Implementation-as-Usual in Community-Based Organizations Providing Specialized Services to Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mixed Methods Study

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder. ASD community-based organizations (ASD-CBOs) underutilize or inconsistently utilize evidence-based practices (ASD-EBPs) despite numerous available EBPs to treat ASD. Nonetheless, ASD-CBOs implement changes to practices regularly. Understanding ASD-CBO ’s implementation-as-usual (IAU) processes may assist to develop strategies to facilitate ASD-EBP adoption, implementation and sustainment. A convergent mixed methods (quan + QUAL) design was utilized. Twenty ASD-CBO agency leaders (ALs) and 26 direct providers (DPs), from 21 ASD-CBOs, complet ed the Autism Model of Implementation Survey Battery, including demographic and agency IAU process questions. Surveys were analyzed through descriptive and content analyses. A subset of 10 ALs provided qualitative interview data that were analyzed using coding, consensus and comparison methods to al low for a more comprehensive understanding of the IAU process within their ASD-CBOs. Quantitative analyses and qualitative coding were merged utilizing a joint display and compared. Results suggest that the IAU process follows some phases identified in the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, S ustainment (EPIS) framework but were conducted in an informal manner—lacking specificity, structure and consistency across and within ASD-CBOs. Moreover, data suggest adding a specificadoption decision phase to the framework. Nonetheless, most ALs felt ...

Source: Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research - September 17, 2020 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research