Parents of children with suspected autism often take time off of work and travel long distances to receive a diagnosis and initiate care. Board-certified pediatrician Kristin Sohl, MD, recognized the difficulty this poses for patients and their families and took action. She founded ECHO Autism, a virtual learning network of providers that offers real-time access to autism and behavioral experts and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credit for meaningful participation.

Her quality improvement (QI) project, "ECHO Autism: Improving Access to Autism Diagnosis," was chosen by the ABP as an Exemplar Project for improvements in behavioral and mental health. Ahead of National Healthcare Quality Week and World Mental Health Day this October, she sat down with me to talk about her work.

Other Outstanding QI Projects Submitted to the ABP

• Snapfinger Woods Pediatrics Adolescent Depression Screening Initiative (PDF)
• Use of SMART Behavior Goals in Managing ADHD in the Children's Medicine Center (PDF)

Continued Learning Opportunities for Board-Certified Pediatricians

• NEW Question of the Week (QOW) — Timed-release melatonin on the behavior of autistic children and on parental quality of life (Part 2)
• QOW — Music therapy for autism (Part 2)
• Developmental and Behavioral Screening PIM (Part 4)

About the Author

Keith J. Mann, MD, MEd, is Vice President for Continuing Certification at the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). As lead of continuing certification (also known as Maintenance of Certification or MOC), his focus is on evolving the program to be increasingly relevant and valuable for pediatricians while upholding the high standards of being a certified pediatrician or pediatric subspecialist. He provides expertise in education, health care quality, and patient safety. Before joining the ABP leadership in 2018, he volunteered on various ABP committees for 15 years. He is certified in general pediatrics and is maintaining his certification.