Although ASD if typically diagnosed in early childhood, core symptoms affect development throughout the lifespan. Co-occurring medical, developmental, behavioral, or psychiatric condition often persist into adulthood, and affect functioning and qualify of life.

We examined the current resources available to parents on motor milestones and appropriate play activities from 0 to 1 years of age to determine what information parents are receiving on how their children should be physically developing and what they can be doing to help their children develop.

The current project examined diagnostic evaluations among patients under 3 presenting with concerns for developmental delays or Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Swank Autism Center across a period of 4 months. Children presenting with developmental concerns are seen by medical providers or psychology providers for an initial diagnostic evaluation lasting from 1-1.5 hours. Children are referred for additional diagnostic testing with psychology providers when diagnoses are unclear.

For a family of a Child with Medical Complexity (CMC) the process of discharge from hospital to home is very chaotic. It requires a more thorough approach, diverse care team and resources, it requires “comprehensive team coordination.”1 Successful transition is critical to the health and well-being of a child and family as a unit. And yet, “there is surprising lack of consistency in both the process and quality of discharge planning across the healthcare systems.”2 In this project we investigate challenges and possible tools to make this process easier, safer and less chaotic for the care team and the family/caregiver.

There are few places for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) services in Delaware and families are often required to travel long distances and overcome additional barriers in order to access these services.