Funded Projects

Support For Families Living With ASD

Project Year

2024

City & State

Centennial, Colorado

Program Name

CATCH Planning

Topic

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Program Description

The Problem:  Parenting a child with ASD can be a stressful and challenging experience. The literature indicates that caregivers of children with ASD often experience more mental health issues, a poorer quality of life and wellbeing, and higher levels of stress as compared to caregivers of typically developing children. Studies have also revealed that mothers of children with ASD report elevated psychological distress and caregiving burden, health-related problems, lower levels of resilience, and problems in various areas of family life, including relationships. In addition, research suggests that financial concerns contribute to increased parental fatigue, especially for low-income households. These challenges highlight the need for additional education, resources, and support for parents of children with ASD.   Primary Setting:  This project focuses on the intersection of healthcare, education, and community support in Colorado. We aim to enhance parental education, improve resource accessibility, and foster supportive communities through the Bright by Text platform. Bright by Text (BBT) is a parenting support program that also serves as a capacity- and ecosystem-building platform in communities. We help caregivers of young children understand, navigate, and support their child(ren)’s health and development, putting them on a path for lifelong learning and success. Bright by Text delivers bite-sized, timely tips and guidance in English or Spanish for children from prenatal to age nine in partnership with the best experts on whole-child and whole-family development.  Number of Children Affected:  There are approximately 1.3 million children living in the state of Colorado. We will be targeting the nearly 2.3% of Colorado children that have a diagnosis of ASD. Boys are nearly four times as likely as girls to be identified, and children from diverse backgrounds have varying rates of ASD.  Project Goal:  The primary goal of the grant is to plan and develop a text-based "opt-in" program on the Bright by Text platform providing evidence-based information, local/national resources, and support for Colorado parents of children with diagnosed or suspected ASD.  Proposed Intervention:  Utilizing the Bright by Text platform, we will plan and create a new "opt-in" text messaging stream supporting parents of children with ASD. The 6-month curriculum will educate parents and guide them in navigating support for their child at home, school, and beyond, connecting them to resources and offering support and encouragement.  Anticipated Outcomes:  The grant project aims to plan and create a program that will instill confidence, competence, and connection among Colorado parents of children with ASD. For the planning grant, we will understand caregiver needs, create partnerships with ASD experts and local community resource partners, create the messaging curriculum, plan the evaluation strategy and establish baseline metrics. Once the program is implemented in 2025, anticipated outcomes include heightened parental confidence in caregiving, increased competence regarding the child's condition, and strengthened connections to supportive communities and local resources. Additionally, the project envisions fostering parental mental well-being, resilience, and stress management. Implementation measures will assess parents' actions, knowledge increase, perceived support, and resource utilization resulting from the ASD-specific program messages.  Implementation Plan: With CATCH Grant support, the program will be planned, leveraging national/local experts and resource providers. Upon completion, the over 18,000 Colorado parents on the Bright by Text platform will be invited to join, with ongoing feedback mechanisms guiding program refinement. Expansion to the broader Bright by Text subscriber base (anticipated at 500,000 by year-end) is planned, marking a significant impact on parental support for children with ASD. 

Project Goal

Project Goal: By June 2025, we will plan and develop a text-based "opt-in" program on the Bright by Text platform providing evidence-based information, local/national resources, and support for Colorado parents of children with diagnosed or suspected ASD.

Project Objective 1

Within the first 30 days, we will engage a minimum of 4 diverse, expert partners in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders to collaborate on creation of the ASD opt-in curriculum.

Project Objective 2

Within the first 120 days, we will engage a minimum of 15 local ASD program/service providers and/or resources in CO to build the caregiver resource network and contribute community resource messaging to the ASD opt-in for parents/children with ASD. 

Project Objective 3

Within the 1 year planning grant period, we will work with expert partners to create 24 evidence based text messages and associated landing pages on caring for a child with ASD with intended outcomes to increase caregiver activation, caregiver knowledge, and enhance caregiver support.

AAP District

District VIII

Institutional Name

N/A

Contact 1

Katherine Richardson, MD