Developments - April 2020
April 22, 2020
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Developments is a newsletter for Autism CARES programs funded under MCHB. The content of this newsletter has been generated by program staff and trainees, and does not necessarily reflect the views and policies of HRSA-MCHB. No official support or endorsement by HRSA-MCHB is intended or should be inferred. This publication is funded in part by cooperative agreement #UA5MC11068.
 AUCD | 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910
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The Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (AIR-P), led by Karen Kuhlthau, PhD, conducts research on evidence-based interventions to improve the physical health and well-being of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities, with an emphasis on reaching underserved communities. 
The DBPNet ADOS study has successfully enrolled nearly 350 subjects across 7 DBPNet sites in the US. In addition, colleagues in Linz, Austria have independently collected data on nearly 40 additional subjects, employing the same approach as the US sites. 
The RFK Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center received an award from Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to provide a set of evidence-based interventions for preschool and school aged children in the Bronx with Autism. 
The United States is facing a shortage of trained pediatric audiologists. Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs and doctor of audiology programs are striving to provide evidence-based training for pediatric audiology students through use of trained standardized patients. The purpose of the current project was to measure the effect of standardized patients on audiology students' clinical confidence when delivering difficult news in a pediatric setting. 
The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is accepting applications for the 2020 OAR Scholarship Program through Monday, May 4, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applicants can apply to either the Schwallie Family Scholarship or the Lisa Higgins Hussman Scholarship. Each offers $3,000 scholarships to students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (DSM-IV or DSM-5 criteria) pursuing full-time, post-secondary, undergraduate education in the United States. 
The Riley Child Development Center's LEND is partnering with Indiana's Part C program, First Steps, and infant mental health association, Infancy Onward, to offer free online reflective practice opportunities beginning this week. The groups are facilitated by RCDC-LEND faculty and regional partners who are infant mental health specialists. 
The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is hosting three free webinar events in the coming months on the topics of crisis safety planning, self-determination, and travel training. The first, Seminar in Crisis Safety Planning for the ASD Population, will be presented by Scott Fowler on Thursday, April 9 at 11a.m. ET. Fowler will discuss wandering and elopement, working with first responders, seclusions and restraints, and bullying in the school environment. Both professionals and parents will come away with best-practice tools to support children and teens with ASD. Register for Seminar in Crisis Safety Planning for the ASD Population here. 
The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is hosting three free webinar events in the coming months on the topics of crisis safety planning, self-determination, and travel training.cs of crisis safety planning, self-determination, and travel training. The first, Seminar in Crisis Safety Planning for the ASD Population, will be presented by Scott Fowler on Thursday, April 9 at 11a.m. ET. 
SPHARC, in partnership with HRSA, is continuing to support the newly awarded Autism Community of Learners 2019-2022 state grantee cohort. Grantees include: Iowa; North Carolina; Tennessee; Virginia and Wisconsin. 
The rapidly evolving challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have caused countless disruptions for individuals with disabilities and families across the country. In response, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (VKC TRIAD) has developed a variety of resources for individuals with disabilities, families and caregivers, providers, and diagnosticians. 
Providers and researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have developed a novel training program to enhance pediatric medical resident training in the area of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. A collaborative team of expert physicians and psychologists (through the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders [VKC/TRIAD]) designed the program to give residents a clear methodology and decision pathway regarding how and when to use interactive diagnostic tools within practice and how to provide diagnostic feedback to concerned caregivers. 
The Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) has hired Ashwak Hassan (MNLEND Fellow, 2015-16) to help multicultural families affected by autism navigate and access services that lead to better lives and communities.Under a two-year Minnesota Department of Human Services Innovations Grant, Hassan will bring AuSM together with the Somali American Parent Network and the Multicultural Autism Action Network to streamline how families navigate services and increase their participation and meaningful engagement with culturally appropriate supports. 
AUCD's Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) is sponsoring a series of four webinars for Autism Acceptance Month. Topics will range from parent training to reducing disparities to treating mental health issues in people with ASD. We will also sponsor a special webinar aimed at the engagement of autism stakeholders in research and service initiatives. 
Interested in working for a national disability organization in the Washington, DC area? Passionate about growing diverse and skilled leaders? If you or someone you know can answer "yes" to any or all of these questions, consider working for AUCD! 
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