PREVENTION & WELLNESS
9/21/2023
Prevalence: Extending ICI's Research
For years, researchers at the MN UCEDD have estimated autism prevalence among Minnesota school children. Now the researchers are also estimating the prevalence of cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and muscular dystrophy.
8/8/2023
AUCD Vaccine Outreach Messaging Toolkit
AUCD has created a vaccine outreach messaging toolkit. Users can find social media posts with easy-to-download graphics on AUCD's website. The toolkit contains caption copy, Instagram stories, and alt-text tips for each post. Check out the National Immunization Awareness Month posts to celebrate this August-contact Allison Haeger at [email protected] with any questions about accessing and using these resources.
7/25/2023
Center for Disability Resources Executive Director at White House Meeting
UCEDD director Dr. David Rotholz participated in an invitation only meeting at the White House in May 2023. This event was to discuss innovative ways federal funding can be used to improve the lives of South Carolinians, including those with disabilities. Organized by the Office of Public Engagement the half-day event connected 50 elected officials, community and organization leaders, veterans and clergy from across the state to help build a better South Carolina. Our UCEDD was one of the two disability focused organizations included in this event.
7/25/2023
Iowa's Center for Disabilities and Development Joins Mass Casualty Preparedness Event
In June, University of Iowa Health Care was joined by the Iowa City VA Hospital and Mercy Iowa City in a simulated mass casualty incident. Iowa's Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD), which is based at UI Health Care, participated in the event as the Family Reunification Center, the primary location for families and patients to be reunited. CDD is home to Iowa's tertiary-level evaluation and diagnostic clinics, Iowa's UCEDD and LEND program, and the Hawk-IDDRC.
7/19/2023
Iowa's National Summer Transportation Institute Promotes STEM Careers for Youth
"Is this Heaven?" No, it's the Iowa National Summer Transportation Institute (INSTI)! The Center for Disabilities and Development, Iowa's UCEDD, recently hosted the third annual INSTI STEM summer camp. For the first time, INSTI was held residentially this summer. Seventeen middle-school-aged campers from all around the state, girls and boys including seven with disabilities, stayed in a University of Iowa residence hall during the two-week camp session. Campers learned a lot, played a lot, and got some insight into future career opportunities.
7/19/2023
The Waisman TIES Clinic, a Psychiatry Clinic that Looks at Disability and Mental Health through a Holistic Lens
Mental health is import for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Waisman TIES (Training, Intervention, and Evaluation Services) Psychiatric Clinic is a unique resource that provides psychiatric care and consultation to Wisconsin residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The clinic often sees individuals who are unable to obtain psychiatric care from other providers due to their insurance, financial situation, behavioral issues, or medical complexities.
4/25/2023
Sonoran Center Trains Students to Close Disability Care Gaps
Most people receive care from a variety of health professionals throughout their lives, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, people who run public health programs, and more. Unfortunately, not all of these professionals have experience providing care to people with disabilities. The Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities in the Department of Family & Community Medicine in the College of Medicine - Tucson works to ensure that future health care providers are prepared for some of the unique challenges they may face.
4/14/2023
ME UCEDD Receives Nearly $500K Maine DHHS Grant to Help Adults with Disabilities
With a $499,970 grant from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Office of Aging and Disability Services, the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (ME UCEDD), will conduct a model demonstration project of intensive evidence-based behavioral intervention to help adults with disabilities who are currently subject to restrictive behavior management plans.
4/14/2023
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Researcher Works to Enhance Therapy Processes with and for Autistic People
Autistic people are more likely to experience mental health distress than the general population. Unfortunately, therapy services for this community are limited and rarely designed with and for autistic people. Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC)(TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) researcher Jessica Schwartzman, Ph.D., recently co-authored a paper* in the journal Autism which outlines the development and testing of an autism-adapted, measurement-based care** system (MBC-AUT) to enhance therapy processes for autistic people and their families.
4/13/2023
Child Care Aware of Kentucky Block Project
It might be surprising to learn that one of the most powerful tools for teaching children during early development is the humble building block. And yet, according to Cynthia Willmarth, Early Education Quality Coach for Child Care Aware (CCA) of Kentucky at the University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI), they can have a profound impact on children in their earliest years.
3/30/2023
New Publication: Cultural Humility and Cultural Brokering in Professional Training
Congratulations to Boston Children's Hospital LEND alumni Victoria Filingeri, Heather Mendez, and Alisa Ssu Yu Lin and their faculty mentors (Gyasi Burks-Abbott, Amy Szarkowski, and Jason Fogler) on the publication of their article in DDNJ: Cultural Humility and Cultural Brokering in Professional Training: Insights from People of Color (POC) and Persons with Disabilities (PWD).
3/22/2023
Project ECHO Opportunities for UCEDDs and LENDs
Join the Project ECHO Orientation on May 9 to learn more about the ECHO model and how to incorporate it into your work as a UCEDD or LEND program. If you are already an ECHO partner, join the newly formed monthly UCEDD LEND ECHO Collaborative starting April 24.
3/16/2023
Opening Doors, and Minds
A MN LEND faculty member's massive open online course (MOOC) is a Coursera hit. Wendy Looman's course is about families with young children, and how environmental factors such as housing and nutritious food, influence their outcomes.
3/16/2023
UCLA PEERS for Careers: Breaking Employment Barriers for Autistic Adults
There will be an estimated 700,000 autistic adults aging into adulthood over the next 10 years and yet, a staggering 80% of autistic adults are unemployed. UCLA PEERS� for Careers is an innovative offering to support autistic undergraduate and graduate students in successfully transitioning from post-secondary education to the workforce.
3/13/2023
Dr. McNally Keehn Selected to be Health Equity Research Scholar
Dr. Rebecca McNally Keehn, Research Director at the Indiana LEND, has been selected to participate in the Health Equity Research Scholars (HERS) Program, a 9-month faculty-development program for faculty at Indiana University School of Medicine.