dfusion

*A note about language: In the post and in our presentation, we chose to use identity first language (ex: autistic person) rather than person-first language (ex: person with autism) based on feedback from our participants, advisors, and focus group members. Though this language is not yet standard in academic or professional spaces, there is significant evidence suggesting it is preferred by the majority of autistic young adults.

Check out our #YTHLive 2021 Presentation where we share the results and learnings from our first project to help build the relationship and independent living skills of autistic young adults.

With the help of an amazing cast of advisors, focus group participants, and actors, we developed 20 Microskill™ training videos to build relationship skills, such as how to deal with put-downs and how to give and ask for an apology.

We piloted the resource with 17 autistic young adults and saw a significant improvement (p=.000) in their skill usage in both skills from their pre-roleplay to their post roleplay. We also saw significant improvement (p=.001) in self-assessed skill level for two of our skills, giving and asking for an apology.

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to integrate all the amazing feedback we received from our participants into our Phase II study, which will include 150+ videos and a randomized controlled trial with 200 participants. This will include:

An emphasis on the celebration of autistic identities, the centering of autistic voices, and the use of concepts developed and supported by autism self-advocates.

Materials that do not pressure autistic individuals to behave neurotypically or suppress their autistic traits.

Videos on a broad range of relationship types including partners, coworkers, roommates, hook-ups, bosses, etc.

The addition of self-advocacy & activism skills, employment & educational skills, relationship transition skills, and skills for navigating power dynamics.

A set of videos intended to be viewed and discussed with neurotypical peers/family covering communication needs and ways to “meet in the middle.”

dfusion is Honored in 23rd Annual Digital Health Awards® Spring 2021 Session

dfusion of Scotts Valley, CA was selected as a gold medal winner in the 23rd annual Digital Health Awards® program. This competition – held each spring and fall – recognizes the world’s best digital health resources. The program is organized by the Health Information Resource Center (HIRC), a national clearing house for professionals who work in consumer health fields. dfusion’s entry – SkillFlix® for Parents IDD – received a Gold Award in the category “web-based digital health interactive content/rich media.”

SkillFlix for Parents IDD, a patented training technology, uses streaming video models to hone parents’ skills for communicating about healthy relationships and sex with their teens who have mild cognitive impairment and/or are on the autism spectrum. The ultra-short Microskills® videos model parent communication with teens who have reciprocal verbal communication skills.

“It’s an honor to have SkillFlix IDD chosen for a gold medal, the highest award, from more than 700 entries judged by a panel of distinguished experts in digital health media,” said Regina Firpo-Triplett, CEO of dfusion. dfusion builds upon science-based behavior change models and learning theories to facilitate behavior change for health, prevention, and adherence. Current scientific research on effectiveness guides development and adaptation of interventions for heightened relevance and impact.  

For more information:

SkillFlix IDD – www.dfusioninc.com/skillflix/

dfusion – www.dfusioninc.com

Condoms do so much for us! They help prevent unintended pregnancies and transmission of sexually transmitted infections – no small feat. They deserve to be celebrated once in a while!  February 14th is National Condom Day – a day to show a little appreciation to condoms.  If you teach sexuality education, National Condom Day is a great opportunity to refresh your condom lesson and demonstration. Here are three tips for taking your condom lesson to the next level.

1. Promote Pleasure

People don’t have sex to wear condoms.  Instead, many people are having sex for pleasure and because it’s fun. Your message about condoms will be better received if you acknowledge pleasure. The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) includes pleasure in its description of a sexually healthy adult (Bruess & Schroeder, 2014). Since young people report wanting accurate, nonjudgmental information about pleasure, it’s important to include discussions about pleasure (Cameron-Lewis & Allen, 2013).

Incorporating discussions about pleasure into a condom demonstration can be as simple as talking about lubricants, condom style variations, and finding a proper fitting condom. Acknowledge young people’s concern about condoms decreasing the pleasure of sex because of reduced physical sensation or because of potential awkwardness.

dfusion’s newest HIV intervention app, 3T, includes pleasure in the condom demonstration through gamifying the condom steps and by including information about lubricants, tips to increase sensation, and ways to talk about condoms with a partner.

2. Focus on Fit and Feel

COVID means that most everyone is wearing masks. There are so many styles and shapes and versions. Brands are promoting their face coverings using messaging like “The best fit for people with glasses” or “voted best face covering for professionals”. Just like people can try out a bunch of masks and find the right one for their face, people can try out different condoms to find one that feels and fits best. And fit and feel are not just about choosing the one that brings the most pleasure – it’s also about finding the fit and feel that won’t lead to the condom breaking or slipping and therefore not effectively reducing the risk of pregnancy or STI transmission.

Have you had a student brag that no condoms will fit them? You might have responded that condoms are designed to fit everyone. You might have even gone so far as to blow up a condom like a balloon or slid one onto a foot to demonstrate. While condoms are designed to fit most penises, this student’s comment provides an opportunity to acknowledge that condoms do come in different sizes both length and girth. In a soon-to-be released mobile app for Trans Women, we have a customized activity on finding the right condom based on material, size, texture, thickness, and shape.

In a recent study, about 18% of surveyed sexually active young people reported that a condom broke once in the last 3 months and about 12% said a condom had slipped off in the last 3 months. Often breakage or slippage can happen because a person did not put the condom on correctly.  But breakage and slippage can also occur because the condom was not the correct fit. If a condom is slipping off, the condom may be too wide or loose and the person should find a narrower condom. If the condom bunches up at the base of the penis then the condom is too long. A condom that fits correctly should unroll to the base of the penis, cover the entire shaft, but not have extra material. Helping learners recognize proper or poor fitting condoms can help them avoid a condom break or slip.

3. Embrace Inclusivity

So often, the focus of condom demonstrations or condom lessons are just on the person who is wearing the external condom. But usually, condoms are worn when there are at least two people in the room, each of them playing an important role in safer sex. And that safer sex can look very different for different people. Use gender neutral terms and phrases. Avoid assuming that the condom is being used for pregnancy prevention purposes or for vaginal sex. Using phrases like “people with penises” or “the person wearing the condom” is more inclusive of trans women, non-binary and gender non-conforming folks. Step up your inclusivity game by including conversations about lubricates for everyone involved. Lube helps increase pleasure, can prevent problems caused by dryness, and can be an opportunity to increase communication among partners.  For example, in both 3T and Trans Women Connected apps, users have the chance to role play talking about lube and condoms. When educators also talk about lube, it lets your learners know that you recognize that people have different types of sex and have different needs in bed, some of which may benefit from a little lube.

Do you work in a place that prohibits using condoms in a condom demonstration? Or maybe your online condom demonstration just needs a new prop? The award winning ConDEMO is here for you! With oversized yet realistic condom packaging, the nylon ConDEMO can be used on a standard-size water bottle (or a foot or arm) to show every step of using a condom including checking for the expiration date and unrolling the condom in the correct direction.

We want to hear from you! What ways have you found to add spice to your condom demonstrations?

Sources:

Barrett, M., Laris, B. A., Anderson, P., Baumler, E., Gerber, A., Kesler, K., & Coyle, K. (2020). Condom use and error experience among young adolescents: Implications for classroom instruction. Health Promotion Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839920935431

Breuss, C. & Schroeder, E. (2014). Sexuality education: Theory and practice (6 ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

If a 16-year-old asked you if their sexual behavior was normal, would you know how to respond? Teaching sexuality education to young people is a skill that can be honed. Educators and parents may have the knowledge to talk to the young people in their lives about sexual health, relationships, and sexuality. However, they may need more support developing and practicing the skills to have those conversations. SkillFlix® began with a series of ultra-short training videos for health educators, focusing on the Microskills® that form larger skills such as answering sensitive questions. Now, dfusion is expanding that video library, thanks to a new grant! The robust SkillFlix resource, currently in development, will consist of hundreds of videos for health communication strategies for educators and parents of teens both in English and in Spanish.  

Phase I of the project showed the success of using short videos that focus on Microskills (the smaller sub-skills) to model effective teaching. Participants who viewed the SkillFlix videos were more than twice as likely to correctly implement LGBTQ inclusivity skills, and three times as likely to correctly answer a sensitive question*. This illustrates that seeing a demonstration of a Microskill and then doing that skill works!

“I really liked the length of the videos. It was user friendly and teachers could use it and it wouldn’t feel overwhelming.” Teacher Participant

dfusion is eager to further evaluate the effectiveness of this training model and is partnering with ETR to lead the randomized controlled trial of this project. SkillFlix Phase II will be evaluated both in a simulated classroom and a standard classroom setting.

Watch a sample video from dfusion’s SkillFlix for Parents of Teens with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). To learn more about SkillFlix, reach out to the Project Director, [email protected].

Funded by EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. Grant Number: 1R44HD102288-01A1.

In September 2020, dfusion kicked off SkillTalk for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, our 5th fantastic project involving young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities! This project is particularly exciting because it will be our first training tailored specifically for young adults with ASD, while past projects have worked with parents, teachers, and caretakers. It is also unique because unlike many other programs supporting the independence of young adults with ASD, this training focuses very specifically on relationship skills rather than more general social skills related to the activities of daily living. Research shows that adults with ASD have relatively few close friendships compared to their neurotypical peers and often experience feelings of social isolation and loneliness (Billstedt et al., 2007; Eaves & Ho, 2008; Howlin et al., 2004; Liptak, Kennedy, & Dosa, 2011; Whitehouse et al., 2009; Orsmond, Krauss, & Seltzer, 2004).

Especially during these strange and potentially isolating times, a lack of healthy relationships for young adults with ASD can have a significant impact on their well-being and independence as a young person. The SkillTalk YA ASD video training library is being created to support the independence of young adults with a series of 20 initial videos designed to build MicroSkills related to developing and sustaining healthy relationships across the spectrum of relationships, including work, friendships, romantic, and sexual relationships.

We are grateful to our expert advisors, Peter Gerhardt, Laura Graham-Holmes, Jan Johnson-Tyler, Shana Nichols and Emily Rothman, and the young adults who are part of the project.

SkillTalk: Using Streaming Video for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Build Microskills to Develop and Sustain Relationships for Healthy and Independent Living

Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), dfusion is now enrolling participants in the SkillFlix for Parents—Autism Spectrum study. This study is for parents or guardians of 13-18 year old youth on the autism spectrum who engage in interactive conversations. The study will test the usefulness of an online training tool with videos for parents that model parent/child interactions on healthy relationships and sex (discussions about healthy boundaries, refusal skills, pregnancy prevention, STI prevention, seeking help etc.).

Participation will entail that parents:

engage in an audio recorded conversation with their child on a pre-determined topic related to healthy relationships and sex;

watch the parent/child interaction videos; and

engage in a second audio recorded conversation.

As a thank you for participating, parents will receive a $200 e-gift card and youth will receive a $50 e-gift card.

This May, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month became Sex Ed for All Month. Embraced by organizations the likes of Advocates for Youth, the Guttmacher Institute, Healthy Teen Network, Planned Parenthood, Power to Decide, SIECUS and others, this name change is in recognition that teens’ sexual health needs aren’t limited to pregnancy prevention and that all teens deserve to receive comprehensive sexual health education.

One group that has consistently been left out of the conversation when it comes to sexual health are those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For decades people have tended to think of those with disabilities as either nonsexual or hypersexual, and in either case they have received limited sexuality education if any at all. Sexuality is a universal part of the human experience, however, and this lack of education contributes to individuals with disabilities being at risk for the negative health outcomes associated with a lack of sexual health education: unintended pregnancy, STD infection, and sexual coercion and abuse. For this reason, it is critical that this vulnerable population of teens, like all teens, receive quality sexuality education both in and out of the classroom.

To that end, dfusion is happy to share that our work is focused on just that. We currently have two active projects in which we’re developing online resources to support and encourage parents of youth with intellectual and developments disabilities to start the ongoing conversation with their teens and preteens about relationships and sexuality. Building on our SkillFlix™ model that demonstrates how to perform skills using short video clips, we’re providing parents examples of how to start and continue these challenging conversations so they’ll feel prepared to do so.

In March of 2014, dfusion was born from the vision of ETR to create a partner who could advance health equity through the creation of innovative, science-based products.

Fast forward five years, and that vision has become a thriving company that is growing not only in size but in its national reputation.

When dfusion was formed, no one could have dreamed of the accomplishments it would see in just half a decade. These include 25 grant and contract awards; two patents and two trademarks pending; a 2018 National Health Information award; more than a dozen national professional presentations; and four prototypes advancing to full products, just to name a few.

Our first grant came in September 2014. Awarded by the National Institutes of Health, the project was an HIV prevention blended learning prototype for teens. One of our recent awards came in October 2018 -- a CDC contract to create Harm Reduction Kits for pharmacy distribution to people who inject drugs. From mobile app and video-based training development to feasibility pilots and rigorous evaluations, we focus on science-driven results, and work toward creating products that make a difference in health and well-being. More than 75% of dfusion's work focuses on the vulnerable and underserved populations, including trans women, young black men who have sex with men, people living with HIV, rural Latinx families, and parents with youth on the spectrum.

We've seen a steady growth curve, with much of our revenue coming from funding from the National Institutes of Health. And we expect that growth to continue. It's been an exciting ride, and one that wouldn't be nearly as fruitful if not for the dedication of longtime dfusion staff, including CEO Regina Firpo-Triplett, Vice President Tamara Kuhn, Operations Manager Erica Marsh, and Project Coordinator Brittany Lucas, as well as the many interns and staff members who have helped along the way.

So here's to our first five years and we look forward to the next five years as we make our products available to the individuals, communities, and health systems where they can make a difference.

Bob Keet, MD (far right), founding Board Member of dfusion, celebrated with guests.

Staff: Tamara Kuhn, Erica Marsh, and Brittany Lucas (left) are acknowledged by CEO, Regina Firpo-Triplett, for their contributions to build dfusion.

By Paige Burns, dfusion Intern 

dfusion has created a new set of videos to model how Special Education teachers can lead sex education for youth with mild cognitive impairments. It all began with a request from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Cheryl Blair of Kent Intermediate School District recognized the need to support and assist their Special Education teachers with the implementation of ETR’s Special Education edition of Making A Difference! - an evidence-based sex education course with an emphasis on abstinence. Soon thereafter, dfusion began the challenging but worthwhile endeavor that is film production. Scripts were perfected, and a group of talented, hardworking actors was assembled.

Not long after the original request, filming day arrived. Within a mere few hours, a conference room was transformed into both a classroom and a film studio. With Nate, the actor playing the Special Education teacher present, you could hardly tell that the room had ever been anything but a classroom. Our six youth actors completed the transformation- sharing their voices as youth with cognitive impairments, a high school Special Education classroom had been created.

Pictured: The crew! With their expertise and hard work, an ordinary conference room became a film studio.

For 25 years, the Health Information Resource Center has honored the Nation’s best consumer health programs and materials, with winners including AARP, American Heart Association, Girl Scouts, and Red Cross.

This year, dfusion has been added to that list of award winners for ConDEMO and its impact on health promotion and disease and injury prevention Information. ConDEMOs were created to address the need for effective hands-on condom demonstration and skill practice materials for use in settings were actual condoms are not allowed. ConDEMO demonstrations work perfectly on standard water bottles, so no penis models are needed in the classroom.

Having youth practice condom skills in educational settings greatly increases the odds that they will use condoms when the need arises. And the need is there – 41% of U.S. high schoolers have already had sex, and 43% did not use a condom the last time they had sex.

Teaching youth how to use condoms reduces sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like HIV/AIDS. Each year, there are 20 million new reported cases of STIs in the U.S. Half of these – 10 million – are in young people ages 15-24. And these are only the reported cases, so the actual number is higher. Condom education also reduces teen pregnancy. The U.S. teen pregnancy rate is still much higher than other western industrialized countries. U.S. teen girls gave birth to 230,000 babies in 2015. This is nearly a quarter million babies each year. These young women and their babies are at greater risk for a host of lifelong social and economic challenges.

The ConDEMO was designed for educators who cannot use condoms in their settings but are committed to providing condom skills education in a dynamic and engaging way. It allows educators to demonstrate correct condom use and gives students firsthand experience practicing these critical skills – all without needing to use an actual condom.

ConDEMO is also a great tool for parents, who might feel awkward using the real thing when teaching their teens about condoms. ConDEMOs enable more youth to get meaningful condom education.

See ConDEMO in action.

dfusion has an opening on its Board of Directors for a new member. dfusion is a California Close Corporation that receives grant funding and contract work to create or improve programs and interventions that promote health and wellness. After four years of success securing research and development funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), dfusion is moving into a new stage of product development and commercialization.

Expertise Wanted

Health and wellness product development and commercialization

Digital product subscriptions

Innovation mindset

Creative licensing approaches

Shareholder/Board Member Responsibilities

Participate in three in-person (California’s San Francisco Bay Area) or virtual board meetings per year. Generally, in February, June, and October. Expenses paid by dfusion.

Help dfusion grow in its impact on health and wellness, and its size and stability as an organization through these active engagement commitments:

Be informed about the organization's mission, services, policies, and programs

Review agenda and supporting materials prior to board and committee meetings

Serve on at least one committee and offer to take on special assignments (we only have 1 committee, the Product Committee, at the moment. This committee meets before or after the board meeting)

Inform others about the organization

Suggest possible nominees to the board who can make significant contributions to the work of the board and the organization

Keep up-to-date on developments in the organization's field, as reasonable

Follow conflict-of-interest and confidentiality policies

Assist the board in carrying out its fiduciary responsibilities, such as reviewing the organization's annual financial statements

Make a 3-5 year commitment to the board

Interested?

dfusion has received national attention for its National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded work to advance HIV prevention in communities disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic, including transgender women and young Black gay and bisexual men. We are pleased to have federal support for these innovative projects, and would like to clarify some misinformation that has been presented in the media.

The Promoting Sexual Health Project [1] (also referred to as 3T) is developing a science-based mobile app to provide young Black gay, bisexual and same-gender loving men, ages 14-17, with information and skills to make healthy sexual decisions, develop healthy relationships and prevent the spread of HIV. Far from a “sex app” or “hook-up app,” the health promotion intervention will be comprised of several activities, including a social media simulation which mimics social and dating apps, to allow the users to practice healthy and prevention-oriented communication skills related to safer-sex practices and healthy relationships.

The Transwomen Connected Project [2] is developing a mobile app using a strengths-based approach to building transgender women’s ability to protect their sexual health. It will include a variety of educational activities and provides networking capabilities so women can connect with each other to share ideas, facilitate access to services and support healthy behavior.

dfusion, a small woman-run business in the San Francisco Bay Area, is committed to developing science-driven innovations to improve health and well-being for a variety of audiences. dfusion’s products are informed by the latest scientific research about what works for heightened relevance and impact. Staffed by a team of nationally recognized public health and social and behavioral scientists, the organization leverages technology to bring science-based research to practice.  

For more information, contact Regina Firpo-Triplett at [email protected].

[1] Funded by the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, under grant #2R44MD010324. The views expressed here and content presented within the project do not necessarily reflect the views of NIH or NIMHD.

The latest scientific research shows strong connections between the parts of our brain associated with rest and creativity. Divergent thinking – the technical term for creativity – is more likely to occur when the brain is in its resting state. In this context, the term “rest” means that your brain is not being subjected to external demands for attention. For example, when you daydream, “zone out,” or let your mind wander free. Recent studies show that this type of activity occupies up to 50% of our waking time!

The brain’s default mode network (DMN) kicks in at these times. Far from resting, your DMN is highly metabolically active and involves interconnections between numerous parts of your brain. Although mind wandering can have severe consequences (e.g., car crashes), it must also have some significant benefits; otherwise, it would not have persisted. In fact, scientists believe the DMN developed fairly recently in our evolutionary history.

Recent studies show that mind wandering does indeed have significant benefits, including boosting creativity. Study participants generated more creative solutions after being giving a break with an undemanding task known to stimulate mind wandering. They also generated more creative insights (“aha” moments) for solving social problems.

By Lizanne Reynolds, JD Research Assistant (& former intern), dfusion

It’s that time of year when summer interns stream into the workplace. Be sure you are prepared to maximize the experience for both parties.

Summer internships play a vital role in helping students decide whether they want to work for you after they graduate. Likewise, many organizations use internships as a trial period to evaluate potential new hires. Even if you’re not in the market for new hires at the moment, or you decide that this particular intern doesn’t suit your needs, be mindful that interns routinely share information about prospective employers with others at their schools and on social media. Making the most of your intern’s experience will pay dividends in the long-run.

Here are some tips to make the most of the situation for you and your interns:

1. Give Them Significant Work

Some organizations assign menial tasks to interns either because they underestimate their skills, or don’t take the time to identify more weighty tasks for them to perform. This is shortsighted, particularly if you are trying to evaluate their suitability for future employment. Top prospects are unlikely to be willing to toil away at drudge work based on the speculative hope of more interesting work assignments in the future.

2. Customize Their Work

Try to give interns at least some work assignments that align with their interests. This will significantly increase their engagement with their work and the organization. It also demonstrates that you care about their specific interests, and increases the likelihood that they will consider you a good future employer.    

3. Match Them with A Peer Buddy

Each workplace is a complex ecosystem with its own distinct subculture. Assigning each intern a peer buddy to help them navigate your workplace culture can make all the difference in their summer experience. This is particularly important for interns from underrepresented racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic backgrounds.

4. Have Regular Check-Ins  

Schedule (and stick to) regular check-in meetings with each intern to assess how things are going and make any necessary course corrections. Otherwise, you may not receive important feedback until it’s too late. These meetings are also a good way to demonstrate that their job satisfaction is important to you.  

5. Provide Access to Influencers

Your interns are probably not just considering whether they want an entry-level job with your organization; they are also assessing future career opportunities with you. So give them plenty of formal and informal opportunities to interact with the movers and shakers in the organization. Invite them to meetings involving folks at various levels of the organization. Social activities organized by the organization, like lunches, Friday afternoon happy hours, and outside activities can also provide good opportunities for these contacts.  

6. Provide Constructive Feedback

For many interns, this internship may be their first experience in a professional setting. They need, and deserve, regular constructive feedback on all aspects of their performance. This should include their work performance, professionalism, interactions with coworkers, and any other relevant issues. For example, some young adults have never learned how to properly shake hands, the importance of making eye contact, appropriate workplace attire, or proper workplace email etiquette. While it may be awkward, failing to provide this feedback puts them at a disadvantage.

7. Arrange Intern Bonding Activities

dfusion and the RAND Corporation are partnering on a new project to develop and test an Avatar-Based Virtual Training prototype. The training prototype will prepare educators to lead ETR’s evidence-based Making Proud Choices intervention with teens.

Making Proud Choices (MPC) is a leading evidence-based sexual health intervention for youth which has been shown to reduce unprotected sex among teens in multiple trials. MPC is designed to be educational, entertaining, and culturally relevant. With group discussions, videos, games, brainstorming, and experiential activities, it builds teens’ skills to avoid sex or have safe sex. MPC was developed by Drs. Loretta and John Jemmott, and Dr. Konstance McCaffree.

Improving Instruction and Fidelity. The virtual training will provide educators with the knowledge and skills practice needed to lead MPC with high quality and fidelity. Avatar-based simulations allow for real-life, two-way exchanges. They allow educators to practice online where they receive immediate feedback on core concepts from an “audience” programmed to display a range of reactions.

This training approach was used with the highly successful Project Alert Self-Paced Training to prepare educators to use Project Alert, a substance abuse prevention program for middle school youth. The evidence-based training approach is also supported by a growing body of evidence that suggests avatar-based training simulations support participant learning and engagement.[1,2]

Addressing Need for Affordable Training. Many schools and community organizations do not provide evidence-based prevention, in large part due to a lack of affordable and accessible training. Avatar-based virtual training for MPC educators would provide sustainable and widespread access to training that could dramatically improve sexual health outcomes in youth for a reasonable cost. 

Thank you National Institutes of Health. The Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant is funded by the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development.

  [1] Falloon, G. (2010). Using avatars and virtual environments in learning: What do they have to offer? British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1), 108-122.

By Regina Firpo-Triplett, MPH, CNC, MCHES Chief Executive Officer, dfusion

Back in the 1980’s, I worked in Los Angeles County providing sexual health education (called “family life education” at that time). Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and George Michael’s “I Want Your Sex” played constantly on the radio, and HIV was a new and frightening sexually transmitted infection that was drastically changing how and where sexuality education was offered.

I was working on a project funded by California’s Department of Public Health. I also led classes as a volunteer in a variety of settings. A lot of the work my colleagues and I did was based on best guesses about how to build motivation to follow safer sex practices. Evidence-based sex education programs didn’t exist yet.

No Condoms Allowed Here!

Sometimes, I worked in settings that wouldn’t allow us to demonstrate how to use condoms. This was true in juvenile justice facilities that considered condoms contraband. It was an issue in Catholic high schools, where promotion of condoms was inconsistent with the tenets of the church. Some public schools feared that condom demos could be perceived as endorsing sexual activity.

No condoms allowed? Okay. I’d go into my sock drawer and grab a pair of nylon knee highs. I’d roll up each knee high to look like a meshy, oversized condom and bring them into the classroom for simulated condom demonstrations. I was pleased I’d found a simple way to provide condom education to all, despite some of the strict site limitations.

Now We Have Evidence

Today, I listen to music on my mobile device (Bruno Mar’s “That’s What I Like,” anyone?) and my work has the benefit of years of published research on what works to reduce adolescent sexual risk-taking behavior. A whole slew of evidence-based sexual health education programs is available. Many of these include activities where educators provide condom demonstrations, then youth practice effective condom use on an educational model. Adaptation guidance affirms that condom demonstrations and youth condom practice are necessary components and should not be eliminated during implementation of the programs.

Unfortunately, some sites still do not allow condoms in the classroom. This means that many well-supported evidence-based programs are not able to be used in these settings—or that they are being presented with poor fidelity (e.g., skipping the condom demo), making them less likely to be effective.

The ConDEMO Concept Is Born

Nowadays I work for dfusion, a company that uses technology and innovation to support science-based behavior change and learning. Our staff set out to create a condom alternative that could be used for simulated condom demonstrations and practice activities—the condom demo without the condom. Building on my experience with the knee highs, the team began talking to educators and evidence-based intervention developers. Would something like this work in their programs? Would educators like it? Would youth?

We knew the product had to be packaged in a way that could simulate every step of effective condom use. In a discussion with Dr. Loretta Jemmott, one of the nation’s foremost researchers in evidence-based prevention programs for youth, we decided it needed to be in a package that genuinely resembled a condom package. That included having an expiration date and the pressed, textured edge that real condom packages have.

It took us awhile to come up with the product’s name. We wanted a name that would resonate with all kinds of folks. It needed to be related to condoms in some way, but without sending any kind of message that the device could actually be used as a condom. We decided to ask for help from other creative minds on our team—educators, writers, tech developers, and some teens, too. Once the name ConDEMO was suggested, we knew that was it!

Ready for Prime Time

The ConDEMO has successfully traveled the wild road from concept to real-world product. We built and tested our prototypes, made improvements, and set up our production process. Organizations can now purchase ConDEMOs for demonstrations and student practice.

People are excited to see ConDEMOs available. Educators and youth have told us they love the concept. In fact, even in settings where real condoms can be used, some educators appreciate the larger size of the ConDEMO because it makes the demonstration easier to see across an entire classroom. Parents also cheer ConDEMOs. We’ve heard from some parents that showing their young teens condoms feels like giving them permission to have sex. The ConDEMO provides a more comfortable alternative for talking with their teens about protection, without the perception that they are giving their children permission to have sex.

We want to understand what the right tool is, for the right people.

What we are doing: The National Science Foundation has awarded dfusion a grant (NSF #1721319) to research what School-Based Health & Wellness Center (SBHWC) providers and administrators find challenging about their work and what processes could be improved, especially around the topic of using electronic health record systems and student information systems.

The primary goal of this NSF-funded research is to identify what type of service documentation tools and features will allow providers, schools, and districts to document and optimize service, increase efficiency, justify program costs, and increase cost reimbursement.

Why we need your help: We need to interview professionals from school districts with current or planned SBHWCs and health programs. Possible interviewees can be SBHWC services providers, program administrators, and/or those making decisions about the establishment and funding of SBHWCs in their District. SBHWCs can run the gamut from schools that employ a single part-time nurse or counselor to schools with comprehensive centers to districts running multiple SBHWCs to possibly state departments of education that may wish to implement a standardized data collection, management, and reporting system. Please note this is a NSF-funded research project only and will not involve any sales or marketing.

How you can participate: If you are a SBHWC service provider, center administrator, or SBHWC decision-maker at a K-12 District we want to talk to you! Interviews lasting approximately 30-45 minutes will take place by phone during August and September.