The Reduce The Wait Project

The Reduce the Wait project is a federally funded research study that will provide autism evaluations to over 1,000 children enrolled in the Illinois Early Intervention program.

The Problem

Long waitlists for autism evaluations for children enrolled in EI.

Our Goal

To find new and quicker ways to diagnose autism in young children. We want to make the autism diagnostic process efficient, accurate, and supportive for families of children enrolled in Early intervention (EI).

Our Approach

Increase the number of people qualified to provide an autism diagnosis (for example, early intervention clinicians, like speech and developmental therapists).

RTW in the News

Dr. Meg Roberts has recently made appearances on TV and radio in Chicago to discuss RTW and autism diagnosis. View the videos on this page or follow the links below to listen to her interviews:

WBBM Newsradio: New program aims to ‘Reduce the Wait’ for autism diagnoses for young kids

NBC5: Northwestern Researchers Hope to End Extensive Wait Lists for Autism Diagnosis

WBEZ/Reset with Sasha-Ann Simons: Expanding access to early intervention for Illinois children with autism

WTTW News: Project Aims to Reduce Wait Times for an Autism Diagnosis in Illinois: ‘Is There an Alternative Model?’

Watch: Dr. Meg Roberts interviewed on WTTW News

Watch: Dr. Meg Roberts interviewed on NBC5

Quarterly Project Update

Each quarter, we’ll be reporting our RTW results to date, including participant demographics, evaluation outcomes, and process feedback. The current quarterly report includes data from our first, second, third, and fourth RTW cohorts.

Primary Outcomes

84% diagnostic agreement across 514 children evaluated

Diagnostic agreement is between participating EI providers (SLPs/DTs) with 20 hours of autism diagnostic training from our RTW training course and the RTW expert evaluation team (clinical psychologist, SLP, DT) with a collective 10+ years of autism diagnostic experience.

Average Evaluation Wait Times

Non-RTW Evaluations:

15 Months

For RTW Appointments:

1 Month

Provider Feedback:

98%: Agree that the RTW approach is a good way to diagnose autism

98%: Agree that the RTW assessments are effective for diagnosing autism

100%: Agree that the use of these assessments is consistent with the Illinois EI mission

Providers At-A-Glance

69% of providers had no previous experience with autism screening tools.

RTW EI providers to date had an average of 14 years of experience working in EI and an average caseload size of 15 children.

Caregivers At-A-Glance

53% of RTW families receive government assistance.

To date, children participating in RTW are 31% female. Ages range from 16 to 37 months old.

The majority of RTW children are White (45%) or Black (34%). 29% identify as Hispanic.

Caregiver Feedback:

99%: Would recommend participating in RTW to a friend in need of similar help.

96%: Agree with the diagnosis that was given for their child.

79%: Would be willing to use telehealth to complete a diagnostic assessment even if in-person assessments were available, based on the RTW experience.

Participant Recruitment

Families participating in RTW represent 96% of the Illinois EI’s Child & Family Connections (CFCs) regional intake agencies.

Participants in RTW come from all of Illinois EI’s CFCs.

For more information about RTW Project progress, download the PDF quarterly RTW Project Update below:

Download the PDF RTW Project Update

What RTW Participants are Saying

“I appreciated that after I was informed, the evaluators took a step back and asked how I was feeling about the diagnosis. The evaluators made a point of noting [our child]’s strengths, as well as the strengths of our relationship, which was highly validating. I was extremely satisfied with our experience with the study.”

RTW Caregiver

“The EI providers connect with you on a personal level. I loved how they made sure to tell you that “autism isn’t your fault” …because that is something I’ve struggled with.”

RTW Caregiver

“I think this was the best possible way for this family to access the diagnostic process due to geographic, mobility, and childcare challenges. I’m glad we could do it!”

RTW EI Provider

EI Provider Participants

The Reduce the Wait Project Team

Below are Illinois EI Developmental Therapists and Speech-Language Pathologists from RTW cohorts that have either completed or currently participating in evaluations. Click on a provider’s name to learn more about their background and motivation for being a part of RTW.

Alexandra Duchek, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Ana Correa, DT

Developmental Therapist

Barb Welmers, MS/CDS

Developmental Therapist

Elizabeth Bormann, MEd, DT

Developmental Therapist

Jennifer D. Ascher MS, CCC-SLP/L

Speech-Language Pathologist

Jessica Jarman, BS, DT

Developmental Therapist

Karen Trost, BS, DT

Developmental Therapist

Kayla Campos, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Mary Solberg, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Megan Goetter, MHS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Yolanda Flor Avila, CDS, M. Ed.

Developmental Therapist

Yunni Yang, BS, DT

Developmental Therapist

Jennifer Crick

Developmental Therapist

Samantha Mason

Speech-Language Pathologist

Kristin Frasca

Developmental Therapist

Amy Levin, SLPD CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Rachel Fortiz, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Kelly Crees, MA, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Paula Hamilton, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Lisa Perry BA, DT

Developmental Therapist

Amanda O'Hara, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Brittany Martin, M.A, CCC-SLP/L

Speech-Language Pathologist

Cara Brennan, M.S., CCC- SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Carryl Sher, MA, CCC- SLP/L

Speech-Language Pathologist

Claudette Sanchez, MA, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Eric Ross, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Jennifer Garcia, BS, DT

Developmental Therapist

Karen Lovejoy Davis, MED, DT

Developmental Therapist

Kelsey Lanham, MA, DT

Developmental Therapist

Lisa Christel, M.Ed., DT

Developmental Therapist

Maria Faciano, BS, DT

Developmental Therapist

Myrna Perez MS, DT

Developmental Therapist

Natalie Lev, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Shameka C. Brown, MS.ED, DT

Developmental Therapist

Stacey Richardson, DT

Developmental Therapist

Tamorrow A. Griffith MHS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Isabel Salcedo, MS, SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Jeanne Yee, MA, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Jennifer Mazzeffi, MA, DT

Developmental Therapist

Michelle Moore, LMSW, BS, DT

Developmental Therapist

Martha Rubio, M.Ed, DT

Developmental Therapist

Neha Varma, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Katrina Garnett-Patterson, DT

Developmental Therapist

Tenika Davis, MHS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Lida Stewart, DT

Developmental Therapist

Amy VanWay, MA, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Brittany Kowalik, MS, DT

Developmental Therapist

Carrie Rao, MHS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Ann Marie Imherr, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Ashley Foster, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Azure Addison, MAT, DT

Developmental Therapist

Pawn Scarpelli, BS, DT

Developmental Therapist

Sereda Harkless, DT

Developmental Therapist

Dajza Mitchell, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Julie Hodson, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Christine Dunlap, DT

Developmental Therapist

Sarah Flock, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Kathleen Mak, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Angelita Johnson, DT

Developmental Therapist

Barbara Spears, DT

Developmental Therapist

Katie Roderfeld, MS, DT

Developmental Therapist

Shinfan Chang, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Giorgiana Bellisario, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Sayida Baste, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Tanya Knoup, DT

Developmental Therapist

Robin Estrada, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Amy Villarreal, DT

Developmental Therapist

Bernadette Phelan, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Brenda Lee, DT

Developmental Therapist

Carrie Roa, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Gladys Goeringer, DT

Developmental Therapist

Jaime Mossman, DT

Developmental Therapist

Jo McMullen, DT

Developmental Therapist

Kushalraj Singavi, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Lauren Relyea, DT

Developmental Therapist

Mary Ann Gasior, DT

Developmental Therapist

Meaghan Moriarty, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Monica Herrera, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Nancy Silverman, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Rebecca Bozue, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Samantha Koziol, DT

Developmental Therapist

Santosh Mundada, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Carly Sieber, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Terry Kay Davey, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Lorelle Beaugard, DT

Developmental Therapist

Janet Farr, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Nicolette Komie, DT

Developmental Therapist

Crystal O'Donnell, DT

Developmental Therapist

Amy Bahr, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Rachel Hodges, DT

Developmental Therapist

Hannah Epstein, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Jenna McCrady, DT

Developmental Therapist

Kimberly Smiley, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Kathleen Francis, DT

Developmental Therapist

Regina Hernandez, DT

Developmental Therapist

Kathleen Epich, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Tags: autism | early identification | Ongoing studies