University of Missouri

Problem:

Statistics reflect children younger than 22 with disabilities often are unserved or underserved. There are few trained professionals, especially in rural aras with experience in leadership, interdisciplinary teams, or enhancing the system of care through public policy.

Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1: Interdisciplinary Training Goal: A comprehensive program for ID leadership training will enhance health care services for children with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities and their families. Objective 1: To recruit & select 10 long-term trainees/year in the TIPS health Leadership Certificate program and 16 medium and short-term trainees, with emphasis on individuals from rural settings. Objective 2: To present a dynamic, challenging core curriculum of classes, seminars, practica, and research for 8 TIPS Health Leadership Certificate trainees/year. Objective 3: To infuse information about children with special health care needs into five discipline specific curricula to approximately 200 students/year. Goal 2: Service Goal: The service delivery network for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in Missouri will be enhanced through training activities associated with this program. Objective 1: To provide comprehensive interdisciplinary evaluation services in the TIPS for Kids specific clinic that addresses learning opportunities through planned schedulling so that the trainees are exposed to a variety of age, disability and culturally diverse populations. Objective 2: To increase the interdisciplinary care provided to over 2,000 children in other specialized UM-C clinics and other practica throughout the childhood developmental span. Objective 3: To support a wide array of community-based family-centered services in association with training activities (e.g., early intervention eligibility determination, school-based services, county health departments and family homes). Goal 3: Collaboration: The statewide system of care for children with special health care needs will be enhanced through collaboration with state and community agencies and advocacy organizations. Objective 1: To meet with the Title V agency to systematically develop an annual plan for technical assistance to this agency, including one continuing education activity each year developed and conducted by TIPS trainees and faculty. Objective 2: To collaborate with the Title V agency on a delivery system through a Missouri Health Foundation grant, Medical Home Grant. Objective 3: To provide technical assistance experience for TIPS trainees in state and community settings (e.g., Title V programs, Division of MR/DD regional centers, Boone County Family Resources, Columbia Public Schools). Goal 4: Information Dissemination Goal: Statewide information dissemination will enhance leadership skills for self-advocates, professionals, families as well as the promotion of research activities. Objective 1: To disseminate information for parents that will assist them in caring and advocating for their child with special health care needs. Objective 2: To collaborate with MODDRC to provide critical information for Missouri practitioners, families and self-advocates. The MODDRC website is funded by the MPC for DD. Objective 3: To maintain a TIPS list serve, e-reserve and/or blackboard to allow trainees and faculty to exhange information.

Methodology:

Nine trainees were recruited and selected this year from the following health and health related disciplines: Occupational Therapy (2 trainees), Speech/Language Pathology (2 trainees), Physical Therapy (2 trainees), Health Management & Informatics, Social Work and Health Psychology. This program uses didactic classes, policy, advocacy, leadership/team and clinical practica, and seminars designed to provide continuing education and technical assistance. All trainees enrolled in a graduate program will receive 6 hours of graduate level credit for their work. The didactic classes are currently held on Friday mornings throughout the first semester. Leadership seminars and Project/Research time are scheduled on Friday afternoons of the same semester. Journal Club and Problem Based Learning (PBL) sessions are included. Many experiences are required to take place outside of the classroom and are designed to meet the needs of each trainee individually. These include Family Shadowing, Policy/Advocacy Meeting Observations, Legislative bill tracking, Other Clinic Observations, visiting the UMKC UCE, developing resource guides for the MODDRC as well as the completion of their mastery project.

Coordination:

The two main organizations we work with regularly are the MO Dept of Health and Senior Services and the Boone County Family Resources. Also we have easy access to the Department of Social Service's Division of Medical Services; the Department of Mental Health's Division of MR/DD; the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Divisions of Special Education and Voc Rehab. Locally we have contact with the city/county health department that oversees the immunization and WIC programs.

Evaluation:

The project evaluation includes process and outcome measures inclucing leadership ratings, clinical evaluations, policy ratings, and trainee faculty evaluations. Program data is also collected regarding continuing education offered, clinical services provided, technical assistance delivered, and products produced. To monitor program quality, family clinic surveys are completed, trainee focus groups conducted and speaker evaluations completed.

Experience to Date:

The major accomplishment for the 2005-06 academic year is having 9 trainees complete the program who are looking forward to opportunities they had never considered before applying for the LEND program. Trainees will be accepting internships in occupational and physical therapy during their final year of graduate school that have been made available by their involvement with faculty who have contacts in pediatric programs not generally available. Several trainees are beginning their careers in positions that allow them to continue to develop their leadership skills. All valued their LEND training. The current trainees did remarkable work on their individual and group leadership projects providing training to community agencies and university classes on bilingual language development; emergent literacy in the preschool years; sibling support; transferring from wheelchairs, positioning; etc. The topics were needed and well received by audiences that had been identified previously by trainees and faculty. Some of these topics will be continued into the coming year for additional research and presentations.