Prevention & Wellness

News

• Linking Nutrition and Disability (MN LEND)

  What does food have to do with disability? Kalia Thor wanted to know. She is a Fellow in ICI's Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (MNLEND) Program, but she is also a second-year Master of Public Health nutrition student at the University of Minnesota, a Maternal and Child Health nutrition trainee, and a nutrition educator for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. "During undergrad [in nutritional science], I always wondered why nutrition choices were so limited for certain individuals with disabilities and why they tended to be so 'picky' at mealtime," she says. Thor still wants to know, but her interests have become more specific. "I want to work with diverse populations and figure out the nutritional deficits and needs of people with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. Being part of MNLEND, I hope to use my knowledge and skills from previous experiences and apply them to children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their nutritional intake."

• SC LEND Trainees Attend the Nurturing Developing Minds Conference

  The members of the South Carolina LEND program recently attended a state conference in March 2019 focusing on research and initiatives that are driven to create supportive environments to help children and their families flourish. The Nurturing Developing Minds conference provided several opportunities to the LEND trainees, including attending reviews of recent research and policies on developmental surveillance and screening (with a particular emphasis on the Help Me Grow nationwide initiative) and on the long-term risks of spanking and promising interventions (i.e., the No Hit Zone)

• Autism Issue Briefs from Waisman Center UCEDD/LEND

  Two publications describing evidence-based approaches to improving services for autism spectrum disorders are available online from the Waisman Center UCEDD/LEND programs as part of a series of Issue Briefs and Study Briefs.

• Report: Low-Income and Minority Youth with Autism Face Worse Outcomes than Peers

  Youth with autism are growing up in a world where awareness of autism and expectations for full inclusion in society are increasing. Today, one in 59 children have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder and no two youth with ASD are alike, their service and support needs vary and continually change as they age.

• Tuesdays with Liz: Happy Autism Acceptance Month!

  April is all about autism as it is Autism Acceptance Month! Liz talks about why we need to advocate for acceptance of autism and not only awareness, what autism is, and briefly covers the Autism CARES Act.

• IHD's Disability Studies Minor: Changing Perceptions, Encouraging Advocacy (AZ UCEDD)

  The Institute for Human Development's Disability Studies Minor challenges its students to rethink their attitudes toward people with disabilities. Its goal is to encourage students to realize that people with disabilities represent a minority group, one that has historically been marginalized, but that is, in fact, the single largest minority group in our increasingly diverse society.

• Helping Babies Beyond Their First Year: A Day of Learning (WI LEND)

  In Milwaukee, WI, 100 infants die before reaching their first birthday. Infant mortality disproportionately affects more Black infants than White infants in Milwaukee due to a variety of social, medical, and other complex factors. The Strong Baby Sanctuary is a network of faith-based organizations that are addressing this multifaceted issue by engaging the community in education, healthcare, and wellness.

Upcoming Events

Importance of Sexual Health for Individuals with IDD  

Sexual health is an important topic for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Unfortunately, conversations related to sexual health are often not fully addressed or are pushed aside because of fear, lack of comfort with the topic, or lack of information. Join us for a webinar on the importance of sexual health for individuals with IDD. Participants will hear from Joe Shapiro from NPR and Barbara Thomas from the Tall Institute as they discuss why this sensitive topic needs to be addressed.

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AAIDD 143 Annual Meeting  

The 143rd AAIDD Annual Meeting will provide a forum for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, students and advocates to learn about innovations in our field that are being translated and implemented on a grander scale. Through knowledge translation we can change practices and policies through effectively communicating our research and creating change at all levels. In a political climate that is complex and dynamic, it is important to remain relevant through the thoughtful translation of our knowledge.

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Past Events

Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders  

Please join us to hear about national work and discuss issues pertinent to the topic of early identification of autism spectrum disorder. Dr. Alacia Stainbrook from Vanderbilt Kennedy Center will moderate a three expert panel presentation and facilitate questions and comments from webinar participants.

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Sex Talk for Self-Advocates Webinar #4  

It is well documented meaningful relationships are connected to better health, social, and quality of life outcomes for all people, including people with disabilities. Relationships can help to create a greater sense of identity, self-worth, and belonging. Relationships are important, but they can look different for all of us. Join us to hear from self-advocates as they talk about their experiences being married, dating, partnered, and single. Sex Talk #4, Relationship Experiences, will focus on the personal relationship experiences of self-advocates as they join our panel of sexual health educators.

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National Center on Disability in Public Health Webinar Series: Sustaining Change & Inclusion  

Learn about change management strategies that support inclusion and action plans that sustain change.

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Transition in Autism Spectrum Disorders  

Please join us to hear about national work and discuss issues pertinent to the topic of supporting autistic individuals as they transition to adulthood. Dr. Eric Moody from Wyoming Institute for Disabilities will moderate a three expert panel presentation and facilitate questions and comments from webinar participants.

Read More >

Resources

• New Materials on the Opioid Crisis and People with Disabilities for Consumers, Providers, and Community Organizations

  Three new issue briefs on medication treatment, peer support, and traumatic brain injury from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research grantee Brandeis University provide information for people with disabilities and their families, substance use treatment providers, and community organizations looking for resources on how the opioid crisis may be impacting people with disabilities.

• Public Health Surveillance of Prenatal Opioid Exposure in Mothers and Infants

  The US opioid crisis is the public health emergency of our time and requires urgent public health action to monitor and protect the most vulnerable Americans. We have witnessed a startling death toll in 2017 with 70 237 drug overdose deaths in the United States, of which two-thirds involved opioids. The devastating consequences of this epidemic for mothers and infants have received less attention. Increases in opioid use and misuse in pregnancy have paralleled the increases in the general population; at delivery hospitalization, there were 4 times as many women with an opioid use disorder in 2014 compared with 1999. One of the most immediate and visible impacts of the opioid crisis on infants is the drug withdrawal in the newborn period, termed neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). On the basis of 2014 data, 1 newborn was diagnosed with NAS every 15 minutes in the United States, totaling about 32 000 infants annually with associated hospital costs estimated at $563 million.

  PrenatalOpioidExposure.pdf [download]
• HRSA Issues Hurricane Resources for Children with Special Health Care Needs

  In collaboration with the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, HRSA has developed a collection of resources informing hurricane response and recovery for families, organizations, and clinicians caring for children with special health care needs.

• Integrating Infectious Disease Prevention and Treatment into the Opioid Response

  The opioid crisis in the United States is devastating the lives of millions of Americans. Perhaps overshadowed by the alarming rise in overdoses and deaths is the accompanying numbers of injection-related infectious diseases. Opioid overdose deaths increased fivefold from 1999 to 2016, and new hepatitis C infections more than tripled from 2010 to 2016.

• 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.