Jennifer Smith’s research while affiliated with University of Cincinnati and other places

Objectives Air travel presents challenges for children and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. Despite notable contributions, systematic evaluation of programs to improve accessibility of air travel for children and young adults with ASD is limited. The present study adds to emerging literature on air travel accessibility interventions by describing the acceptability and satisfaction of the Leading Individuals Forward Together (LIFT) program, an in vivo air travel rehearsal program for families of children and young adults with ASD that incorporates several evidence-based practices. Methods Caregivers of children and young adults with ASD who participated in the LIFT program were surveyed after completing the program to provide feedback about whether they found the program to be beneficial and whether they found components of the program helpful. Results Regarding acceptability, all participants surveyed reported the overall LIFT program to be beneficial for their family. Participants found the components of the rehearsal day and the visual supports used in the program helpful. Caregivers of children and young adults with ASD reported increased confidence and decreased stress levels after participation in LIFT, as well as feeling more prepared and more likely to fly with their child/young adult with ASD. This study also explores factors that might affect the decisions of parents of children and young adults with ASD for choosing air travel. Conclusions The current study provides the initial proof of concept and rationale for conducting a more methodologically rigorous and resource-intensive study to further test the impact of the LIFT program.

Objectives The Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model has been shown to increase primary care providers' (PCPs) knowledge and self-efficacy in caring for patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Benefits of ECHO Autism participation may not be fully captured in studies measuring only quantitative outcomes. Qualitative methodology was used to explore the perceptions, meaning, and impact of ECHO Autism from the perspective of participating PCPs. Methods We used group level assessment, a large-group participatory, qualitative research method modified to a virtual format to explore the perceptions, meaning, and impact of the ECHO Autism program from the perspective of 6 participating PCPs, 1 family member, and 5 hub team members. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 4 ECHO Autism participants to further explore the identified themes. Results Participants identified 6 primary themes corroborated by interview participants: (1) direct benefits to PCPs, (2) appreciation of the “all teach, all learn” approach, (3) sense of community, (4) value of the multidisciplinary conceptualization of care for children with ASD, (5) demystification of care for children with ASD, and (6) benefits to the PCPs' patients and their families. Feedback about ways to enhance the ECHO Autism program was categorized into 5 areas for improvement. Conclusion ECHO Autism builds a community for providers who may otherwise feel isolated and hesitant to manage complex needs of children with ASD. ECHO Autism is an innovative approach to build capacity for PCPs to provide high-quality evidence-based care to these children within their own communities.

Supporting people with neurodevelopmental disabilities often requires interdisciplinary collaboration and effective partnerships with clients and their families. Behavior analysts receive intensive training and supervision in a variety of domains; however, expanding interdisciplinary training for behavior analysts is needed. Interdisciplinary training programs, such as the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs, offer trainees the opportunity to hone their skills as advocates for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities and collaborators as part of an interdisciplinary team. Historically, many LEND programs have not offered training positions specifically to behavior analysis students or professionals, although some behavior analysts have participated as trainees in other disciplines such as psychology or special education. The benefits, barriers, and possible future directions of interdisciplinary training for behavior analysts within a LEND program are discussed through the experience of the University of Cincinnati LEND Program which added an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) training track in 2020.

Objectives To assess changes in trainees’ knowledge and application of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) concepts after participating in a midwestern academic medical center Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program. LEND is a federally funded year-long program training individuals of various disciplines (e.g., speech pathology, family advocacy, psychology) to better support the health of individuals with disabilities. Methods Trainees (n = 46) answered questions about their knowledge and application of DEIJ topics before and after program participation in 2021–2022 and 2022–2023. Changes in trainees’ responses were examined using paired-samples t-tests. Results Thirty-six (78%) participants identified as White, 7 (15%) as Black, 2 (4%) as Asian, and 2 (4%) as more than one race. Three (7%) participants identified as Hispanic/Latino. Over the one-year program, trainees’ perceived knowledge increased [t(45) = 5.84, p < .001, Mdiff = .59, Cohen's D = 0.86]. Regarding articulating definitions of DEIJ terms, trainees’ summed scores following program participation also improved [t(45) = 4.71, p < .001, Mdiff = 2.37, Cohen's D = 0.70]. However, their comfort with addressing prejudicial statements and discussing and combating “-isms” (application of DEIJ skills) did not increase [t(45) = 1.74, p = .09, Mdiff = 0.17, Cohen's D = 0.26]. Conclusions for practice LEND program participation positively impacted trainees’ perceived DEIJ knowledge and ability to define DEIJ terms. However, future refinements to the curriculum will be needed to improve trainees’ application of skills and to develop a more nuanced understanding of equity, intersectionality, inclusion, and belonging.

IntroductionThe purpose of this paper is to describe the curriculum and self-reported outcomes on measures of interdisciplinary leadership skills for work within the field of developmental disabilities from trainees in one interprofessional training program.Methods The paper highlights one program’s curriculum and strategy for capturing self-report survey measures from trainees in cohorts from 2014–2018 (n = 86) on two surveys (Interdisciplinary Attitudes and Skills and Leadership Self-Evaluation Form) and three time points across the training year: before training (T1), mid-year (T2), and after training (T3).ResultsData from 86 trainees are reported including demographics (nearly 80% white, 92% female), non-descriptive statistics due to non-normative samples, and tertiles demonstrating changes between time points. Significant differences between medians are reported between T1-T3 specifically related to utilizing interdisciplinary skills and gains in leadership competencies. Specific utilization of skills was reported to be ‘Greatly’ attributable to the LEND program related to sharing ideas and asking for help across disciplines.DiscussionTrainees’ self-report from before training to after training indicates an increase in competence and utilization of interdisciplinary skills to be expected from participation in the curriculum. Self-report measures are

This article describes the curriculum of an interprofessional training program tasked with teaching policy and advocacy knowledge and skills specific to the underserved population of individuals with developmental disabilities. The program, guided by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s Leadership Competencies, emphasizes integrating professionals in health disciplines, including psychology, together with individuals with disabilities and their family members for shared learning experiences. The article discusses the importance of incorporating advocacy training into preparation programs for future psychologists. Strategies are described in the context of Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction and include goal development and mentorship, experiential opportunities, and didactic teaching. Lessons learned and next steps, specifically related to establishing efficient evaluation procedures, are discussed. Psychology graduate education programs and other training programs, especially those that have an interprofessional focus, may benefit from incorporating similar strategies to strengthen their advocacy curriculum and foster students and trainees to become skilled advocates.

This paper reviews evidenced-based interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) across the disciplines of psychology, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and developmental pediatrics. Background: rates of ASD diagnoses have been steadily rising over the past 2 decades. There are a wide range of therapies and interventions, of varying levels of evidence, across disciplines that are now available to treat children with ASD. The field has moved toward a greater emphasis on the identification and utilization of evidenced-based treatments. Methods: a review and summary of recent literature was conducted by professionals in an interdisciplinary autism center. An emphasis was placed on results of the National Autism Center's National Standards Project. Results and conclusions: within each discipline, interventions exist that vary in level of evidenced-based support. Although disciplines may differ in their definitions of evidence-based treatments, it is important for each discipline to strive to offer and promote practices with the best evidenced-based support according to each field's standards.

Risk factors are inherent to any activity in life. Toileting is a natural life activity. Therefore, it is logical to assume that there are risk factors natural to toilet training. The World Health Organization defines a risk factor as “any attribute, characteristic or exposure of an individual that increases the likelihood of developing a disease or injury” (World Health Organization (2013) World Health Report 2013. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/whr/en/). In reference to the current topic, risk factors pose as barriers to delaying successful toilet training or ultimately preventing successful toilet training from being achieved. In training toileting, continence, where an individual must be able to recognize the sensation for elimination, and mastery of the entire chain of behaviors accompanying a toilet visit including traveling, excreting, washing and redressing must be present in order to achieve independent and appropriate toileting skills (Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 3:607–618). Risks to successful toileting behavior are inherent across those areas of continence and toileting behavior. This chapter explores continence potential risk factors related to child and caregiver characteristics, environmental challenges, and cultural barriers. Directions for future research endeavors and considerations not yet addressed by the current empirical body are also presented as additional areas of potential risk.