IL LEND Hosts Autism Community Screening Events for Families in Illinois

January 26, 2018

Ellyn McNamara, Disability Studies IL LEND Trainee, screening a child for ASD.

On October 1st, IL LEND post-doc, Robin Dodds, and Clinical Training Director, Ann Cutler, organized and supervised the first autism spectrum disorder (ASD) community screening event of the fall semester. The event was held at the Spectrum Toy Store in the north side of Chicago. Six LEND trainees - in a variety of disciplines - provided screenings and discussed steps for further diagnostic evaluation, when indicated. In collaboration with Grupo Salto, a family advocacy and support group for Latino families, a second screening event was held on October 21st for Spanish speaking families in the west side of Chicago. A third screening event was held in Urbana, Illinois in December.

Every ASD community screening event is staffed by trainees completing the Illinois Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (IL LEND) Program, a graduate level interdisciplinary training designed to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals with disabilities. Trainees receive training on valid and reliable autism screening tools, such as the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT-R) and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), as part of the IL LEND curriculum. The screening events provide an excellent opportunity for trainees to complete at least one M-CHAT-R or SCQ for a child and communicate the results of the screening to the family, while increasing identification of ASD within underserved communities. IL LEND faculty continue to train primary care physicians and home visitors on early ASD detection. The addition of these community screening events helps reach families who have fallen through the cracks of our service system and provides a valuable, real-life experience for our trainees.