Assessing Trends in Autism Service Utilization, Program Outcomes, and Consumer Feedback Over Time

Abstract

This practicum, conducted at the HANDS in Autism® Interdisciplinary Training and Resource Center, focused on evaluating the long-term effectiveness and reach of HANDS programming for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The project included reviewing historical reports, collecting and analyzing REDCap data, and generating visualizations to assess trends in consumer satisfaction, training participation, and service impact across diverse patient populations. Using Microsoft Excel and REDCap, data were cleaned, categorized, and evaluated to identify patterns based on demographics such as age, sex, race, and time. Key findings revealed increased participation, high consumer satisfaction, and contributions to earlier identification and better support outcomes for individuals with ASD. The practicum provided experience in data wrangling, visualization, and outcome-based evaluation, and highlighted the importance of continued program monitoring for sustainable growth and reduced resource waste.