Community-Based Participatory Research approach (CPR; Israel, Eng, Schulz, & Parker, 2005) assumes that, just as the professionals may have EBP expertise, community partners have expertise in the target community's current status, goals, resources, and needs, and that each area of expertise is critical for DI (Becker, Stice, Shaw, & Woda, 2009). Applying this perspective, (a) Becker et al (2009) used CPR to adapt and implement a prevention program for eating disorders within a large sorority, (b) Brookman-Frazee, Stahmer, Lewis, Feder, and Reed (2012) used CPR to identify, implement, and sustain an EBP for infants and toddlers at risk for Austism Spectrum Disorders in a community clinic, and (c) Bradshaw et al (2012) used a CPR partnership between the Maryland Department of Education, Sheppard Pratt Health System, and Johns Hopkins University, to build a strategy for implementing a program preventing disruptive behavior, in 800 public schools. As DIP and DIS grow in scope and complexity, the need for skills in CPR Science and Practice of Dissemination and Implementation 33 may grow ever more pressing.…”

Characterizing the Use of Research-Community Partnerships in Studies of Evidence-Based Interventions in Children’s Community Services

“…Our research group has recently focused on addressing the need to explicate the collaborative process in child mental health services by integrating the extant conceptual and empirical literature to develop a framework for RCPs in child mental health (Brookman-Frazee, Stahmer, Lewis, Feder, & Reed, 2012; Garland & Brookman-Frazee, 2013). Figure 1 outlines our RCP framework adapted for the current study based on the conceptual and theoretical literature as well as “lessons learned” from case studies (Brookman-Frazee et al, 2012).…”

“…Figure 1 outlines our RCP framework adapted for the current study based on the conceptual and theoretical literature as well as “lessons learned” from case studies (Brookman-Frazee et al, 2012). The framework illustrates the iterative and dynamic process of RCP development and the potential outcomes of these efforts.…”