Autism Healthcare ECHO

About Autism Healthcare ECHO

Autism Healthcare ECHO at IU School of Medicine/IU Health connects healthcare providers and subject matter experts for regular real-time collaborative sessions to advance learning and practice in serving those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families.

Autism Healthcare ECHO Series

We had an extremely successful ECHO pilot project with our Autism Healthcare series, and we look forward to our upcoming ECHO sessions this fall. If you are interested in viewing the sessions and receiving continuing education (CE) credits, the recordings are now available through Indiana University’s MYCME Portal. Below are the six topics that were covered in the Autism Healthcare ECHO series and links to access the recordings and CE credits. Stay tuned for our upcoming ECHO series, which focuses on Circles of Support!

Session 1: Autism Defined: Behaviorally, Functionally, and Practically

Session 2: Co-occurring Conditions: Caring for Medical, Mental, and Behavioral Health.

Session 3: Evidence-Based Practices: Practical Strategies for Clinic and Community

Session 4: The Educational Process: What Do I Need to Know?

Session 5: Transitioning from Adolescence to Adulthood: Special Considerations

Session 6: Resources for Ensuring Safe and Optimal Family Functioning

We need your input!

We are seeking input from clinical providers and medical professionals across different roles working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our findings inform ongoing statewide efforts related to supporting individuals with ASD across lifespans and settings, as well as inform the curriculum for the Autism Healthcare ECHO at IUSM/IUH.

Whether you currently see patients with ASD or expect to in the future, your insights on the gaps and needs are important for our efforts! We invite you to participate in a semi-structured, 30-minute interview at a time convenient for you.

If you are unable to participate in an interview, please fill out the survey. It will only take 15 minutes!

Learn more about Autism Healthcare ECHO:

Equipping and supporting healthcare providers to improve accessibility and quality of care for individuals with ASD through the provision of a tele-mentoring program designed by and for those within the IU Health system.

We intend to systematically develop and facilitate a culturally responsive tele-mentoring program that employs a data-driven, community-engaged curriculum aimed to improve:

  • Knowledge of ASD among IUH healthcare providers.  
  • Perceptions and attitudes towards care of patients with ASD among IUH healthcare providers. 
  • Pedagogy (i.e., use of terminology and recommendations rooted in EBPs) among IUH healthcare providers. 
  • Accessibility of care and services 
  • Quality of care and services for patients with ASD
  • Provider (i.e., training and service) and patient (i.e., service) satisfaction  
  • Accessibility, usability and feasibility of changes among IUH providers
  • Adoption, penetration and sustainability of changes among IUH providers.
Autism Healthcare ECHO is based on the Project ECHO ™ model that aims to share best practices and amplify training impact with outcomes monitored through a web-based database.  The model serves to maintain responsibility for care and management of patients with local, participating providers who are guided and mentored by specialists delivering curriculum topics and peers and panelists offering insights on the cases presented. Learn more.

You will join our team of interdisciplinary experts and other participant learners over a teleconferencing platform, where you will engage in case-based learning and mentorship through discussion of real cases from learner practices.

Typical sessions follow the following general sequence:

To participate, you will need:

  • Internet access (preferably high-speed to enable uninterrupted video conferencing)
  • Laptop or desktop preferred as it will allow you see shared documents. However, a hand-held device can work as well!
  • A front-facing camera on smartphone, tablet, or computer
The ECHO Autism model provides healthcare providers with mentorship in advances in autism care across the lifespan by leading professionals at our hub at the IU School of Medicine and the IU Health System. Together, we will address the most routine to the more complex patient cases as a community of practice with practical ideas for immediate application to your medical practice without families having to wait long periods or travel long distances to seek this information from other specialists.

We appreciate that there is much to juggle in scheduling and time is precious. With this in mind, we have a range of ways to be involved with further information as follows:

  • Survey or interview participation (one-time participation): Information about and links to participate in the survey and interview are accessible at https://handsinautism.iupui.edu/research/#na.
  • Project development and feedback (focus group participation at two intervals): Interest in participation among a group of 8 healthcare provider colleagues in both an initial focus group to occur in early Spring 2022 and a debrief focus group to occur in late Spring 2023 can be shared via email to asdecho@iu.edu.
  • Project ECHO participant (participation in at least 6 ECHO sessions and associated activities): Activities and expectations are shared within the aforementioned Study Information Packet. Interest in this engagement is limited to the first 40 healthcare providers and can be initiated with return of the Interest in Study form via email to asdecho@iu.edu.
Explore resources created by ECHO members, including
  • Anxiety
  • Sleep
  • Tips for newly diagnosed
  • Tips for employers
  • and more!