Mental Health Aspects of I/DD

News and Resources

• The Waisman TIES Clinic, a Psychiatry Clinic that Looks at Disability and Mental Health through a Holistic Lens

  Mental health is import for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Waisman TIES (Training, Intervention, and Evaluation Services) Psychiatric Clinic is a unique resource that provides psychiatric care and consultation to Wisconsin residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The clinic often sees individuals who are unable to obtain psychiatric care from other providers due to their insurance, financial situation, behavioral issues, or medical complexities.

• Ohio State University UCEDD Announces Intellectual Disability and Mental Illness Prevalence Study in Collaboration with OHSU

  Intellectual disability (ID) confers increased risk of mental illness; however, a robust prevalence study of the occurrence of mental illness in adults with intellectual disability has not been conducted in the United States. Prevalence estimates are based on previous research in the UK (Cooper, Smiley, Morrison, Williamson, & Allan, 2007; Stromme & Diseth, 2000) and on US studies that have used convenience samples (Fletcher, Barnhill, & Cooper, 2016; Reiss, 1994; Rojahn & Tasse, 1996; Smiley, 2005;) suggesting that mental illness occurs in 30% to 50% of adults with intellectual disability. Co-occurring mental illness is associated with an increased intensity and complexity of support needs compared to adults with ID without comorbid psychiatric disorders (Borthwick-Duffy, 1994; Rojahn, Matson, Naglieri, & Mayville, 2004; Tasse & Wehmeyer, 2010). A systematic national prevalence study is needed to guide federal policy and programs to address mental health problems in adults with intellectual disability.

• Iowa's Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Launches Training Series

  Iowa's Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health (CEBH) recently launched a virtual training series, which will help build the capacity of Iowa's providers to ensure people with serious mental illness have access to the treatment they need to help them live healthy, meaningful lives in the community. CEBH is one of the newest grant programs based at Iowa's UCEDD, the Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD, Iowa's UCEDD).

• University of Kansas Black Feathers Podcast

  Hosted by mental health experts Crystal Hernandez, who has a doctorate in psychology, and Shauna Humphreys, a licensed professional counselor, "Black Feathers" is a product of the State of the States in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Ongoing Longitudinal Data Project of National Significance and produced with support from the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities (KUCDD), a part of the KU Life Span Institute. Episodes focus on Native American experiences with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health, anxiety disorders and health care access, among other topics.

• Autism Combined with High IQ Increases Risk of Suicidal Thoughts

  Unexpected finding raises concern for twice exceptional (2e) youth

  Twice exceptional youth-children who have a diagnosis of autism and who also have exceptional cognitive ability-are at increased the risk of suicidal thoughts, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Iowa Hawkeye Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center.

• Collaborating for Mental Health
    from http://bit.ly

  MN LEND fellow Caroline Roberts is studying self-injury among adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Despite their busy schedules, psychiatrists and behavioral therapists are eager to participate in the research.

• JFK Partners Approved for $2,780,297 Million for a Study Comparing Approaches of Two School-Based Interventions to Manage Anxiety in Autistic Students

  Funds awarded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

  A research team at University of Colorado School of Medicine, JFK Partners, led by Judy Reaven, Ph.D. has been approved for a $2,780,297 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study A Comparison of Two School-Based Interventions to Manage Anxiety in Autistic Students.

• Georgia Association for Infant Mental Health: Birth to Five to Host Kick-Off Event

  The Georgia Association for Infant Mental Health: Birth to Five (GA-AIMH), housed in the Center for Leadership in Disability at the Georgia State University School of Public Health, will hold a Kick-Off event on November 2. The event, which will celebrate the establishment of GA-AIMH and look ahead to opportunities to expand Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) initiatives, will draw more than 200 IECMH leaders from across the state.

• Funding Opportunity: Children's Mental Health Champions

  Deadline: September 23, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. ET

  Through a cooperative agreement, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will support a pilot program of Children's Mental Health Champions. This funding opportunity is limited to AUCD network members in any state or Territory. The Champions will support AUCD's evaluation of the Children's Mental Health Champions program by documenting and reporting project activities and measurable process outputs and short-term outcomes via program reporting forms conducted at the two-time points (mid-year and end of the program year). AUCD staff will be available to support Champions in different components of the program, including providing training and technical assistance as needed.  

• Call for Research Project Proposals: National Research Consortium on MH/IDD at the University of New Hampshire

  The National Research Consortium (NRC) on Mental Health in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (MH-IDD) is seeking innovation research grant proposals with a focus on improving the health and well-being of individuals with IDD-MH.

• Iowa LEND Trainees Explore the Intersection of Mental Health, Disability, and Incarceration

  This year, 27 trainees completed the Iowa Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (Iowa LEND) program. Their graduation ceremony was held on May 5, two days after they had presented at the third annual virtual Iowa LEND Research Poster Symposium. As in previous years, the Symposium provided an impressive display of the talent, hard work and dedication of these emerging leaders.

• Traumatic Brain Injury Toolkit for Emotional Self-Regulation Project

  The TBI Toolkit for Emotional Self-Regulation project aims to connect individuals with TBIs to assistive technology that can help them better identify and understand their emotional rhythms and gain awareness of their emotions.

• Children's Mental Health Awareness Week

  Children's Mental Health Awareness week is celebrated during the first week of May every year! Mental health in childhood means reaching developmental and emotional milestones and learning healthy social skills and how to cope when there are problems. During Children�s Mental Health Awareness Week, AUCD focused on the importance of mental health parity laws, suicide prevention, support, and social skills development of Children and/or youth. In doing so we celebrated the work of the Children's Mental Health Champions. From May 1-7th the Champion�s projects were highlighted on social media platforms along with discussions using the hashtags #ChildrenMentalHealth and #Phis4Everyone.

• May 2022: Children's Mental Health Awareness Week

  Follow AUCD and search #ChildrensMentalHealthAwareness and #PHis4Everyone to follow the conversation on social media. See the full list of projects from AUCD/CDC's Children's Mental Health Champions in observance of May 2022 Children's Mental Health Awareness Week.

• New Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Will Build Statewide Capacity to Serve Iowans

  The Center for Disabilities and Development (CDD), Iowa's UCEDD, has been awarded a grant from the Iowa Department of Human Services to establish a Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Iowa. CDD will collaborate with the Iowa Consortium for Substance Abuse Research and Evaluation to create the new Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health to develop and implement evidence-based practices to support individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), serious emotional disturbances (SED), and co-occurring conditions.

• Prospects for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Epilepsy

  Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a method for focal noninvasive cortical stimulation where small intracranial electrical currents are induced by a strong extracranial magnetic field. Unlike most brain stimulation techniques that are deployed for treatment in drug-resistant disorders, TMS stands out as a method with as much diagnostic as therapeutic capacity.

• National Institute of Mental Health James Jackson Memorial Award

  2022 Award Nominations due April 18, 2022

  NIMH is pleased to announce the 2022 James Jackson Memorial Award! This award is named in honor of the late Dr. James Jackson, a renowned social psychologist who was the Daniel Katz Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan.

• Team for Infants Exposed to Substance Abuse: Supporting Families at Risk for Over 30 Years

  The Team for Infants Expose to Substance abuse has been providing intensive home based services for pregnant and postpartum women affected by substance use and their families Kansas City.

• HRSA Awardees Study Impact of COVID-19 on Receipt of Services and Parent Mental Health in Children with ASD

  University of Delaware�s Dr. Anjana Bhat, associate professor in physical therapy, and JP Laurenceau, professor in psychological and brain sciences, have been awarded a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for a new study to analyze the impacts of COVID-19 on receipt of behavioral, speech, occupational and physical therapy services and parent mental health in 9,000 children with autism from the SPARK cohort and to determine value derived from these services in an online capacity.

• Kennedy Krieger Faculty Receive Grant to Build Capacity to Deliver Evidence Based Mental Health Intervention

  Dr. Deepa Menon, of the Kennedy Krieger LEND Program and co-PIs Kathryn Van Eck, PhD and Nikeea Copeland Linder, PhD, MPH were recently awarded a Jesse DuPont Bell grant to address mental health and COVID-induced trauma in patients with autism and other special health care needs. By utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) training, Social Work trainees from collaborating HBCU�s will receive mentoring and training to deliver an evidence-based validated program through telemedicine to address student stress and anxiety, and to build coping skills and resilience.

• AUCD's Children's Mental Health Champions Project Extended for 2021-2022

  AUCD's National Center on Disability in Public Health continues its work with the Children's Mental Health Champions project for a second year. This project is made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Building on the efforts of the year one Champions, 2020-2021, twelve Champions were selected for 2021-2022 to continue to provide timely support for children and their families. The Champions developed state-specific work plans to implement effective strategies for mental health promotion, prevention supports, and the creation of networks (e.g., school, healthcare, and community) to promote better connections between these systems. The 2021-2022 Champions represent American Samoa, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and South Dakota.

• HDI Introduces New Mental Health Project: Merge

  The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute introduces a new project: Merge. The project will strengthen the existing training framework serving Kentuckians with co-occurring mental health, and intellectual and developmental disabilities (MHIDD). By evolving current training, Merge aims to increase and improve the application of person-centered services and referral systems.

• UNH IOD to Lead Development of New Children's Behavioral Health Resource Center

  The NH Executive Council approved a $4.3 million, three-year contract to the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability (IOD) to develop a new Children's Behavioral Health Resource Center (CBHRC). Working in collaboration with other institutions, family groups, providers, and youth and families, the CBHRC will strengthen the network of behavioral health supports for children across NH.

• University Research Center Will House Georgia Association for Infant Mental Health

  The Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development, a Georgia State University research center housed in the School of Public Health, has been chosen as the future home for the Georgia Association for Infant Mental Health (GA-AIMH). The center will be the first umbrella organization to house GA-AIMH.

• Charting the LifeCourse Nexus Ambassador Badge Academy

  In the summer of 2021, Charting the LifeCourse Nexus piloted the Ambassador Badge Academy courses with a select group of LifeCourse Nexus Coaches. And, after a successful pilot run, the Ambassador Badge Academy courses are now available to all certified Charting the LifeCourse Ambassadors.

• MHDD EDI Webinar on Intersectionality of Mental Health, Disabilities, and American Indian Culture

  The MHDD EDI webinar from October 2021 highlights what AUCD is working on during November - Native American Heritage Month. It is a great way to learn more about these intersections and improve your cultural competency.

• Maryland's UCEDD Faculty Takes on Social Inclusion as Social Justice

  Mirian Ofonedu, PhD, LCSW-C, is the Director of Training at the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger Institute, Maryland's one and only UCEDD. Dr. Ofonedu coordinated efforts to launch the Diverse, Racial, Ethnic and Multicultural Special Interest Group (DREAM-SIG) of the American Psychological Association (APA), Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice (Division 37).

• AUCD's 12 Children's Mental Health Champions Complete Their Projects for the 2020-2021 Year

  In 2020, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) expanded its National Center on Disability in Public Health efforts with the launch of a new pilot program, Children's Mental Health Champions. This effort was made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twelve Champions were selected, representing American Samoa, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Virginia, to serve as liaisons to the CDC's Children's Mental Health project in 2020-2021.

• UNH Approved for $4.86 Million in Research Funding for Study of Telehealth Services on Mental Health Outcomes for People with IDD

  Research associate professor Joan B. Beasley and a research team from the Center for START Services at the Institute on Disability (IOD) at UNH has been approved for a $4.86 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) for their study: Evaluation of Telehealth Services on Mental Health Outcomes for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The project will include partners from the University of Florida and Johns Hopkins Kennedy Krieger Institute

• Guidelines to Improve Mental Health Treatment for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

  The Center for START Services� (CSS) IDD-MH Prescriber Guidelines is designed to improve health outcomes by aligning primary and mental health practices with lived, user experience. Contrary to existing psychiatric prescriber�s guidelines, CSS engaged prescribers, mental health clinicians, and people with lived experiences throughout the study�s research and development process.

• Invited lecture at the Boggs Center at Rutgers University

  On May 21st, Andrea Witwer, Director of Training for the Nisonger Center and LEND Co-Associate Director, was invited to give a Lecture for the Boggs Center Developmental Disability Lecture Series sponsored by the Boggs Center at Rutgers University. "Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities".

• Care Connection Campaign

  AUCD partner, GT Independence, has launched a unique initiative to combat the impacts of social isolation from the pandemic. The "Care Connection Campaign" began March 1st to raise awareness of the effects of social isolation and b) engage members of the public with storytelling about their plans for a future �Connect Day' with loved ones that are isolated. AUCD members are encouraged to participate in the campaign! You can use the tips shared on social media to check-in on older individuals and those with disabilities in your family, neighborhood, and community.

• Narrative Advocacy: Valuing Parents as Experts and Teachers

  For over 30 years, Maggie Hoffman has worked to strengthen and support families of children and adults with disabilities and special health care needs. She is a co-founder and former executive director of Project DOCC - Delivery of Chronic Care: a medical education curriculum developed by parents to teach pediatric doctors in training about living with illness and disability.

• MN LEND Fellow Brings Trauma-Informed Care to Children

  Alice Kraiza (MN LEND Fellow, 2017-18) is a project coordinator for the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc., where she is helping bring evidence-based children's mental health treatments to schools to improve the quality of care for students who are recovering from trauma

• Mailman Center for Child Development (FL LEND/UCEDD) Co-Hosts Virtual Innovation & Connection Conference

  The University of Miami (UM) Mailman Center for Child Development, in partnership with UM Center for Autism and Related Disorders co-hosted its bi-annual Innovation and Connection conference, Coaching Teachers and Parents: How and Why it Works, on October 19th, 2020. More than 90 administrators, educators, speech-language pathologists and mental health workers attended the virtual event.

• AUCD Expands Children's Mental Health Champions!

  The Children's Mental Health Champions, made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has expanded to support champions in American Samoa, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Georgia, New Mexico, Maine, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Virginia. We now have a total of 12 Champions supporting efforts in states and territories across the nation!

• Maeverde Named Children's Mental Health Champion by AUCD (ME UCEDD)

  ME UCEDD Research Associate, Jennifer Maeverde, has been selected as a Children's Mental Health Champion by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) as part of a new pilot program made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• EPCAMH Call for Papers: Special Issue on Mental Health Interventions for ASD/IDD

  Submissions are due January 1, 2021

  EPCAMH Call for Papers: Special Issue on Mental Health Interventions for ASD/IDD Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (EPCAMH) is now accepting papers for a special issue on evidence-based practice in mental health interventions for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), guest edited by Meghan Miller, Ph.D., Lauren Brookman-Frazee, Ph.D., and Judy Reaven, Ph.D..

• AUCD Launches Children's Mental Health Champions

  The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) expands its National Center on Disability in Public Health efforts with the launch of a new pilot program, Children's Mental Health Champions, made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In May 2020, six Champions were selected, representing California, Colorado, Kentucky, New Mexico, Virginia, and Washington D.C., to serve as liaisons to the CDC's Children's Mental Health program. In August 2020, the project was expanded and now supports a total of 12 Champions.

• Funding Opportunity: Children's Mental Health Champions

  Deadline: July 24, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. ET

  Through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) will support an additional cohort of Children's Mental Health Champions. This funding opportunity is limited to AUCD network members in any state or territory. These Champions will: serve as state/territorial liaisons to the CDC's Children's Mental Health program and positive parenting resources; act as community champion change agents to increase awareness activities and improvement of positive parenting practices; develop and test strategies for building partnerships to promote identification, screening, referral, and intervention; and implement effective strategies for mental health promotion, prevention supports, and creation of networks (e.g., school, healthcare, and community) and better connections between these systems.

• Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Launches Children's Mental Health Champions

  Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) expands its National Center on Disability in Public Health efforts with the launch of a new pilot program, Children's Mental Health Champions, made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These Champions act as community change agents to increase positive parenting practices, kicking off a one-year term of service starting in June.

• The Science of Hope in a Time of Crisis by Dan Tomasulo

  A Webinar co-sponsored by AUCD's Mental Health Aspects of I/DD

  In this special Zoom webinar co-sponsored by the Center for START Services and AUCD's MH/IDD Special Interest Group (SIG), Dr. Dan Tomasulo highlighted practical ways to deal with worries and uncertainty.

• Building Mental Health Muscles in Special Olympians and Bridging Learning Opportunities for Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Trainees

  A Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) partnership with Special Olympics Tennessee and the Strong Minds program teaches athletes coping strategies to reduce stress while providing trainees with hands-on learning opportunities.

• Mississippi LEND's Delta Initiative

  The Arkansas LEND's Developmental Outreach Clinic drove three hours north to Belzoni and conducted a windshield tour under the guidance of Dr. Rebekah Young, the Director of our UCEDD, the Institute for Disability Studies. A windshield tour entails driving around the community and taking note of the resources the community has to offer.

• OHSU UCEDD Prioritizes Youth Health Care Transition

  Four out of five Oregon youth who experience disabilities report that they did not receive adequate transition services during their healthcare visits according to the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs in 2016.

• 1Health Adds MN LEND

  The MNLEND fellowship program was accepted as a designated 1Health Interprofessional Activity, the University of Minnesota's interprofessional education curriculum initiative that brings together students from a wide range of health-related disciplines. 1Health challenges medical, dental, social work, public health and other students to cultivate skills in teamwork, communication, and collaborative care. These skills are integral to the medical community's "triple aim" of improving patient outcomes, advancing population health, and reducing costs. In selecting MNLEND, 1Health's Interprofessional Education Team considered the program's mix of learners from different professions, its explicit focus on interprofessional learning and the authenticity of its learning activities.

• Ohio State LEND Leadership Project Aims to Build Relationships Between New Mothers and Healthcare Providers

  Ohio State LEND faculty Lori Grisez (Physical Therapy) and Dr. Andrea Witwer (Psychology) initiated a program called Next Steps that aims to promote healthy development in infants and young children living in poverty in Central Ohio. The Next Steps program is an extension of the Moms2B program that was created in 2010 by pediatrician Dr. Patricia Gabbe and infant mental health specialist Twinkle French Schottke to address the alarmingly high infant mortality rate in Central Ohio.

• Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health

  Young adult members of our Consumer Advisory Council developed this resource for other young adults and for the professionals who serve them. It is based on their lived experiences with the mental health system.

• CT LEND Students Sign Bill with CT Governor to Enhance Communication Between First Responders and Children and Adults with Disabilities

  The UConn UCEDD staff and LEND students were invited to a bill signing of HB 7000 (PA 19-147) with Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. Governor Lamont praised the students and UCEDD for all the work they had done on the bill. Governor Lamont told the students how proud they should be for making a real difference in the world for the disability community. Representative Linehan, who met with the LEND students at the Capitol, worked with them on enhancing the UConn UCEDD's Emergency Preparation Flipbook to include a communication aid that would enhance communication between first responders and children and adults with disabilities.

• Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) Researcher Sutcliffe, Others Find High-risk Genes for Schizophrenia

  Author: Bill Snyder

  Using a unique computational framework they developed, a team of scientist cyber-sleuths in the Vanderbilt University Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute (VGI) has identified 104 high-risk genes for schizophrenia. One contributor is Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND) member and Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences James Sutcliffe, Ph.D.

• Mental Health Month: A message from AUCD's MH SIG

  As we celebrate mental health month, we invite you to participate in AUCD's Special Interest Group on Mental Health Aspects of I/DD. Our goal is to ensure that the mental health needs of children and adults with IDD-MH are fully recognized within the disability community and that they are effectively addressed.

• Study Finds that Psychiatric Emergency Room Visits Increased Among US Youth (MD IDDRC)

  In a recent study published in Pediatrics, Luther Kalb, PhD, core faculty member of the IDDRC at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, examined trends in psychiatric emergency department (ED) visits from 2011 to 2015 among youth ages 6 to 24 in the U.S. Data for this study primarily came from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a national survey of ED visits across the US.

• VKC (TN IDDRC/UCEDD/LEND)'s Verity Rodrigue Rodrigues to serve on National Mental Health Advisory Board

  Verity Rodrigues, M.S., Ph.D., educational consultant and instructor in Pediatrics at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's (TN IDDRC/UCEDD/LEND) reatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (VKC TRIAD), has been selected to participate on the advisory board for the National Training Center on Mental Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (MHIDD).

• AK, KY & UT UCEDDs Collaborate on ACL Mental Health Grant

  A collaboration between the Alaska, Kentucky, and Utah UCEDDs will offer training opportunities for self-advocates, family members, direct service providers, and mental health and healthcare professionals to provide quality mental health services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The 3-year, $2.1 million project is being funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL).

• Munroe-Meyer Institute (NE UCEDD/LEND) Nets $1.2 million Department of Education Grant

  Mark Shriver, Ph.D., professor of psychology and pediatrics at the Munroe-Meyer Institute, will be the project director on a new $1.2 million Department of Education grant from the Office of Special Education Programs. The five-year grant, which runs through a development year and four years of implementation, will train graduate students to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams to address significant behavior problems in schools.

• Riley Child Development Center (IN LEND) Participates in Lectureship in Infant Mental Health

  Faculty, staff and trainees from the Riley Child Development Center joined in hosting the annual Darlene Kardatzke Lectureship in Infant Mental Health, as a tribute to the professional endeavors of our dear friend and colleague Darlene Kardatzke, MD. The guest lecturer this year was Ayelet Talmi, PhD, a pediatric psychologist and associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

• MD's 30th Annual Suicide Prevention Conference (MD UCEDD)

  On October. 3, Mirian Ofonedu Ph.D, Training Director of the MCDD, Maureen van Stone, Esq, MS, Interim Director of the MCDD, along with Kiley Law, MD, MPH, and Paul Lipkin, MD of the Interactive Autism Network at Kennedy Krieger Institute presented on a panel titled, "Suicidality in Persons with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities: Assessment and Intervention Strategies" at the Maryland 30th Annual Suicide Prevention Conference in Woodlawn, MD.

• Social Skills Groups Adapted from Seeking Safety Model for Adolescents and Young adults with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health Diagnoses (CA UCEDD)

  Authors: Lina Rodas, Bridgid Mariko Conn, Caitlin S. Sayegh, Sari Glassgold, and Sara Sherer

  Mental health providers from the University of Southern California University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (USC UCEDD) and the Children's Hospital Los Angeles Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine (DAYAM) have adapted Seeking Safety to promote social skills development among adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities (DD) and co-morbid mental health diagnoses.

• Facing Your Fears

  Website that explains the group treatment program and provides peer-reviewed references on this treatment. This program is a group CBT approach to managing anxiety in youth with ASD - have a program for youth with ASD/IDD as well as working on school implementation of the program.

• Health Care for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Toolkit for Primary Care Providers

  The IDD Toolkit is adapted from the work of Canada's Developmental Disabilities Primary Care initiative, and it offers a number of tools to address mental and behavioral health, including a Crisis Management Plan, a Provider's Checklist for Emotional/Behavioral Concerns, a Psychiatric Symptoms Checklist and a Psychotropic Medications Checklist.

• Indiana School Mental Health Initiative

  Working alongside school districts and their community partners, we provide resources, training,and advocacy to build their capacity to promote the social, emotional, behavioral, mental, and physical health of Indiana's school-age children and youth with the goal of increasing school engagement and improving educational and life outcomes.

• Indiana School Mental Health Initiative

  Working alongside school districts and their community partners, we provide resources, training,and advocacy to build their capacity to promote the social, emotional, behavioral, mental, and physical health of Indiana's school-age children and youth with the goal of increasing school engagement and improving educational and life outcomes.

• The Center for START Services

  The Center for START Services, developed in 2009, is a national initiative based at the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability/UCED that provides educational and capacity building services, promotes and evaluates evidence-informed practices and approaches, and facilitates START model program implementation across the United States with the aim of improving the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and behavioral health needs. START (an acronym for Systemic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Resources, and Treatment) is a tertiary care research-based model of services and supports. While providing training, assessment and crisis intervention services, START services are implemented in the context of a comprehensive, systems linkage approach, to improve capacity in the system as a whole. First established in 1988, START is designed as a lifespan service for individuals ages six and older diagnosed with IDDMH. The program aims to strengthen experiences and service outcomes. The goal is to improve diagnosis and treatment, support effective services, create service linkages, promote health and wellness for both the individual with IDD and the caregiver, and decrease the need for emergency services. For more information, please visit www.centerforstartservices.org, call us at (603) 228-2084, or email [email protected].

• The NADD Organization

  The NADD organization is a national trade organization for IDD and MH providers in IDDMI.

• The Road to Recovery: Supporting Children With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Who Have Experienced Trauma

  Provides an overview for providers on how to work with children and families who are living with intellectual and development disabilities (IDD) and have experienced trauma. The Road to Recovery: Supporting Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Who Have Experienced Trauma is a training that consists of a Facilitator Guide and a Participant Manual that are designed to teach basic knowledge, skills, and values about working with children with IDD who have had traumatic experiences, and how to use this knowledge to support children's safety, well-being, happiness, and recovery through trauma-informed practice.

• Vanderbilt TRIAD's Online Mental Health and ASD Toolkit for Educators

  Strategies to support students with ASD and other developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health concerns and is geared towards educators across the kindergarten through twelfth grade.

• Via Institute Survey

  The Via institute provides a survey instrument to engage in self awareness of your own personal character strengths free of charge. The survey is available to all and has a version that does not require reading skills. Positive psychology is an important mental health practice.