Autism Spectrum Community Education Series

As the healthcare community learns more about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how to improve healthcare for autistic individuals, an Autism Spectrum Community Education Series was launched this spring, via a partnership between the Winter Haven Hospital Foundation, the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) School of Behavior Science Analysis, and Rockin’ On The Chain. Three FIT professors are teaching the series.

We caught up with one of the busy professors to get a bird’s eye view of how Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) concepts and techniques, used in a clinical setting, may benefit ASD individuals. Dr. Jonathan Fernand, Assistant Professor with the School of Behavior Analysis at Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Psychology and Liberal Arts, is heavily involved in providing therapy and resources to the autistic community through his work at The Scott Center for Autism Treatment.

For the healthcare community who provides care for those with ASD, Dr. Fernand says that understanding has grown beyond the “simple awareness” of the definition of autism, to applied behavior approaches that facilitate a more comfortable clinical experience. “I learn from each and every single patient and family,” says Dr. Fernand.

It is his hope that the Autism Spectrum Community Education Series is just the beginning of a long-term partnership to help those in the Autism community advocate for themselves, as well as equip medical facilities and teams with the tools necessary to foster that growth. He says every individual’s needs are unique. Those in the world of behavior analysis look at the environment and how that can either help or hinder experiences for autistic individuals. “So we can arrange the environment in such a way that fulfills the needs for those people,” he says.

Those who attend the series, which comprises both caregivers as well as healthcare professionals, learn more about ASD and other intellectual and developmental abilities, the basics of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) concepts and techniques, communication strategies, sensory challenges, and creating a sensory-friendly environment. ABA techniques can be useful to equip ASD individuals with skills to better articulate pain and discomfort, voice preferences, and improve tolerance for medical procedures, Dr. Fernand notes. Other takeaway nuggets include managing aggression and increasing patient safety during medical procedures such as exams or vaccinations. The discussion of what creates a therapeutic environment, says Dr. Fernand, is “assisting somebody to be successful in their natural environment.”

BARRIERS FACED

The Scott Center offers behavioral health assistance to those autistic children who need it. Families face great challenges when it comes to healthcare – as well as accessing and navigating those services. Waiting lists are long for treatment, and the necessary appointments to get the initial diagnosis can be difficult, according to Dr. Fernand.

Parents may forgo the needed doctor’s checkups because they are afraid of how the child is going to act out while they are there. That doesn’t stop at adulthood. Adult ASD individuals may avoid appointments out of fear of the medical environment. “Families often feel they don’t know what to do,” Fernand says. “It’s not common knowledge.” He adds there is a “knowledge learning curve,” for example, when a person is not only learning what it means to be a new parent, but also the complexities of having a child on the spectrum. “Most behavior analysts are working with individuals who need substantial support,” Fernand says.

Some ASD individuals do not engage in any communication at all, whether vocally or by sign language. The deficits in communication then display in behaviors such as selfinjuring, tantrums, or disruption, he notes. Parents may say, “Now I have an atypical development occurring that I need assistance for,” he says, and find that they now must learn how to advocate for their child to be seen at a healthcare facility. Fernand adds that not every person with ASD needs services to help them communicate or navigate. However, as ASD individuals age, services tend to decline. Services for all individuals with autism beyond age 23 drop off, due to availability.

Quality of life becomes an issue, and both caregivers and healthcare advocates are hopeful that as the individual with ASD grows, they can learn to “fulfill a quality of life for themselves.” Tying the behavior analyst into the healthcare team for ASD individuals is growing, Fernand says, adding that many hospitals keep one on staff as they collaborate their understanding with other medical disciplines. The hope is that by altering the clinical environment, it may assist the ASD individuals gain helpful skills so they can navigate their world in a productive way for them, Dr. Fernand adds.

A GREAT PARTNERSHIP

Florida Institute of Technology Dean Lisa Steelman notes that the partnership started when Florida Tech, assisted by Winter Haven Hospital Foundation and its president and CEO Joel Thomas, began offering mental health services to patients at Winter Haven Hospital. “Florida Tech clinical psychologists in training work in collaboration with the hospital residents to help treat the whole patient, in this case through psychological services. We have now partnered in this way for five years and provided needed mental health services to a multitude of patients,” Steelman said. “Helping children with ASD and their families through the health care system (health check-ups, vaccines, etc.) was a logical next step.” Dr. Fernand is teaching the last series meeting. Dr. David Wilder and Dr. Kimberly Sloman facilitated the first two meetings.

A strong supporter of the program is Rockin’ On The Chain, which holds an annual fundraiser to help with autism awareness, and the Winter Haven Hospital Foundation is the recipient of it. “It has been very well received,” says John Straughn, founder of Rockin’ On The Chain. “Our goal is to have a fundraising event to help raise awareness to the autism and special needs community and I think the hospital is doing a great job by helping to promote that,” he adds.

HISTORY

In 2020, the Winter Haven Hospital Foundation started the FIT Clinical Psychology Training Program. The Florida State University (FSU) College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program and BayCare Health System are likewise intertwined to provide mental health care services. Benefitting patients at Winter Haven Hospital’s Outpatient Neuro Rehabilitation Clinic and BayCare Medical Group’s Family Health Center in Winter Haven, the program hopes to draw more students to both train and remain in the Winter Haven community.

The series, which began May 29, will see two more meetings on Thursday June 5 and June 12, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 1201 1st Street South, Suite 100A, Winter Haven. For more information, email whhfoundation@baycare.org.