Parent Groups

NFAR PARENT GROUP

Wednesday, June 18, 2025
6:30 - 7:30 pm

** This meeting is on ZOOM**
All Parents welcome!

TOPIC: Getting the Medical Care Your Child Deserves

The Autism-Friendly Health System Initiative (AFHSI) at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego promotes autism-friendly care across the hospital system by supporting children with autism during medical visits. Inspired by the needs of patients, families, and staff, the program has implemented a variety of interventions including customization of patient visits using the Autism Friendly Questionnaire (AFQ), adapting the medical environment to be more sensitive to the needs of autistic children, and training staff on proactive and reactive strategies to improve patient experience.

Since 2019, the Autism Friendly team has provided live training to 32 departments, in 22 specialties and provided embedded support in the Emergency Department and Inpatient Psychiatry Unit. They have also distributed 33 customized tool kits filled with items to support patients with autism to increase patient regulation and help them adapt to the unique clinical environment.

Join us to learn more about:

• Barriers to healthcare for autistic youth. 
• National efforts to improve medical visits for autistic youth.
• How families seeking care at Rady Children’s Hospital can collaborate with medical staff to improve their child’s medical care.
• What you can do to improve your loved one’s healthcare experiences. 

GUEST SPEAKER:

Dr. Themba Carr, Ph.D. and Abbey Hye, MA,BCBA

Clinical Psychologist, Rady’s Autism Discovery Institute, Themba’s clinical expertise includes the assessment and diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorders and the implementation of autism- focused caregiver-mediated early intervention models. In addition to overseeing clinical services at the ADI and working directly with families, she serves as a certified trainer for the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and the Autism Diagnostic Interview. Themba is an inaugural member of the Rady Children’s Hospital DEI Council and is the clinical training coordinator for the HRSA-funded San Diego Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities (San Diego LEND). Themba also holds the appointment of UC San Diego assistant clinical professor (non-salaried) and regularly provides teaching and training opportunities in the assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum and related disorders.

Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Rady’s Autism Discovery Institute, Abbey has broad training in the implementation of behavioral and developmental treatments (e.g., PRT, JASPER, ESDM) for children with autism and other developmental delays (e.g. Dup15q, tuberous sclerosis complex). Prior to joining Rady Children’s, she worked on a variety of early intervention studies at UC San Diego and UCLA, provided in home therapy through local agencies and conducted developmental/diagnostic assessments at the UCLA CAN Clinic. She has a passion for parent coaching and is committed to teaching social communication skills to children with autism and helping their families. Abbey has been leading the Autism Friendly Health System Initiative (AFHSI) at Rady Children’s Hospital since 2019.