Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities
Project Description:
PROBLEM:The unmet health needs of children, especially those with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities, are well documented in the Healthy People 2000 and 2010 documents and in other sources. A gap remains between existing knowledge and the effective application of this knowledge to preventing and treating health and developmental problems in children. Families from diverse communities and those in poverty experience a disproportionate rate of disabilities and other health problems. Changing health systems focusing on economics rather than service have produced inequities and challenges for the care of children with disabilities and chronic conditions. Unmet needs must be addressed at multiple levels: training adequate numbers of skilled professionals to provide comprehensive services, creating better service delivery systems within new health systems, promoting strong public policy that ensures access to quality health care, and producing new knowledge. Progress in all these areas will rely on strong and creative leaders who possess the broad knowledge, skills, vision and values necessary to effect change.The purpose of this project is to address these pressing needs through training professionals specifically for leadership roles, through collaborating with other agencies, through advancing clinical practice systems and through participating in policy development on health care. This will be accomplished in an interdisciplinary environment that values cultural competence and is based on a family-centered approach.GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:GOAL 1: Leadership training of individuals from a broad range of disciplinesObjective 1.1: Maintain a highly qualified core facultyObjective 1.2: Recruit long-term graduate trainees annuallyObjective 1.3: Select shorter-term graduate trainees annuallyObjective 1.4: Increase trainees' knowledge and skills related to neurodevelopmental disabilitiesObjective 1.5: Develop and promote the trainees=leadership capacitiesObjective 1.6: Develop a long-range recruitment plan focusing on multicultural populationsObjective 1.7: Participate in research activities and research trainingGOAL 2: Collaboration with agencies and provision of continuing education and consultationObjective 2.1: Collaborate with other UCEDDERS and other LEND programsObjective 2.2: Collaborate with Title V OSCSHN for exemplary service provisionObjective 2.3: Collaborate with Title V to identify and provide staff training and consultationObjective 2.4: Collaborate with the OODH on population-based disability activitiesObjective 2.5: Develop co-operative projects through a partnership among four western LEND programs (the PacWest Consortium)Objective 2.6: Collaborate with Portland Public Schools to provide classroom-based trainingObjective 2.7: Collaborate with other local and national agencies to provide continuing education for community-based providers and consumersObjective 2.8: Collaborate with Title V and others to develop distance-learning opportunitiesGOAL 3: Influence policy and clinical practiceObjective 3.1: Promote and expand parent and family involvementObjective 3.2: Address the Health People 2010 objectives relevant to people with disabilitiesObjective 3.3: Clarify ethical issues arising out of scientific advances for families and statewide service providersObjective 3.4: Take a leadership role in developing Oregon=s Medical Home ProjectObjective 3.5: Develop standards of care for children with special needs served in managed careMETHODOLOGY: The Project is advantageously placed in the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center at the Oregon Health Sciences University and has long been closely allied with Oregon Title V. This greatly enhances the resources for training, including a CDRC faculty of more than 60 individuals, a large and diverse clinical program, and numerous complementary grants and projects. The Project further draws upon the resources of other OHSU departments and facilities, plus those of nearby universities, community agencies, and local and national organizations. The interdisciplinary leadership core curriculum of the Project is designed by the Training Coordinators representing 16 professional disciplines plus family participation. Six activity coordinators implement the curriculum: core curriculum; clinical services; community placement and outreach; research; dissemination; and evaluation. The Project actively recruits from 14 of 16 represented disciplines at least 24 long-term trainees of the highest quality, identifying those with strong backgrounds, demonstrated commitments, and potential for leadership. These trainees are provided with a core of experiences that are deemed essential for professionals who will become leaders at every level, focusing upon the needs of children with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities and their families. Leadership opportunity and mentoring is infused throughout the curriculum, and a value system that emphasizes cultural competence and family-centered and community-based care pervades all activities. Training formats will include didactic instruction, supervised clinical service, community-based practica, and mentored research experiences.COORDINATION: The Project, now in its 34th year of continuous operation, maintains close collaborative relationships with both arms of Oregon's Title V program: the OSCSHN located along with the Project in the CDRC and the Oregon Center for Child and Family Health program administered by the Oregon Health Division. The Project provides inservice training and technical assistance to the Title V programs and places its trainees in various Title V programs for both clinical and leadership practicum experiences. Via the AAUAP, the LEND Directors, specific LEND collaborations (e.g., the PacWest Consortium), OHSU allied health programs, Family Voices and numerous community agencies the Project maintains active and on-going partnerships. EVALUATION: The Project evaluation plan is framed in evaluation questions stemming directly from Project objectives. The plan provides for evaluation of both formative (process) and summative (product) informed variables and is designed to promote on-going decision making throughout the life of the Project. Evaluation measures include the numbers and disciplines of trainees, the numbers and types of clinical services provided, the number of community education events sponsored, data elements of the AAUAP data base, assessments of trainee competence, trainee perceptions and consumer satisfaction, and the new performance measures being generated nationally. Long-range outcomes are assessed through follow-up surveys of long-term trainees.
Keyword(s):
Administration, Assistive Technology, Audiology, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, C
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention, Health-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other - Cultural Diversity, Other - Leadership
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, General Public
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Reservation, Rural/Remote, Urban
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, Mulit-County, State, Regional
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
