University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Problem:

As many as 15-18% of children have developmental and/or behavioral problems. This grouping includes a number of specific conditions, including autism spectrum disorders, which impact one out of 145 children in the state. Too few health professionals have the necessary skills to diagnose and intervene with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Goals and Objectives:

The purpose of this project is to develop clinical, research and programmatic leaders in the field of neurodevelopmental and related disabilities. Goal 1: The project will advance the knowledge and skills of the full range of child health professionals to improve health care delivery systems for children with developmental disabilities, including autism. Objective 1.1: Each year, 30 additional persons (trainees and community professionals) will develop skills necessary to identify, diagnose, rule out, and intervene with children with autism spectrum disorders. Objective 1.3 Each year, 13 trainees will complete a curriculum that includes leadership development, research skills, and MCH knowledge content, such as disease prevention, culturally competent and family-centered care, advocacy for vulnerable populations, and coordination of systems of care. Activities Undertaken to Meet Project Goals: All trainees receive experiences in model interdisciplinary, culturally appropriate, family-centered, community-based clinical services, formal instruction in a core curriculum in neurodevelopmental and related disabilities and additional instruction in clinical research, program development, and program evaluation. LEND faculty and trainees provide inservice training, consultation and technical assistance to Title V programs and other community providers, with special attention to programs in underserved areas. Working with others in the Department of Pediatrics, the faculty will develop a curriculum for community providers that will lead to competence in diagnosis and identification of autism spectrum disorders. HP 2010 Objectives: HP 2010 objectives addressed include: Objective 6-9: Increase the proportion of children and youth with disabilities who spend at least 80 percent of their time in regular education programs. Objective 16-22: Increase the proportion of children with special health care needs who have access to a medical home.

Coordination:

The LEND program will provide training to Title V and other community-based professionals on neurodevelopmental and related disabilities and technical assistance to those agencies to build capacity through grant writing, needs assessments, program development, and evaluation.

Evaluation:

The project will measure outcomes through a variety of methods. The key measure will be the trainee follow-up survey, which will be collected one, five, and ten years after trainees complete the program