Measuring the service system impact of a novel telediagnostic service program for young children with autism spectrum disorder.
Tele-diagnosis lifts referral counts and attendance for rural families.
01Research in Context
What this study did
A rural clinic added video-based autism diagnosis. Families met a remote doctor on a screen.
Staff tracked how many families booked and showed up before and after the new service.
What they found
Referrals jumped. More families kept the appointment instead of canceling.
Travel time dropped because families logged in from home or a nearby office.
How this fits with other research
Meimei et al. (2022) pooled 23 studies and found video tools catch most autism cases. Their data back the 2019 clinic results.
Neely et al. (2021) say video works for skill teaching but urge caution for behavior reduction. The 2019 paper fits that line: diagnosis is safe, treatment still needs in-person checks.
Straiton-Webster et al. (2025) show rural kids later get 11 fewer ABA hours each month. Faster video diagnosis could shorten that gap by starting the referral clock sooner.
Why it matters
If you serve rural families, add a tele-diagnosis slot. One extra screen can cut months off wait time and push ABA referrals earlier. Track no-show rates for four weeks; you should see the same lift this clinic saw.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
As prevalence of autism spectrum disorder continues to increase, so too does the need for timely, accessible diagnostic consultation. The present work extends from a previous study which provided preliminary evidence for the feasibility of expert clinicians to utilize telemedicine to triage autism spectrum disorder risk in young children. However, it did not examine whether a telediagnostic model had a demonstrable impact on tertiary care center referrals and usage. We therefore examined whether the introduction of telemedicine-based diagnostic consultation for families served by a rural medical facility affected referrals overall as well as to a metropolitan tertiary care diagnostic center. Results suggest that telemedicine diagnostic consultation in partnership with a referring early intervention system may positively impact referrals for diagnostic evaluation as well as the ability of families to schedule and attend appointments.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361318787797