Jill A. Hoffman

Parent–Caregiver Experiences With the Autism Spectrum Disorder Service Delivery System

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses are increasing, leading to growing demands on the service delivery system to meet the needs of children and families. Further understanding individual enabling components such as perceptions of parents/caregivers and personnel, as well as community-level enabling components such as the availability of and quality of services, may help inform system improvements. In this qualitative study, 19 parents/caregivers of children with ASD in one state in the United States were interviewed regarding their experiences with the ASD service delivery system, as well as their individual responses in relation to these experiences. Emergent themes point to the importance of individual coping strategies such as social support, collaboration with service providers, advocacy and empowerment, determination, and luck. Characteristics of the service delivery system, positive and negative, also were described. Findings can inform the design of future programs, services, and policies to support parent/caregiver coping and improved service delivery.

Change Communication Strategies in Public Child Welfare Organizations: Engaging the Front Line

In public child-welfare agencies, successful organizational change depends on effective internal communication and engagement with frontline workers. This qualitative study examines approaches for communicating planned organizational change among frontline child-welfare workers. Five, 90-minute focus groups were conducted with 50 frontline workers in an urban, public child-welfare agency. Consistent with prior research on change communication in business organizations, two broad categories of communication strategies were described: programmatic (top-down) and participatory approaches. Results suggest that participatory communicative strategies emphasizing employee engagement might be most effective in combination with programmatic approaches that communicate targeted messages about the change.

General and Specific Competencies for School Mental Health in Rural Settings

Many youth entering the education system lack the social and behavioral skills necessary for academic achievement. This is an alarming trend considering that youth spend a substantial amount of their time in school and that social and emotional growth is closely linked with academic success. With 21% of children in the United States living in rural areas it is important to have mental health services available in rural schools. The quality and value of school mental health (SMH) approaches depend on service delivery by well-trained and prepared SMH professionals working within the system. This chapter details the general and specific competencies needed for rural SMH professionals. Additionally, findings from a large rural SMH needs assessment are provided for specific examples of areas of need in rural schools. The chapter concludes with suggestions for supporting SMH in rural schools.

Fiscal Mapping Autism Spectrum Disorder Funds: A Case Study of Ohio

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have complex needs requiring regular service utilization. Policymakers, administrators, and community leaders are looking for ways to finance ASD services and systems. Understanding the fiscal resources that support ASD services is essential. This article uses fiscal mapping to explore ASD funding streams in Ohio. Fiscal mapping steps are overviewed to assist ASD stakeholders in identifying and examining ASD-related funding. Implications are drawn related to how fiscal mapping could be used to identify and leverage funding for ASD services. The resulting information is critical to utilizing existing resources, advocating for resources, and leveraging available funds.

A First Look at Early Intervention and Early Childhood Providers' Reports of Assistive Technology Reuse

Reports of the experiences of 256 early intervention and early childhood providers with assistive technology (AT) reuse were obtained via a national online survey. A majority of providers (75.7%) indicated that they had never donated, sold, or received a device from a formal AT reuse program. However, a majority did report reusing AT devices within their own programs, indicating that reuse was occurring at a program-based level. Limitations of program-based reuse are discussed and suggestions are made for expanding the capacity and usability of reuse through affiliations with statewide and regional networks. In addition, respondent data suggest an expansion of AT reuse beyond devices, to include ideas and instructions for low-tech solutions to meet the needs of younger children in particular.