For those attending the Ohio Autism Diagnostic Partnership Conference, here are directions and a complete agenda for the event.
We are inviting you to be part of a new opportunity to increase local capacity to evaluate and diagnose children suspected of having developmental delays like autism.
Thanks to a grant from the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics created the Autism Diagnosis Education Pilot Project (ADEPP.) The project aims to improve access to local, timely, standardized screening and evaluations using evidence-based tools, which will lead to earlier and more reliable diagnosis of autism and other developmental disorders. We hope to do this through the creation of public-private partnerships that would include county-based Part C developmental evaluation personnel and local medical professionals.
To help teams gain and coordinate these skills, ADEPP will be hosting the Ohio Autism Diagnostic Partnership Conference April 15-16 and April 22-23. ADEPP’s Medical Director, Dr. John Duby, and Early Intervention Consultant, Dr. Marilyn Espe Sherwindt, will help participants work together to develop a local process that ensures effective evaluation and communication among early intervention, health care professionals, and families.
We’re confident this process will lead to a reduction in time from initial concern to diagnosis, an earlier diagnosis of developmental disorders, including autism, the use of standardized evaluation tools and procedures, and increased parental and professional satisfaction regarding the quality and pace of the diagnostic process.
We’re holding two informational calls where you or other team members can ask questions of team leaders and learn more about the project. The first is Tuesday November 24th from 11-noon. The second is Monday November 30th from 11-noon. The call in number will be 800-920-7487. The pass code will be 346-51-861.
Here is a one-page overview of our project. We've added some quotes from current diagnostic teams about the work they’re doing and why they think you should get involved. We have also included some frequently asked questions about the conference and its cost (fyi…the only thing you have to pay for is food and mileage.). Finally, we have a registration form for those who want to get on board in April.
This is a rare opportunity to increase local capacity that fits the needs of local communities at virtually no cost to those communities. We encourage you to call or e-mail with thoughts or questions and look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Dan Farkas John C. Duby, M.D., FAAP Marilyn Espe-Sherwindt, Ph.D.,
Project Manager Medical Director Early Intervention Consultant
dfarkas@ohioaap.org jduby@chmca.org mespeshe@kent.edu
(614) 846-6258