Falling Through the Cracks: The Gaps in our Healthcare System Integration of Applied Behavioural Analysis in Pediatric Primary Care

Abstract

When parents come into an emergency room asking for help in managing their children's behavioural problems, there is no referral system in place for hospital staff to help families find or obtain effective behavioural intervention services. Parents are instead told to seek out respite provider resources or are given a referral to a psychiatrist to get or manage medication, which are "band-aid solutions". The healthcare system is inefficient at ensuring we are getting to the root of the challenging problems and addressing the needs of children. Families are burning out and children with behavioural concerns are falling through the cracks. Our study discusses a potential plan to create a new referral system for an out-patient behavioural assessment protocol that can be used in the hospitals for families dealing with their children's challenging behaviours. The documents developed could be then given to the hospital decision-makers regarding an alternative option in dealing with emergency room referrals involving families seeking help with their children's behavioural problems.

Faculty Mentor: Miranda Macauley