The Act Early State Team coordinates several workgroups that focus on specific topics relevant to the goals of the Act Early State Plan. These workgroups are made up of a subset of state team members and other relevant stakeholders who meet on an ongoing basis. Current workgroups are described in further detail below.
Provider Education
The Provider Education workgroup aims to ensure that Wisconsin primary care providers have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide best practice screening, referrals, and care related to autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. The group is assessing existing education resources available to Wisconsin providers and developing a plan to strengthen these resources and address any gaps. Current representation on the group includes staff from WiCII, the Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin Medical Home Initiative, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Maternal and Child Health (Title V) program. The group meets monthly via Zoom.
Data & Measurement
Accurate measurement is key to identifying and addressing gaps in developmental screening, referrals, and follow-up. The purpose of the Data & Measurement workgroup is to coordinate and improve efforts to track these measures in Wisconsin. The group is made up of stakeholders from primary care, state health & education agencies, and other relevant partners. Together they are building a shared understanding of how developmental data are tracked across Wisconsin. This knowledge will inform efforts to align the collection and use of these data and to explore how developmental screening could be used as a performance indicator for Wisconsin in the future.
Act Early COVID-19
The Act Early COVID-19 Response and Resiliency Initiative team serves as the COVID-19 workgroup for the Act Early State Team. This project aims to identify challenges and opportunities related to identifying developmental delays and providing early intervention services to young children during the COVID-19 (coronavirus 2019) pandemic. A needs assessment was conducted to identify current challenges and opportunities to support early identification in primary care, early care and education, Birth to Three and early childhood special education, and public health programs such home visiting and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children). A plan to address identified challenges and opportunities is being developed, implemented, and evaluated.