Written by Hannah Harp
Spoon Feed
Family navigation (FN) programs for children with autism are widely variable but appear to shorten the length of time from referral to diagnosis and increase engagement in therapies.
Supporting, not destroying, families
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex diagnosis with long wait times for evaluation and seemingly endless barriers to getting optimal care to maximize a child’s well-being and developmental outcomes. FN programs have been shown to reduce delays in referral, diagnosis, and treatment of kids with autism, but there is a lot we don’t know about how common these programs are or how they are implemented.
This scoping review investigated the effectiveness and characteristics of FN programs for children with ASD. Twenty-seven studies (9 RCTs) encompassing 2,982 participants were included. FN programs, delivered by trained professionals or laypersons, accelerated service access from screening to intervention. Positive caregiver outcomes were also reported. Due to heterogeneity, data synthesis was narrative, and no meta-analysis was conducted. The review underscores FN’s promise while recommending more standardized evaluations. The review only compiled programs that have been researched and published (obviously), so this limited view may not be concordant with all implemented FN programs. Importantly, the programs vary so much that they are difficult to compare.
How will this change my practice?
This paper addresses such an enormous problem in the world of primary care. Just this week I have been working on compiling a list of applied behavior analysis (ABA) providers in our area that accept Medicaid, and it seems like their information is ever-changing. Some Early Intervention programs provide excellent family navigators and accelerated diagnosis. Maybe next steps in research can be to look at how EI handles this issue so that it can be replicated for older children too.
Source
Family Navigation Programs for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review. Pediatrics. 2025 Apr 1;155(4):e2024067947. doi: 10.1542/peds.2024-067947. PMID: 40043743
