Stephanie Weber’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.

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.

Background and Aims: Substance and tobacco use is associated with poor maternal and child health outcomes. Although these have each been linked to lower breastfeeding rates when examined separately, studies have yet to examine how the combination of tobacco and other substance use influences breastfeeding initiation and continuation. The aim of this study was to examine how the combination of smoking tobacco and use of illicit substances influences the odds of breastfeeding initiation and continuation. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study (n = 15,634) used survey data from the 2016-2018 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System from eight US states to examine the association of tobacco and illicit substance use with breastfeeding initiation and continuation (≥6 weeks). The odds of breastfeeding initiation and continuation for individuals with and without prenatal tobacco and illicit substance use, adjusting for maternal and infant characteristics, were estimated using weighted, multivariable logistic regression models. Results: The combination of prenatal tobacco and illicit substance use was associated with a 42% reduction in the odds of initiating breastfeeding (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.58 [95% confidence interval, CI 0.39-0.87]) and a 39% reduction in the odds of breastfeeding for at least 6 weeks (aOR 0.61 [95% CI 0.41-0.92]) when compared with those without tobacco and substance use. Conclusion: The odds of breastfeeding initiation and continuation are significantly lower among individuals with both prenatal tobacco and illicit substance use. Future studies are needed to identify barriers to breastfeeding within this population, to inform patient-centered interventions aimed at overcoming these barriers.

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

Objectives: Prenatal and postpartum care for women with substance use is important due to increased risk of poor health outcomes. The influence of substance use on perinatal care utilization is not well characterized, especially postpartum care. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of substance use during pregnancy on prenatal and postpartum care utilization in a nationally representative sample and to identify maternal characteristics associated with inadequate prenatal and postpartum care among women with substance use. Methods: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data (2016-2018) from 8 states were used for this study. Logistic regression models adjusted for complex survey weights and confounder variables were used to estimate the odds of not receiving adequate prenatal care and postpartum care. Weighted Rho Scott chi-square tests were used to examine maternal characteristics associated with care utilization among women who reported substance use during pregnancy. Results: The study included 15,131 women, with 5.3% who reported illicit substance use during pregnancy. In multivariable models, substance use was associated with an increase in the odds of not receiving adequate prenatal care (OR 1.69, CI 1.32, 2.17) and not receiving postpartum care (OR: 1.47, CI 1.10, 1.95). Among women who reported substance use, depression and smoking status were associated with not receiving adequate prenatal or postpartum care. Conclusions: Substance use during pregnancy is independently associated with disparities in prenatal and postpartum care access. Future studies are needed to identify how barriers lead to care inequalities and importantly, to identify strategies to improve care utilization.