Providing services to help children with autism and related disorders is a data–intensive endeavor. From gathering clinical information to documenting each child's progress, the Institute for Child Development at the State University of New York relies on FileMaker Pro, the award–winning database software application from FileMaker, Inc.

Business Challenge

Providing a wide range of clinical, educational and diagnostic services to children with autism and related disorders, the Institute for Child Development (ICD) at the Department of Psychology of the State University of New York at Binghamton is an important center for research and training. Programs and studies at the Institute help pave the way for new treatments and forge a greater understanding of the causes of childhood disorders.

In helping children, the ICD processes large volumes of data — patient records, case histories and extensive background information as well as the routine, day–to–day administrative material a busy clinical and research organization generates. The information must be stored for ready access, and research data must be available for analysis, cross checking and presentation to staff members. Daily routines require comprehensive scheduling, preparation of program materials and report generation.

"We do everything from providing intensive educational services to children and their parents to training clinicians and students to assist children with autism spectrum disorders," says Dr. Raymond Romanczyk, founder and director of ICD. "We also provide diagnostic and early intervention services as well as conducting our Social Learning Center facility where children can safely learn and play."

Successful Solution

A centralized FileMaker Pro database system handles the information related to all of these tasks. "We've used FileMaker Pro since the beginning," says Romanczyk. "FileMaker Pro is the engine that drives all of our activities."

Among the most interesting uses of FileMaker Pro is storage of clinical information. Staff members record detailed data about each child in the program — data that can include audio and video components as well as text, all stored in FileMaker Pro. From the database, the information is processed and made available at the touch of a button for projection on a large screen during staff meetings. "With FileMaker Pro, we can pull up every combination of clinical results from a week ago, a year ago or three years ago," says Romanczyk. "We can analyze cases with great specificity and interactivity — with all the information we need available at the click of a button."

With FileMaker Pro, we can pull up every combination of clinical results from a week ago, a year ago or three years ago. We can analyze cases with great specificity and interactivity — with all the information we need available at the click of a button.

— Dr. Raymond G. Romanczyk, Founder and Director, Institute of Child Development

ICD is currently transitioning to FileMaker Pro 11, a move Romanczyk welcomes due to its support for charting. "When we meet with families, it will be so helpful to show them the information related to their child as charts and graphs — to give them a visual picture versus just showing them numbers on a page," he says. "We are very excited about the ability to graph and chart test results, monthly norms and other gauges of each child's progress."

Instructional materials for use in classroom settings are also generated in FileMaker Pro and printed for distribution with a minimum of effort. Program staff uses custom FileMaker Pro PHP scripts running on Apple iPod touch devices to collect information on the fly for uploading into the main database. Staff can use their mobile devices running FileMaker Pro to record clinical activities when providing services to clients, eliminating paperwork and streamlining follow–up activities such as accounting. Mobile functionality in FileMaker Pro is also used in the field to help training supervisors track and record student progress. FileMaker Pro even plays a role in program security and payroll with a barcode scanner connected to the personnel database checking the ID badges of employees reporting for work.

"What's amazing about FileMaker Pro is that just two of us — neither formally trained in programming — can tailor tools and create PHP scripts to meet ICD's unique needs," says Romanczyk. "We wouldn't even attempt that with any other database solution out there."