Autism Adaptive Community-based Treatment to Improve Outcomes Using Navigators (ACTION) Network

The Autism Adaptive Community-based Treatment to Improve Outcomes Using Navigators (ACTION) Network-a new interdisciplinary network of 6 institutions-will blend clinical effectiveness and implementation research designs to study individual and combined effects of 2 evidence-based interventions in real world settings. The first is to engage families to access resources and support when they first learn their child has signs of ASD using an evidence-based intervention that integrates motivational interviewing and problem-solving education (MI+PSE). The second is to coach families to embed evidence-based intervention strategies for toddlers with ASD in everyday activities using the Early Social Interaction (ESI) model. In Phase 1, investigators will compare the effectiveness of adaptive interventions that use MI+PSE with and without ESI on parent and child outcomes in 3 sites in Florida and Massachusetts using a 2-stage Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trial (SMART) design. In Phase 2, investigators will construct an adaptive intervention to optimize the effects and study the feasibility of implementation in new sites in California. This research network can build the capacity of community-based systems to provide earlier and widespread access to cost-efficient, community-viable treatment and be ready for immediate and rapid implementation across the US.