AUCD 360 - July 2022
July 22, 2022
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) announce a funding opportunity for Act Early Ambassadors to work with CDC's "Learn the Signs. Act Early." This funding opportunity will support a new, two-year cohort of up to 60 Act Early Ambassadors. Individuals from all states and territories are eligible to apply. 
A host of RTC:Rural researchers worked with Center for Independent Living staff members through participatory curriculum development to create and update curriculum for in-person, web-based delivery. Engaging members of the intended audiences in the curriculum development process in this way is a relatively new approach to health promotion. Developing curriculum for and with disabled people had not previously been done, and is shown to be a valuable, worthwhile approach. 
RTC:Rural researchers have worked with a rural disability stakeholder group to develop a list of recommendations specifically for rural outreach. Researchers packaged this feedback into Practice Guidelines for Creating Rural Community Outreach Materials Related to COVID-19 and Disability. The practice guidelines explain the health challenges of people with disabilities living in rural areas and provide a list of recommendations for rural outreach. 
It has long been thought that when walking is combined with a task - both suffer. Researchers at AUCD's Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC), Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester found that this is not always the case. Some young and healthy people improve performance on cognitive tasks while walking by changing the use of neural resources. However, this does not necessarily mean you should work on a big assignment while walking off that cake from the night before. 
New research by UW School of Medicine, one of AUCD's Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Research Centers, finds that adding erythropoietin to cooling therapy for term newborns w/ birth asphyxia has no benefit over cooling therapy alone. The findings contrast with results from small trials in which erythropoietin appeared safe and effective, noted Dr. Sandra "Sunny" Juul, senior author of the study. The Alan Hodson Endowed Professor of Pediatrics at the UW School of Medicine, Juul is also the UW Medicine chief of neonatology (newborn medical care) and practices at Seattle Children's. 
A study published in the Journal of Inclusive Postsecondary Education offers a list of skills that parents of college students with intellectual disabilities said would help students as they prepare to go to an inclusive college program. The parents surveyed all had children who had attended a program designed to support students with intellectual disabilities at college. They agreed on a list of 30 important skills, with the first nine showing the most consensus, said Dr. Jefferson Sheen, the study’s lead author. Much of the work done on the publication happened when he was with the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice. Sheen was the co-principal investigator of Aggies Elevated, USU’s inclusive college program for students with ID. 
Research into depression risk and resilience factors for adults with ASD is also critical to guide proper screening and intervention efforts, said Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) member Jessica Schwartzman, Ph.D., author on a Frontiers in Psychiatry paper that examined the connection between repetitive behaviors and depression in autistic adults. 
The Maine LEND program led two one-hour activity sessions focused on the work of health professionals who work with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families at the Annual Health Careers Explorations Camp at the University of New England. Since 2010, the Maine AHEC Network has been hosting a free annual Health Careers Explorations Camp for high school students from rural or underserved communities to participate in hands-on activities to learn about various careers in health care. 
The Maine LEND graduated 12 Trainees from the program in May 2022. As part of demonstrations of Maternal and Child Health Competencies and LEND tenets, the Trainees each participated in an elective project that was presented at the end of April. Topics included; Support and Accessibility; Going Beyond the Limits of Self-Advocacy; Creating and Becoming a Culturally Informed Family Resource; A Wabanaki Cultural Immersion Experience; Best Practices in Classroom Inclusion; and A College Based Transition Program for Young Adults with Disabilities. 
AUCD ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY CENTERS ON DISABILITIES Research, Education, Service
A network of interdisciplinary centers advancing policy and practice for and with individuals with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.