Individuals with ASD have a wide range of strengths and weaknesses. ASD is a complex neurobehavioral disorder characterized by impaired social interactions, difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication, rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, and limited activities and interests.

This educational series has been developed to provide a comprehensive overview of ASD with the goal of developing an understanding of the disorder and promoting optimal outcomes and compassionate care for these individuals and their families. This activity will discuss medical home care for children with ASD, autism-sensitive care, and counseling strategies and resources available for families and caregivers.

Learning objectives
At the end of this educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Describe medical home care for children with ASD;
• Implement counseling strategies for parents, caregivers and family members on effective ASD management strategies;
• Identify community resources available for families; and
• Describe autism-sensitive care in the office, emergency department and hospital.

Presenter
Robin K. Blitz, MD
Senior Medical Director
Special Needs Initiative
UnitedHealthcare
Phoenix, AZ

About the presenter
Robin K. Blitz, MD, is a board-certified developmental/behavioral pediatrician and is the senior medical director for the special needs initiative at UnitedHealthcare. Dr. Blitz also continues her developmental pediatric practice at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center and is clinical associate professor in the department of child health, University of Arizona College of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at Children's National Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., followed by a fellowship in developmental/behavioral pediatrics at the University of Maryland. 

Planners
Sarah Chart, RN
Senior Director
OptumHealth Education
Eden Prairie, MN

Rebecca Gleason, RN
Activity Manager
OptumHealth Education
Eden Prairie, MN

Melanie Majerus
Director, Special Needs Initiative
UnitedHealthcare
Eden Prairie, MN

Tina Rydland, PharmD
Crystal Clear Rx
Denver, CO

Disclosures of relevant financial relationships
In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support^SM, OptumHealth Education (OHE) requires all those in the control of activity content to disclose their relevant financial relationships. An individual has a relevant financial relationship if such person (or his/her spouse/partner) has a financial relationship in any amount occurring in the last 12 months with a commercial interest whose products or services relate to the activity content. OHE ensures that the content is independent of commercial bias.

Ms. Chart and Ms. Gleason have indicated that they are employees of and own stock in UnitedHealth Group.
The remaining activity faculty or planners have no financial relationships to disclose.

Method of participation
There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this activity. For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education (CE) credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board.

Participants will receive a certificate upon successful completion of the activity, which includes the following:

• Completing the entire activity; and
• Completing the pre- and post-activity assessments, activity evaluation and application for certificate of credit.

You must be logged into your account to participate in this activity. Get started by clicking "Begin" and viewing the "CE Info"; then follow the prompts at the bottom of the screen. At the end of the activity, you will be able to view, save or print your certificate of participation. The Area of Practice you indicated in your profile corresponds with your certificate type. A complete listing of all of your activities can be found under "My Account," "My Activities."

Method for calculating CE credit
CE credit was calculated by the complexity of content.

Accreditation statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by OptumHealth Education and UnitedHealthcare. OptumHealth Education is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit designation statements
This activity was planned by and for the health care team, and learners will receive 1.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

Nurses
The participant will be awarded up to 1.00 contact hour(s) of credit for attendance and completion of supplemental materials.

Nurse practitioners
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.

Pharmacists/Pharmacy technicians
This activity is approved for 1.00 contact hour ([0.10] CEU) in states that recognize ACPE.
Attending the full program will earn 1.00 contact hour.
Unique Activity Number(s): JA0007123-9999-18-072-H04-P/T

Physicians
OptumHealth Education designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

PAs
The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.

Case managers
The Commission for Case Manager Certification has approved this program for a maximum of 1.00 clock hour(s) for Certified Case Managers (CCM).

Counselors, psychologists and/or marriage and family therapists
This event is co-sponsored by R. Cassidy Seminars.

Satisfactory completion
Participants must have attended the entire Web-based activity and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate. Partial credit is not available.

Psychologists
R. Cassidy Seminars is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to offer continuing education for psychologists. R. Cassidy Seminars maintains responsibility for this program. 1.00 CE hour.

Counselors and/or marriage and family therapists
CA: The Board of Behavioral Sciences has deferred CE course approvals to APA for its licensees. See those approvals under Psychologists.
IL: Illinois Dept. of Professional Regulation, Approved Continuing Education Sponsor, #168-000141, (1) hours.
OH: Provider approved by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board for (1) clock hour, #RCST110701.
TX: Approved CE Sponsor through the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists, Provider #151, 1 CE hour.
Other States: If your state is not specifically listed, nearly all state counselor and MFT boards accept either APA or ASWB approval, or are reciprocal with other state licensing board approvals, such as those listed below. Check with your board to be sure. The Ohio board includes counselors and MFTs.

Disability access
If you require Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations, please contact our office 14 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification.

Please note: Licensing boards change regulations often and, while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board's approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.

Attendance
A certificate of attendance will be provided to learners upon completion of activity requirements, enabling participants to register with licensing boards or associations that have not been preapproved for credits. To apply for credit types not listed above, participants should use the procedure established by the specific organization from which they wish to obtain credit.

Provider
This activity is jointly provided by OptumHealth Education and UnitedHealthcare.

Commercial support
There was no commercial support received for this activity.

Hardware/software requirements
To view this activity, you will need Internet Explorer 7.0+ or Firefox 3.0+ with Windows Media Player 9+, RealPlayer 12+ or Adobe Flash Player 9+. Be sure to disable any pop-up blocking software prior to beginning this activity.