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Individuals with autism need more healthcare and get less. In addition to autism-focused providers including behavior analysts and speech therapists, individuals with autism need dentists, pediatricians, and specialists, too. But these doctors often do not have expertise in providing care for individuals with autism, and the overwhelm that comes with novel experiences at a doctor’s office often means families struggle to get the care they need. The goal of Autism New Jersey’s Healthcare Initiative is to fix that. We have created a self- assessment tool for healthcare systems to help them identify their weak spots and become more autism friendly. This self-assessment tool will help them to foster tangible improvements to providers’ physical spaces and their patient care processes so individuals with autism get the care they need.
To help families find providers who are committed to being autism friendly, we regularly update the referral listings on our website with doctors and specialists who can best support autistic patients. We also continue to strengthen the role of pediatricians in early identification and diagnosis. Because families seeking an autism diagnosis often face months-long wait times, our Pediatrician Hub and related initiatives help pediatricians become more confident in recognizing the signs of autism and accurately diagnosing their patients.
6 HEALTHCARE CONSORTIUM MEETINGS 74
NEW HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ADDED TO OUR REFERRAL DATABASE 4 PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES WRITTEN FOR THOUSANDS OF PEDIATRICIANS STATEWIDE
Director of Public Policy and Clinical Partnerships Darren Blough, MSW, BCaBA, LaBA, has decades of experience as a senior leader of behavioral health organizations.
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