- Good afternoon.
I'm David Baiada, the CEO here at BAYADA Home Health Care.
Today is Monday, April 20th
and this is your daily CEO update
during the coronavirus pandemic.
April is Autism Awareness Month
and many of you know that here at BAYADA,
one of our 10 specialty practices,
the types of service we provide,
one of the 10 specialty practices
is what we call our behavioral health practice
and this is teams that are focused on the provision
of services primarily to children on the autism spectrum.
And we have some incredibly, incredibly amazing clinicians
and team members that focus on this service.
And we were lucky enough
to be recognized on Hawaiian television.
One of our clinical leaders
in the behavioral health practice, Kristen Koba-Burdt,
was interviewed as part of Autism Awareness Month,
particularly related to some of the challenges
because our services are often provided
in the school system or in
our center-based service model.
And so I wanted to share this amazing footage
of a news interview with Kristen out in Hawaii.
Enjoy.
(serious music)
- Welcome back, it is Autism Awareness Month.
The CDC estimates that one in every 68 kids
in the U.S. are diagnosed with autism.
The numbers continue to rise and during this pandemic
many families are struggling with meeting
the special educational needs of their children.
Joining us live from Haiku, Maui, Kristen Koba-Burdt,
a licensed and board-certified behavioral analyst
with BAYADA Home Health Care Hawaii.
Kristen, thanks for joining us.
- Thanks so much for having me.
- This is an issue that a lot of families are dealing with,
how when their children are out of school
for this long the hope is that they don't regress.
What can families do if they're struggling?
- Families can really look at
some of the available resources online.
Autism Speaks as well as
the Association for Science in Autism Treatment
in addition to many other organizations
have put out a lot of tips to help support families
at home whether that be in their daily routines
such as chores and brushing teeth and having breakfast
or participating in school enrichment activities.
And so really giving some guidance to families
to help structure the time at home.
- And that is what Autism Awareness Month is all about.
You mentioned one place they can go
and you also mentioned keeping the daily routines up.
Is that crucial to not survival but getting through this
when they don't have any other help?
- Absolutely, I mean, when we think about
how disruptive physical distancing
and the significant changes have been for all of us,
we can really sympathize with individuals with autism.
So repetitive behaviors, difficulty with changing routines
are some of the core symptoms of an individual
with autism and so really exacerbated
by a situation such as physical distancing
and the significant changes in routine.
So we really look at trying to support family members
to keep a consistent schedule of activities.
Obviously, daily life has been changed pretty significantly,
but looking at what's happening within the home
and building a schedule that the child
and the family can really consistently implement.
Many parents are working from home
or have modified schedules.
Some family members have also, obviously, siblings at home.
And so really trying to adapt a schedule
that's gonna work well for the family
and to support the child with autism to have consistency
and know what to expect within their day.
- Last question here.
Nutrition is a big deal, of course, a lot of kids
in Hawaii get their nutrition primarily from school.
If you're at home, is there anything that you should be,
whether it's vitamins or certain types of food,
that you should be feeding your child?
- I think that's definitely a conversation
with their physician.
And so, one of the comorbid conditions is that some children
with autism suffer from GI issues
and other stomach-related issues.
And so definitely talking to their doctor
about any dietary restrictions or changes
that should be in place.
- All right, Kristen Koba-Burdt.
We appreciate you stoppin' by from Haiku, Maui.
- Thanks so much.