The On-Time Autism Intervention (OTAI) Project is a research-community partnership focused on engaging community partners, supporting community providers through collaboration and training, and is currently conducting pilot work in the community. We believe that all children should have access to diagnostic services, parent support and navigation, and intervention services as soon as autism symptoms emerge or as soon as a caregiver has concerns. Our work is focused on the first three years. Entry into services under 3 years of age is often referred to as “early” (as in early diagnosis or early intervention); we believe that access to services should instead be considered “on-time.” The primary focus of our work is to increase access to on-time autism intervention for all children affected by autism, with an emphasis on addressing health equity disparities by developing a framework for reaching traditionally underserved populations. Our work is guided by four pillars: (1) collaboration, (2) on-time autism diagnosis, (3) on-time and ongoing parent navigation and support, and (4) on-time child-focused autism intervention. Contact ontime@uw.edu for more information.

What is On-Time Autism Intervention (OTAI)?

The University of Washington’s On-Time Autism Intervention (OTAI) is a collaborative project led by the UW’s Autism Center and Haring Center for Inclusive Education. Funded through a Seattle Foundation grant, the work of OTAI endeavors to increase equitable access to timely diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and evidence-based intervention for young children and their families across King County.

Problem Statement: A practice gap exists in King County that permits inequitable access to timely diagnosis and evidence-based intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Solution? Innovate practice: Pilot and evaluate novel collaborative approaches within King County to change screening, diagnosis, and post-diagnosis navigation & support strategies based on gold-standard evidence.

What Are Some Goals of OTAI?

Develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a practice framework to guide the work of community-based practitioners to provide access to diagnostic and intervention services soon after concerns about a child arise.

Check out the OTAI Podcast

Other Early Recognition Resources

The UW Autism Center is happy to provide resources that increase understanding of neurodiversity. We value inclusion of a range of voices. We do not necessarily endorse all of the content on all of these websites, but we have found these resources to be useful.

9-minute video tutorial on behavioral signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in toddlers.
It includes video clips of specific behaviors indicative of either ASD or typical child development. If you have concerns about your infant/toddler after viewing this tutorial, we encourage you to contact your child’s Primary Care Provider to discuss a referral for our infant-toddler clinic.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
View or download a variety of materials from the “Learn the signs. Act early.” campaign.

First Signs
Resources for early detection of ASD.

Help Me Grow Washington connects families to the health and development resources needed to give ALL kids the best start.

Special Education referrals In order to meet its “child find” obligations, your district will have procedures in place to locate, identify, and evaluate students between the ages of 3 and 21 who are suspected of having a disability and may be eligible for special education and related services.

Child Find Schools Have a Legal Duty to Evaluate Children Impacted by Disability

0-3 ASD Fillable Team Input Questionnaire

Family OTAI Cultural Values and Beliefs

OTAI Decision Aid Booklet

OTAI Project Page QR Code