2. ITAC: ITAC Announcements

5/24/2022

Power of Partnerships to Enhance Impact: MN LEND and MN Act Early

Partnerships have the power to transform our work. In Minnesota, we are fortunate to have a robust partnership between our MN LEND and MN Act Early projects. MN LEND and MN Act Early share a common mission to connect young children (birth to 5) to early developmental screening and critical early intervention services. These two programs have developed a strong and lasting partnership by identifying and supporting shared goals and seeking opportunities to advance a strategic vision for the field of early intervention.

5/20/2022

Health Care Transition Publication Supported by Autism Cares Act Funding

The Health Resources and Service Administration, and Maternal and Child Health Bureau have measured HCT service provision since 2001 but the longitudinal use of this measure has never been examined. This manuscript highlights the consistent and inconsistent uses of HCT constructs in two prominent national surveys (the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) and the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH)) between 2001 and 2019.

5/20/2022

Supporting Children with Disabilities: Lessons from the Pandemic

MCHB is funding this virtual workshop hosted by the Board on Children, Youth and Families of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Dr. Houtrow chaired the planning committee with Emily Hotez from the UCLA LEND and Marc Taste from the OSU UCEDD serving as committee members.

5/20/2022

Texas LEND Programs Join Together at the Capitol in Austin

Developing leadership skills through policy education and advocacy is integral to LEND training. In recognition of Autism Acceptance Month, the Autism Consortium of Texas LEND (ACT LEND) invited LoneStar LEND to join them at the Capitol in downtown Austin on Friday, April 8, 2022. Scott Daigle, Public Policy Director at the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, provided a full day of policy training to the LEND trainees.

5/18/2022

Developments: The Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P)

The Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P) is an interdisciplinary, multicenter research network that aims to increase the life expectancy and quality of life for autistic individuals.  

5/18/2022

Ignite Inclusion with SPARK for Autism

In 2016 the Simons Foundation launched a nationwide genetic longitudinal autism study with the goal of recruiting 250,000 persons with autism to better understand its causes and how the diagnosis impacts families and individuals. The Center for Autism (CARD) at Kennedy Krieger Institute is one of thirty-one clinical sites across the nation participating in this unprecedented research opportunity.

5/15/2022

Diagnostic stability and phenotypic differences among school-age children diagnosed with ASD before age 2

Drs. Rebecca Landa, Rachel Reetzke, Calliope Holingue, Christine Hess, and Ms. Dana Herman published a manuscript in Frontiers in Psychiatry, March 2022, examining diagnostic stability and behavioral characteristics in school-age children diagnosed with ASD before age 2 years. We examined non-linearity in manifestation of ASD beginning before 24 age months, when ASD symptoms are beginning to consolidate, through the age of 36 months when stability of ASD diagnosis is reportedly high into school-age when increased demands may challenge previously successful compensatory processes and permit first ASD detection.

5/15/2022

Increasing Public Awareness of Autism Early Signs, Diagnosis, and Intervention

In March of 2022, Drs. Rebecca Landa, Paul Lipkin, and Mary Leppert shared the latest news about the early signs of autism spectrum disorder, how it is diagnosed, and what to expect in early intervention.

5/15/2022

Teacher Implementation of the Early Achievements Intervention Improves Preschoolers' Social and Communication Outcomes

At the International Society for Autism Research annual meeting in Austin Texas on May 12, 2022, Dr. Rebecca Landa, Ms. Anne-Michelle Engelstad and Dr. Calliope Holingue presented the results of an Institute of Education Sciences-funded randomized control trial focused on teacher-implemented intervention with autistic preschoolers in public school settings.

5/15/2022

Training Teachers to Utilize Developmentally Appropriate Play to Improve Social and Communication Learning

In the spring of 2022, Dr. Rebecca Landa provided virtual training to nearly 200 early childhood educators in Prince Georges County, Maryland. The focus was on young children with autism and other neurodevelopment disabilities. Dr. Landa explained stages of play development, how language and social development is intricately linked to play development, and how to integrate play-based activities into existing daily instruction to improve children's engagement and accelerate their play, language, and social development.

5/5/2022

WI LEND Adds Family and Disability Advocacy Peer Mentors to Training Team

WI LEND, located at the Waisman Center UCEDD, introduced a new staff role of Peer Mentor at the beginning of the new grant funding cycle. Ida Winters and Stasia Wilson, both recent graduates of the WI LEND program, were hired to fill the roles of Family Peer Mentor and Disability Advocacy Peer Mentor, respectively. �Ida and Stasia were both standout trainees, and we are so excited to add them both to our staff, said the Training Director, Gail Chodron. WI LEND has had trainees and staff in the family discipline for over 15 years, and added self-advocacy trainees 10 years ago.

5/4/2022

Get featured on the 2022 Emerging Leaders Map. Nominate Yourself Today!

AUCD is excited to announce that recruitment is now open for the 2022 AUCD Emerging Leaders Map! This year's theme is "Supporting Resiliency and Self-Determination for All."

4/1/2022

2022 Autism Acceptance Month Webinar Series

AUCD's Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) is sponsoring a series of three webinars for Autism Acceptance Month.

3/17/2022

ITAC Bulletin Board - March 2022

As you finish the current academic year and look forward to future cohorts, we recognize the importance of delivering relevant information and resources to your MCH training programs. We hope that you find the content of this newsletter helpful in supporting the work of your faculty, staff, and trainees.

2/4/2022

2022 EHDI Conference Scholarships for LEND Audiology Trainees

Extended Deadline: February 14

AUCD is offering scholarships to support LEND audiology trainees in attending the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Annual Conference on March 13-15, 2022. All current LEND audiology trainees, including those in their externship year, are eligible to apply.