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Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rapid acceleration of innovative research on health services delivery, including real-world clinical implementation and evaluation of tele-assessment for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Extending this promising work, the present study examined clinical characteristics and diagnostic outcome for young children receiving autism spectrum disorder tele-assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The standard tele-assessment procedure included caregiver clinical interview, administration of the TELE-ASD-PEDS (TAP; a novel caregiver-mediated remote autism spectrum disorder observational assessment tool), Vineland-3, and diagnostic feedback and family counseling. Overall, our findings suggest that a definitive autism spectrum disorder diagnosis can be determined for most young children evaluated using standard tele-assessment procedures. While TAP scores and measures of adaptive functioning and "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition" autism spectrum disorder symptoms are highly associated with autism spectrum disorder diagnostic outcome, a specific pattern of Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors independently predicted differential autism spectrum disorder outcome. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the TAP is useful for evaluation of at-risk children above 36 months of age with delayed language. These results add to an increasing body of research supporting use of tele-assessment, and specifically the TAP, for diagnosis of young children referred for autism spectrum disorder evaluation.

The present study examines provider and caregiver satisfaction with telehealth evaluation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in young children during the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. A telehealth model of ASD evaluation was implemented with 308 children ages 14 to 78 months between May 2020 to June 2021. Data were gathered from electronic health records, autism-specific telehealth diagnostic tools, and post-evaluation surveys. Overall, the majority of providers and caregivers were satisfied with telehealth ASD evaluation. Multiple variables were associated with ratings of satisfaction, differing by providers and caregivers. Findings have important implications for the feasibility and acceptability of telehealth ASD evaluations, in addition to key factors to consider in optimizing and sustaining telehealth evaluations beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many children with developmental disabilities are not identified before age 3 years of age, preventing them from being able to fully benefit from early intervention services. Early childhood educators, particularly those in Early Head Start (EHS) programs, are important partners in the early identification of children with developmental delays. "Learn the Signs. Act Early." (LTSAE) is a program of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that provides free developmental monitoring resources to increase the early identification of children with developmental delays and disabilities. This paper presents findings from the first evaluation of the use of LTSAE resources in EHS, which was conducted across four states and 11 EHS programs from fall 2018 through spring 2019. Surveys (n = 448) and interviews (n = 39) with EHS management, staff, and parents indicated that LTSAE resources were valued and accepted, and their use in EHS considered feasible. Importantly, families and staff reported the LTSAE materials provided shared language to help them more effectively discuss development. These findings inform EHS and other early education programs that wish to enhance developmental monitoring, screening, and referral.

In this article the author talks about integrating Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) into the English Language Arts (ELA) Classroom to cultivate student voice and activism. Topics discussed include need to know that we value their vernacular voices and the stories borne thereupon as much as the voices in which their critical essays are indicted, and using TED in the ELA classroom to help students deal with their tough stuff.