The goal was to improve access to diagnosis and care for children with autism when the series started in February 2019. Today, after 11 cohorts, more than 200 primary care providers – 2018 to be exact – have participated in Autism: Core Concepts for Primary Care. The series also aims to build a support/mentoring network for primary care providers in rural, frontier and urban communities to foster improved care for children with ASD and developmental disabilities. Through participation, physicians are empowered and supported in the identification and treatment of DD/ASD, supporting families in their home communities.

Autism: Core Concepts for Primary Care is offered in two, five-week series focused on diagnosis, resources/treatment, management of ADHD, anxiety, irritability, sleep and toileting concerns. Sessions are led by an interdisciplinary group of providers including physicians, psychologists, a social worker, genetic counselor and pharmacists.

“For many of us, this ECHO is the highlight of our week,” said Ann Reynolds, MD, medical director of developmental pediatrics and professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “We enjoy mentoring primary care providers who are eager to gain the skills and confidence to help their patients and their families.”

In addition to the Autism ECHO learning series, this group of providers offers a monthly “case conference” – an opportunity for primary care providers and clinical psychologists to share current patient cases, receive feedback from the interdisciplinary team and to support one another in the diagnosis and management of patients with DD/ASD.

The next cohort of Autism: Core Concepts for Primary Care begins January 5, 2022.

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On May 25, Children’s Hospital Colorado pleaded with state lawmakers to fund residential mental healthcare as it was experiencing a state of emergency in pediatric mental health (CBS4). And, in the last two years, the hospital has seen a 90 percent increase in demand for behavioral health treatment (Children’s Hospital). Across the state, 49 out of 64 counties do not have a child and adolescent psychiatrist.

To help address the need for pediatric mental health services, the Colorado Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation & Access Program (CoPPCAP) and ECHO Colorado are offering Pediatric Psychiatry in Primary Care: Core Essentials and Pediatric Psychiatry in Primary Care: Beyond Core Essentials – two upcoming learning series designed to give providers the knowledge and skills to assess and treat pediatric mental/behavioral health conditions.

“One aim of the series is to address the enormous burden that pediatric PCPs are experiencing during the COVID pandemic and children’s mental health crisis,” said Susan E. Young, PhD, Evaluation Lead at CoPPCAP and associate professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at University of Colorado School of Medicine. “For this reason, each session includes a self-care component that serves as a “check in” on the level of stress providers are experiencing, and allows participants to share strategies for coping and support.”

Core Essentials consists of eight sessions on assessment and treatment fundamentals that will assist providers with minimal experience and comfort managing mental health concerns in their pediatric patients. Beyond Core Essentials is a more advanced series designed to offer greater depth in the areas of differential diagnosis, psychiatric medication management, and two of the most pressing mental health crises in Colorado: youth suicide and substance abuse. 

Core Essentials and Beyond Core Essentials run September 30 through November 18. For more information and to register for these free series visit echocolorado.org/find-an-echo/.

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