Jeremiah Dickerson, M.D., (left) and Molly Bumpas, M.Ed., assess children for autism in the Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families. (photo: David Seaver)

Over the past several years, child health professionals have increased their practice of screening young children’s development with validated tools in the medical home. As a result, more young children exhibiting early signs of autism are receiving referrals to child development specialists for appropriate assessment and formal diagnosis. Providers at UVM Children’s Hospital Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics division and the Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families (VCCYF) saw a significant increase in referrals for autism assessment during the past decade, resulting in extremely long wait times.

“As our referrals kept creeping up and up, we struggled to meet the needs of the state of Vermont,” says Jeremiah Dickerson, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and director of the VCCYF autism assessment clinic.

To address this need, the pediatric and psychiatry departments collaborated to restructure the autism assessment program at VCCYF. In addition, the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP), in partnership with the Vermont Department of Health, launched a statewide-level initiative to improve rates of developmental screening and remove barriers to autism assessment and diagnosis.

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