A Systematic Network of Autism Primary Care Services (SYNAPSE): A Model of Coproduction for the Management of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
SYNAPSE turns the pediatric clinic into the quarterback for autism care, and Serene et al. (2025) already show the playbook works.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Kong et al. (2020) drew a map, not a trial. They sketched SYNAPSE, a plan that makes the regular pediatric clinic the air-traffic control tower for autism care.
The model uses coproduction. That means doctors, teachers, and families build the same flight plan together instead of flying solo.
What they found
The paper gives no numbers. It is a blueprint, not a scoreboard. The authors simply lay out who should talk to whom and when.
How this fits with other research
Habayeb et al. (2025) tested the idea. They placed autism evaluations inside pediatric clinics and cut wait times while keeping families happy. Their data extend SYNAPSE from theory to something you can schedule on Monday.
Sun et al. (2013) paints the opposite picture. Providers in mainland China described a system where medical and school services barely speak. That fragmentation is exactly the gap SYNAPSE tries to close.
Wallace et al. (2012) set an earlier global blueprint. SYNAPSE narrows that wide lens to one front door: the primary-care clinic.
Why it matters
If you are tired of faxing reports into the void, SYNAPSE gives you a script. Ask your local clinic to host a monthly team huddle. Invite the teacher, the SLP, and the parent. Share data, set one joint goal, and assign a point person to follow up. One hour can replace three weeks of phone tag.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is growing rapidly, affecting 1 in 59 children in the United States in 2018. Individuals with ASD currently receive fragmented care that threatens their health and well-being. Challenges of autism care include disconnections between the medical system and school supports, poor care coordination between primary care and specialists, and saturation of neuropsychiatry-based centers' capacity to care for the ASD population. ASD treatment also lacks of a coordinated system of care for patients' multi-system comorbidities. Families are calling for an ASD care delivery system to meet their needs and the needs of their children. To serve people with ASD and their medical and other providers, we propose a coordinated approach to care grounded in primary care. We call the model the "Systematic Network of Autism Primary Care Services (SYNAPSE)." We develop the model by applying the frameworks of "coproduction" of care and chronic disease management. In this Commentary we discuss the model's rationale, underpinnings, and the implications for clinical practice. We advance these ideas to align with policy makers' recognition of the importance of primary care for ASD, as reflected by the most recent Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) meeting at the National Institute of Mental Health.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2020 · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-03922-4