LEND: Excellence in Comprehensive Interdisciplinary Leadership Education
Project Description:
LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) is a graduate level training program which prepares health professionals for leadership roles in providing health care for children and youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. The LEND program at CHDD is one of 42 LEND programs in the United States funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the Combating Autism Act. The purpose of the LEND is to provide training for health professionals who will assume leadership roles across the nation. These leaders assure the continued development of a comprehensive system that serves the needs of children and youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders and other special health care needs. Program faculty participate in clinical research and policy development and partner with community programs to better serve the needs of these children and their families. The LEND interdisciplinary training program enrolls health care professionals who have completed entry level training in their discipline. This includes postdoctoral fellows who have completed professional training and graduate students who are enrolled in an academic program at the University of Washington and need to complete clinical and didactic components to meet the requirements for their degree program. Community professionals and students enrolled at other universities also participate in the program. Long-term trainees engage in more than 300 hours of interdisciplinary training framed by an individual interdisciplinary leadership plan. The plan includes a leadership project, clinical experiences, public policy experience and a didactic program of core seminars intended to establish knowledge and skills based on individual needs and core training competencies. Long term trainees present their projects at an annual forum and receive a certificate of recognition. The UW LEND is in its fifth decade. Former trainees hold leadership positions in academia, public health, community programs, and health care facilities across the nation. The LEND has a major responsibility for continuing education and technical assistance in the state of Washington and the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) region.The UW LEND has successfully competed for a supplement funded by the Combating Autism Act to increase the number of LEND trainees, community professionals and families who are skilled in recognizing early signs, screening, making referrals, evaluating children and implementing treatment for children with autism and other developmental disorders. UW LEND partners with major advocacy groups, programs affiliated with UW, Seattle Children?s Hospital, State of Washington Title V programs, and community partners to implement a state of the art curriculum.
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Performing Technical Assistance and/or Training, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention, Health-Related Activities
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas, Urban
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, Mulit-County, State, Regional, National
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
