Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Autism Treatment Network Site
Project Description:
Autism Speaks, the nation's leading autism advocacy organization, awarded a 3-year grant to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) as part of its expansion from 5 to 15 Autism Treatment Network (ATN) sites across the US and Canada. The ATN is a group of hospitals and medical centers dedicated to improving medical care for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to standardizing the care those individuals receive.
The ATN's multi-disciplinary approach includes collaboration among specialists in areas including, but not limited to, neurology, developmental pediatrics, child psychiatry, psychology, gastroenterology, genetics, metabolic disorders, and sleep disorders. The network aims to develop common clinical standards for medical care for individuals with ASD and to increase the pool of autism medical specialists through trainee mentorship and outreach to community-based physicians. As part of this effort, families receiving care at the sites can participate in a data registry that tracks children and adolescents receiving ongoing care at participating sites. The information in the database is a crucial part of developing the evidence to create and substantiate these clinical consensus standards.
As part of the national ATN the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center will collaborate with other sites to bring the highest level of care across medical disciplines for children with autism and their families. Participating institutions benefit from access to standardized protocols and assessments, a national database, and a community of autism physicians and empirically derived treatment practices.
Keyword(s):
autism, autism speaks,
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information
Area of Emphasis
Quality Assurance, Education & Early Intervention, Child Care-Related Activities, Health-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other - Assistive Technology, Other - Leadership
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, General Public
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Specific Groups
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
