In an effort to improve care for children with neurodevelopmental and behavioral conditions, the Neurodevelopmental Behavioral System of Care invests in the education of health professional trainees and in ongoing workforce development of existing clinicians.
The Neurodevelopmental Behavioral System has developed a program that trains primary care clinicians in the evaluation and diagnosis of children with autism or developmental delay using the Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children (STAT), a model developed at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.
At Indiana University School of Medicine, this clinical curriculum ensures graduates understand how to perform standardized testing as well as how to communicate with families effectively and assist them in navigating the service delivery system. The training program uses workshops and clinical practicums to deliver its content. Participants continue to engage in an active learning community after introduction into the program.
The Neurodevelopmental Behavioral System uses a learning collaborative model in which community clinicians apply quality improvement methods in their primary care practices in order to enhance processes for developmental screening and screening for anxiety and depression in children. The American Board of Pediatrics Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program requires that board-certified pediatricians engage in at least two quality improvement projects every five years. The IU School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics has approval to serve as a Portfolio Site for these MOC projects through which faculty deliver these learning collaboratives.
Community education provided by the Neurodevelopmental Behavioral System is also delivered through a mini-sabbatical program. Participating pediatric clinicians increase their skills in neurodevelopment and behavior through classroom learning, case conferences and clinical activities. This year, the mini-sabbatical program helped participants expand their knowledge in caring for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression and autism.
The Department of Pediatrics has hosted a statewide annual meeting for more than 50 years, and this meeting provides continuing education to pediatricians and primary care physicians. Neurodevelopment and care coordination have been key topics in the last two years of programming.
Academic outreach to primary care practices throughout Indiana has enhanced the frequency of developmental screening in primary care. In 2017, outreach to more than 70 pediatric and family medicine primary care offices provided free screening materials, along with education in implementation and ongoing delivery of screening. Presentations at statewide conferences, including Indiana Academy of Family Practice (IAFP) and National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), helps to further increase awareness and expertise related to diagnoses of developmental delay and autism spectrum disorder.
At IU School of Medicine, the Riley Child Development Center is celebrating its 50th year as Indiana’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program, which provides graduate-level interdisciplinary leadership training programs to improve the health of infants, children, and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The program produces innovators in the field of autism and other neurodevelopmental and related disabilities across a broad array of healthcare and related disciplines who go on to lead and work collaboratively in interdisciplinary settings.
Recent trainings have included: infant and toddler mental health, social-emotional development, behavioral interventions, ethics in the early childhood workforce, mindfulness for health care professionals, and health care advocacy. Workshops and conferences also include components that are useful for families seeking skills and ideas to support their children with developmental disabilities.
As one of only eight such programs in the United States, the four-year Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NDD) Residency Program at Indiana University School of Medicine is integrated with the first two years of the school’s pediatrics residency. The six-year program prepares physicians as academic leaders in the care of children with neurodevelopmental conditions. Training is broad and interdisciplinary across child and adult neurology as well as developmental pediatrics.
Indiana University School of Medicine offers a three-year ACGME-accredited Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship training program that prepares physicians to diagnose, treat and counsel children with a wide variety of developmental and behavioral challenges. Graduates are prepared to assume leadership roles in advocacy, research and teaching.