Video Game Research Shows Promise for Autism (WI UCEDD/LEND)
At the age of 9, Xavier Hansen already has it figured out. Someday, he is going to be the boss. "He has great aspirations to make things," says his mom, Gail. "His goals are to own a movie theater. He wants to be in charge. If he wants something, he'll find a way to get it." Read more...
Iowa's Money Follows the Person Program Reaches Milestone (IA UCEDD)
In December 2015, Iowa's Money Follows the Person (MFP) program transitioned its 500th individual from a congregate setting to a new life in the community. Under contract with the Iowa Department of Human Services' (DHS) Iowa Medicaid Enterprise, the University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD-Iowa UCEDD) has implemented Iowa's MFP program since it began in 2008. Through its MFP initiative, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) incents states to serve individuals with disabilities in the community by significantly increasing the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to cover the cost of services-including needed demonstration services-for the first 365 days following an individual's transition from a congregate setting. Read more...
Mailman Center's Patient's Big Smile Attracts Big-Hearted Donors (FL UCEDD/LEND)
Wildine Amoithe, a regular patient at the Mailman Center for Child Development, has a genetic condition known as achondroplasia that has kept her from growing more than 30 inches tall. Despite her small stature, however, the 12-year-old sixth-grader has an outsized smile that touched the hearts of some generous Miami-Dade residents who read about her during the recent holiday season in the Miami Herald Wish Book feature. Read more...
Aging and DD Networks - The Case for Network Crossover (Maine UCEDD)
"The Aging and Developmental Disabilities Networks: Can the Silos Be Dismantled?" in the current special issue of the Maine Policy Review on aging. The authors discuss the service networks for aging and developmental and physical disabilities, which have traditionally functioned in distinctly separate camps. They present the case for greater crossover between these networks and endorse increased alignment of the aging and disability networks in all arenas, including policy making, program development, education, and research. The full-text commentary may be downloaded from the Maine Policy Review's open access repository in Digital Commons. Read more...
Cincinnati Ballet Works with the Cincinnati LEND Team to Offer a Sensory-Friendly Nutcracker Performance
Sometimes people with sensory sensitivities miss out on events like ballets and plays where noises and lights can be overwhelming. The Cincinnati Ballet wanted to change that, and make the magic of The Nutcracker available to everyone. On December 22, 2015, for the first time in its history, the Cincinnati Ballet offered its first sensory-friendly performance of The Nutcracker. Read more...
IU Centers to Receive Indiana Department of Education Funding to Establish Center on Teacher Quality to Improve Outcomes for Students with Disabilities (IN UCEDD)
Indiana University's Center on Education and Lifelong Learning and Community Living and Careers will receive funding to establish and operate the Indiana Center on Teacher Quality as part of a federally funded $5 million State Personnel Development grant to the Indiana Department of Education. Read more...
ICI's Mark Hutchinson Given Work-Changing Assistive Technology (MA UCEDD/LEND)
Mark Hutchinson from the Institute for Community Inclusion research team is using new technology from MIT to do data entry. Mark has cerebral palsy, and has limited control of his arms and hands. Previously, he'd been using a head pointer to type on a standard keyboard-a laborious process. With the new software and slightly modified set-up, he can now enter data simply by looking at his monitor. Read more...
ICI's Paula Sotnik Presented at the International Conference on Child Rights and Sight Organization: Institute for Community Inclusion (MA UCEDD/LEND)
The ICI's Paula Sotnik presented at the International Conference on Child Rights and Sight at Yale University in New Haven, CT, sponsored by Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI). Attended by over 300 people, the conference covered topics including street children, poverty, child labor, kids with disability, child sex trade, international service learning, and women's rights. Sotnik presented on "Inclusive Policies and Practices," focusing on how kids with disability can access education and play equally with their peers using Universal Design (UD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Another strong focus described how UD and UDL strategies could be used to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Read more...
MN UCEDD Partners with University in India to Organize International Summit on Education
This summit will provide a unique opportunity for professionals and postsecondary students from around the world to discuss best practices for children at-risk and with disabilities. "One of the goals of the summit is to build a better understanding about inclusive education and instructional approaches for students with disabilities across cultures," says Dr. Renáta Tichá, coordinator of the conference at the Institute on Community Integration. Read more...
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD, LEND, IDDRC) Investigator Says 'Sticky Mittens' Offer Clues to Infant Development
Early motor training in infants may result in positive long-term effects in other areas of development, according to a collaborative study by researchers at Vanderbilt University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Seton Hall University. "This research tells us that babies are having experiences early in life that they build on and that provide a foundation for further learning," said Amy Needham, professor and chair of psychology and human development at Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education and Human Development. Needham also is a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center investigator. Read more...
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD, LEND, IDDRC) TRIAD Experiences a Growth Spurt
The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN UCEDD, LEND, IDDRC) Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) enhanced and widened the reach of its programming in 2015 and shows no sign of slowing in 2016. From partnerships with the TN Department of Education to the design of innovative telemedicine models of service delivery, TRIAD continues to make a profound impact on improving access to autism services in TN. Read more...
Rochester Regional Center for Autism Spectrum Disorder (RRCASD) Offers Free Webinars to Support Individuals with ASD (NY UCEDD/LEND)
The Rochester Regional Center for Autism Spectrum Disorder (RRCASD), part of Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities UCEDD at the University of Rochester Medical Center is 1 of 6 regional centers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in New York State. The work of RRCASD is focused on the development and promotion of region-wide resources to better meet the needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). RRCASD has expertise in providing community education, training, and technical assistance activities. The use of webinars has been a primary medium of reaching individuals on the spectrum, their families and professionals. Last year alone, more than 500 professionals and parents from across NYS participated in educational webinars offered the RRCASD. Read more...
Sisters Make A Difference in Special Education (TX UCEDD)
About one of every eight Texas public school students need special education services. Preservice teachers in the special education program at Texas A&M are trained to work with students who have all types of disabilities in all grades and at all levels, from mild to severe. The program is not for the faint of heart. That is something sisters Haley and Alyssa Lacativo know all too well. Alyssa, Mentor Supervisor and Instructor for the PATHS Program, will graduate in May 2016 with her master's in special education. Her sister Haley, also graduating in May, knew it was going to be a tough road in the undergraduate special education program, but she was willing to accept the challenge. Read more...
Why Do Some Kids Bully Others? There is No All-purpose Answer (TX UCEDD)
The National Bullying Prevention Center states that one in every four students is bullied during the school year. Jamilia Blake, Associate Professor of School Psychology at Texas A&M University, has studied the causes and effects of bullying at school and its impact on victims. How parents handle bullying situations could have significant effects on children, she says. Read more...
Graduate Continues to Serve the Community (TX UCEDD)
My name is Margot Boles and I graduated from Texas A&M University in December with my PhD in Educational Psychology. My experiences at Texas A&M, with the Center on Disability and Development, were priceless. I worked with the PATHS program and it opened my eyes to the needs of individuals with disabilities who are pursuing postsecondary education and careers. I had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of individuals and help create a pathway of independence and success for their futures. Read more...
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