Prevention & Wellness

News

• Mailman Center Collaborates with Special Olympics on Youth Leadership Summit (FL UCEDD/LEND)

  The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Mailman Center for Child Development collaborated with Special Olympics in a youth leadership summit, which took place June 3 at UM's Donna E. Shalala Student Center. The purpose of the summit was to highlight the Unified Champion Schools program, which incorporates Special Olympics' sports, leadership and related activities that empower youth to be change agents in their communities.

• TIPS 4 Kids (Missouri LEND) Hosts Successful Leadership Project Poster Session

  TIPS 4 Kids, Missouri's LEND, hosted a poster session of trainee's yearlong leadership projects. Approximately 100 students, faculty, community stakeholders, and practitioners attended. Rep. Sara Walsh, of the Missouri House of Representatives, was also in attendance, and we look forward to future collaboration with her and other members of the Missouri House of Representatives.

• Institute for Disability Studies Assisting Young Adults with Job Training, Internships (MS UCEDD)

  The transition from youth to adulthood following the completion of high school can be challenging and confusing for any young adult. Further, this transition may be particularly challenging for young adults with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual or developmental disabilities whose life plans are still unclear.

• Parents Engaged in Policy: A Six-Part Conversation About Restraint and Seclusion in Maine (ME UCEDD and NH-ME LEND)

  Two Maine parents of children with disabilities have produced a series of six videos to help educate parents about appropriate and incorrect uses of restraint and seclusion in educational settings in Maine.

• Maine LEND & UNE Transdisciplinary Playgroup

  The Maine LEND Program supports the University of New England's (UNE) Transdisciplinary Playgroup in Portland, Maine. The University's playgroup continues to demonstrate success as it is in its ninth year. The Transdisciplinary Playgroup promotes a community-based model facilitating the development of children age eighteen to thirty-six months. This program is an inclusive model and welcomes children with and without disabilities to engage in play in a natural playgroup environment.

• USM Institute for Disability Studies Launches Inclusive Quidditch Game (MS UCEDD)

  Readers who enjoy fantasy books or movies will be familiar with the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter fans are familiar with the sport of Quidditch. Yes, it's the sport played on brooms in which players throw the Quaffle and attempt to catch the tiny, golden Snitch to end the game.|

• Just Released - Responsive Practice: Providing Health Care & Screenings to Individuals with Disabilities (NH UCEDD/LEND)

  The New Hampshire Disability and Public Health (DPH) project's Responsive Practice training is now available online, on-demand, and is free for a limited time. Responsive Practice enhances health care providers' ability to deliver disability-competent care that is accessible to people with intellectual, mobility, and other disabilities.

• New Hampshire Adults with Disabilities Are Motivated to Quit Smoking (NH UCEDD/LEND)

  New Hampshire adults with cognitive and/or mobility disabilities are more likely to smoke cigarettes than adults without disabilities. The Disability in Focus, March 2018 data brief, released by the NH Disability & Public Health Project (DPH), shows that NH Adults with disabilities are motivated to quit smoking.

• UM Student from Rocky Boy Makes National Contribution to Public Health (MT UCEDD/LEND)

  After working for several years as a research assistant for the Montana Disability and Health program at the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, and completing her Master's in Public Health at UM, Helen Russette went to work for the Missoula City-County Health Department (MCCHD). There, she aided in the development of a community health needs assessment (CHA) process that fully includes representatives of marginalized populations. She recently shared this work in February 2018 article published with co-author, Robin Nielson-Cerquone, MJ, MCCHD Accreditation Specialist, on the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) website.

Past Events

Sex Talk for Self-Advocates Webinar #1  

Please join us for our first Sex Talk for Self-Advocates webinar! Using real self-advocate questions from a survey, we will have three professional sexuality educators answering questions about sexual relationships. The sexuality educators will talk about questions from the survey like: How do I meet someone? How do you know if someone is your boyfriend or girlfriend? What exactly does consent mean? How do I talk with my partner? Is a non-disabled partner at risk for having sex with a disabled partner? How to be gay?

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Social Determinants of Health among Individuals with Functional Impairments  

The APHA Disability Section will be hosting a webinar featuring three outstanding presenters! The purpose of these webinars is to promote learning and to provide an opportunity for students and Disability Section members to share their research throughout the year. This webinar will focus on Social Influences of Health and Wellbeing among Individuals with Functional Impairments. The moderator of this webinar is Erica Twardzik, MS. Erica is a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan, where she works to advance health equity for adults with disabilities through research, education, and leadership.

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Sensory Modulation: An Underutilized Tool for Reducing Anxiety in People with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)  

In this presentation, the nature and extent of anxiety related challenges that impact individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) will be briefly reviewed. How anxiety can be a major influence on the manifestation of externalizing behaviors will also be discussed. The relationship between atypical sensory profiles and anxiety, with a particular focus on over-arousal states, will be explored. Ways in which some simple and easy to use sensory modulation tactics and tools may be employed to help individuals with ASD and other IDD who present with significant anxiety and challenging behaviors will be shared.

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Latest Findings on Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and that Children receiving Developmental Monitoring and Developmental Screening Together are more likely to receive Early Intervention  

Daisy Christensen, Epidemiologist at NCBDDD at CDC, will present on the recent "Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2014" data release. The latest findings from the ADDM Network provide evidence that the prevalence of ASD is higher than previously reported estimates and continues to vary among certain racial/ethnic groups and communities. With prevalence of ASD ranging from 13.1 to 29.3 per 1,000 children aged 8 years in different communities throughout the United States, the need for behavioral, educational, residential, and occupational services remains high, as does the need for increased research on both genetic and nongenetic risk factors for ASD. During the latter half of the webinar, Rebecca Wolf, Team Lead, "Learn the Signs. Act Early." at CDC, and Brian Barger, Director of Research and Evaluation at GSU's UCEDD, will present on the study and findings of, "Better Together: Developmental Screening and Monitoring Best Identify Children who need Early Intervention".

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Resources

• Healthy Weight Research Network (HWRN) Update

  The Healthy Weight Research Network for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities (HWRN) was established in July 2013 with Autism CARES funding via the Maternal Child Health Bureau�s (MCHB). The HWRN is led by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Medical School, in collaboration with Tufts University School of Medicine. The HWRN�s mission is to advance the understanding of obesity risk factors in children with ASD and other developmental disabilities, to promote the development of evidence-based solutions to achieve healthy weight in this population, and to disseminate research findings to broad and diverse audiences.

• At-Risk Populations and Pandemic Influenza: Planning Guidance for State, Territorial, Tribal, and Local Health Departments
    from http://www.astho.org
• Center for Health Promotion Research for People with Disabilities
    from http://uic-chp.org
• Center on Health Promotion Research for Persons with Disabilities
    from http://uic-chp.org
• Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities
    from http://www.hesperian.org
• The AUCD Network: Promoting Wellness for Persons with Disabilities

  An abridged sampling for download and printing of wellness promotion activities

• Senator Harkin Reintroduces Promoting Wellness for Individuals with Disabilities Act

  Senator Harkin's floor statement.