Eight PBS, Horizonte – Autism Pilot Program
A new app-based pilot program may help rule out or diagnose autism. Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center Vice President and Director of Research Christopher Smith talks about how the new program will work.
http://www.azpbs.org/horizonte/play.php?vidId=7238#
Phoenix Business Journal – Do you think your child has autism? New program may help provide an answer
Matt Resnik, son of SARRC founder Denise Resnik, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was a little boy.
Parents who wonder why their infants or toddlers seem to be developing more slowly than other children may have a much quicker answer, thanks to a fledgling partnership between Phoenix-based Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center and an Idaho company.
PDF of the Story
Meeting the needs of students with significant behavioral concerns is a challenge that is faced by many educational systems today. In order to enhance the support provided to students and their educational teams, CAIU examined Behavior Imaging technology as a means to better serve students with autism and behavior challenges.
Two studies were conducted between 2011, and 2012 with the goal of increasing the overall effectiveness of behavior interventions with students demonstrating severe or challenging behaviors. Behavior Capture and Behavior Connect provided a unique asynchronous telemedicine system for communicating, analyzing, and interacting around behavior data collected in homes or schools. Both studies were based on preliminary studies showing that data collection was improved by using Behavior Capture and Behavior Connect for increased accuracy in data collected. The platform also provided members of the team with the opportunity of reviewing behavioral footage in order to accurately identify and tag components of the ABC contingency while recording comments for future reference.
Preliminary studies found:Functional Behavior Assessment use case:
Technology Adoption research:
Possible Obstacles:
During the Year 1 pilot, two Autism Support classrooms run by CAIU used both Behavior Capture and Behavior Connect with two quantitative targets: 1) measure the impact on the timeline of the FBA/PBSP process; and 2) measure cost savings associated with usage. Four sets of student data were compared gathered during the pilot were then compared to historical FBA/PBSP data for CAIU students. The timeline from start of FBA data collection to implementation of the PBSP with fidelity was reduced, staff were able to address behavioral issues from a remote location rather than having to travel to the actual classroom location which saved money as well as reducing travel time.
In the Year 2 study the focus of this data collection revolved around an individual student with increasing levels of aggressive behaviors which resulted in his placement being changed to Instruction Conducted in the Home (ICH) in December 2012. Behavior Capture and Behavior Connect were then used in combination with principles of Applied Behavior Analysis to conduct a Functional Behavior Assessment in order to develop and implement a Positive Behavior Support plan beginning with the first round of ICH.
The Capital Area Intermediate Unit’s mission is to achieve educational excellence with families, schools and communities through leadership, partnership and innovation, one of 29 regional educational service agencies in Pennsylvania serving south central PA with efforts in 24 member school districts, 2 area vocational technical schools, over 50 non-public schools, several charter schools and cyber charter schools. Services include administrative, business and operations, conferences, curriculum, professional development, support for statewide initiatives, training and consultation, food services, HR and communications, student services, special education, and technology services.
Behavior Imaging and our clinical partners have an extremely active 2014 for conference and research presentation events as the results of several clinical studies and clinical evaluation of a new generation of our behavior imaging technology are advancing. Here are some of the conferences and presentations which you can find discussed at length on AutismResearch.org:
October 3rd – 4th, 2014
Paris, France
Autism Speaks is co-sponsoring the 2nd International Conference on Innovative Technologies for Autism (ITASD 2014), at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, October 3rd and 4th. This year’s conference will focus on developing and using digital tools to improve the lives of people with autism. The conference & workshop will bring together individuals with autism and their families with scientists, educators, therapists and other professionals to create an opportunity for dialogue and exchange of best practices.
Invited to talk, Gregory D. Abowd, a distinguished Professor in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech, will be speaking about the pilot evaluation of a novel telemedicine platform to support diagnostic assessment for autism spectrum disorders. The diagnostic assessment study research project combines the expertise of Behavior Imaging Solutions, Georgia Institute of Technology, and leading diagnostic and behavioral health organizations to make state-of-the-art technical innovations to the Behavior Imaging telehealth system, and will evaluate the enhanced system in two critical clinical settings affecting Autism Spectrum Disorders.
July 19th -23rd, 2014
Kraków, Poland
The conference’s objective is to provide an international forum for the dissemination and exchange of scientific information on theoretical, generic, and applied areas of ergonomics, including, physical ergonomics, cognitive ergonomics, social and occupational ergonomics, cross- cultural aspects of decision making, ergonomics modeling and usability evaluation, human digital modeling, healthcare and special populations, safety management and human factors, and human side of service engineering.
This year’s speakers will include Behavior Imaging’s, Ron Oberleitner, and Uwe Reischl, who will be discussing “Telehealth Technology Enabling Medication Management of Children with Autism”.
This discussion will cover assisting healthcare providers in the management of autism symptoms with a newly developed smartphone application that will allow physicians to observe a patient’s behavior between office visits while managing their medication based on the symptoms observed. This smartphone application is able to better assist the physician in monitoring patients with autism spectrum disorders more accurately compared to the subjective reports provided by caregivers during office visits.
Agata Rozga is a research scientist in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. As a Developmental Psychologist with a research focus on autism spectrum disorders, she specializes in early identification and diagnosis, socio-emotional development, and verbal and nonverbal communication. Her current research explores the potential role of human-centered computing and computer-human interaction in impacting research on the social and communicative development of children with diagnoses within the autism spectrum.
The CDC recognizes the importance of early recognition of developmental disabilities such as autism for parents and providers. By understanding the impact this has on families the CDC invested in a campaign: Baby Steps: Learn the Signs. Act Early, in order to provide parents with help measuring their children’s progress by monitoring how they play, learn, speak and act.
Ron Oberleitner, founder & Chief Executive Officer of Behavior Imaging Solutions was invited to speak as one of the experts in healthcare technologies innovation at the 12th Annual 2014 Front End of Innovation Conference.
As a widely recognized leader in the field of developing solutions to facilitate the observational, analytical and collaborative needs of behavioral healthcare and special education professionals Ron discussed the importance of telemedicine and social media as disruptive solutions for brain disorders while sharing his experience of applying technology to transform treatment options for autism, ADHD, Alzheimers, and depression. In addition, Ron also spoke of his personal passion of launching health technology solutions and while expressing how social entrepreneurship can lead to both personal fulfillment and financial success.
As the #1 industry event for provoking change, and exchanging best practices, the FEI is world-renowned for real world, best-in-class presentations by true visionaries that are passionate about innovation and deliver measurable results.
Ron is the Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board for Behavior Imaging Solutions and is an expert in health informatics and telemedicine for special needs (TalkAutism, AustismCares).
For more information contact:
Behavior Imaging
413 W. Idaho St.
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 629-8778
Telehealth technology is a tool that allows behavior professionals and others to make valuable observations, gather data, and propose more targeted, appropriate remediation for areas in which an individual with an autism spectrum disorder needs to progress. This tool can be used across natural settings of home, school, and community, and it has practical applications including use in classroom observation and Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. The capability of telehealth technology to serve children and families remotely means that parents of children in rural settings can receive more frequent and consistent services from a greater variety of professionals.
This chapter will look at:
-Defining telehealth and asynchronous telehealth for autism (Behavior Imaging® technology)
-How Behavior Imaging® can help professionals observe problem behaviors in the classroom
-How the results of observation via Behavior Imaging can aid at the Individualized Education Program (IEP) of a student with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
-How telehealth technology further helps IEP team members
-Case study via the ‘Beacon Day School project’
(Chapter in Cutting Edge Therapies for Autism (May, 2014); available at www.autismone.org )
Summary of “Telehealth-based Systems for Diagnosis, Management and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Challenges, Opportunities and Applications,” (2013), Angjellari-Dajci F., Lawless, W. F., Agarwal, N., Oberleitner, R.., Coleman, B., Warsi, S., and Kavoossi, M. In I. M. Miranda and M. M. Cruz-Cunha eds. Handbook of Research on ICTs for Healthcare and Social Services: Developments and Applications, Hershey, PA: IGI
One out of every 110 American children has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and the cost of caring for and treating ASD has risen to over 3 million dollars per person. Those are the numbers reported by authors of another chapter in IGI’s new book, Handbook of Research on ICTs for Healthcare and Social Services. With skyrocketing costs and ever-increasing demands, the current in-person delivery methods for ASD are understaffed and unable to handle the slew of problems currently facing the ASD community in America.
However, champions of new telehealth programs, including Behavior Imaging, say—and pilot studies appear to confirm—that telehealth diagnosis, treatment, and management of ASD have the potential to meet demand while also providing the effective early treatment that professionals have now realized is so important. Proponents of telehealth care for ASD argue that while the initial implementation of telehealth interventions could be costlier than in-person care, the long-term results would be more cost- effective, providing every family and individual with the accurate and early care they need.
Throughout this fall, Behavior Imaging has been kept busy with invitations to key conferences in psychiatry (AACAP), education assessment (CCSSO), and disability (AUCD). Principle investigators in ongoing studies on behavior imaging technology and Behavior Imaging executives have presented NIH-backed research, trained investigators, and received a prestigious innovation award while continuing to receive feedback and foster connections among industry researchers and professionals at each conference.
The Naturalistic Observation Diagnostic Assessment (NODA) from Behavior Imaging’s current NIH research project made an impact at the 2013 AUCD conference this month. SARRC’s Director of Research Dr. Christopher J. Smith presented on how NODA is designed to speed up autism diagnostic assessments. Behavior Imaging Solutions’ exhibit also allowed CEO Ron Oberleitner and others to talk about and demonstrate how Behavior Capture and Behavior Connect can revolutionize the way the disability community can diagnose, assess, and treat behavior disorders. The launch of Behavior Connect 2.0 and a suite of related smart phone apps have opened a lot of new opportunities for the behavioral health industry, including faster diagnosis and better oversight capabilities for supervisors.