MRI UNIV AFFILIATED INTERDISCIPLINARY TRAINING PROGRAM - The Nebraska Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities (LEND) Program will strengthen the interdisciplinary workforce and improve systems of care for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental disabilities (DD), and other special health care needs (SHCN) across the lifespan. Housed within the Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the training program aims to reduce workforce shortages that contribute to widespread limitations in access to timely screening, diagnostic evaluation, evidence-based intervention, care coordination, and transition services, particularly in rural, frontier, and underserved communities throughout Nebraska. These challenges contribute to delayed identification, fragmented services, and poorer outcomes for individuals with ASD/DD and SHCN and their families. Over the five-year project period, Nebraska LEND will implement a competency-based, interdisciplinary training program that integrates academic, clinical, leadership, research, policy, and community-based learning experiences. The program will recruit and train at least 35 long-term trainees annually across multiple disciplines, including family members and self-advocates, and provide structured leadership development for at least 40 advanced medium-term trainees each year. Specialized Autism Leadership Academy (ALA) tracks will provide advanced training in autism diagnosis, intervention, research, and interprofessional practice, including experiences using emerging diagnostic approaches designed to increase diagnostic capacity and improve access to care. Nebraska LEND will also strengthen the broader workforce through a minimum of 10 continuing education activities annually and ongoing technical assistance to healthcare providers, educators, community organizations, and state partners. Through partnerships with Title V, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the Nebraska Department of Education, community agencies, and regional and national LEND networks, the program will promote coordinated, family-centered systems of care. The populations served include children, youth, and adults with ASD, DD, and SHCN; their families and caregivers; self-advocates; graduate and post-graduate trainees; practicing professionals; and communities across Nebraska, with emphasis on rural and geographically underserved populations. By the end of the project period, Nebraska LEND will train at least 175 long-term trainees and 200 advanced medium-term trainees, provide more than 50 continuing education activities, train at least 200 professionals in interdisciplinary autism diagnostic practices, and expand workforce capacity to improve access to screening, diagnosis, intervention, care coordination, and transition supports. Anticipated outcomes include increased leadership and clinical competencies among trainees, strengthened family-professional partnerships, enhanced diagnostic capacity, improved system coordination, and better access to timely, comprehensive services for individuals with ASD/DD and SHCN across the lifespan.
