Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders Training Program - Mississippi State University proposes to establish MSSTATE LEND: Preparing Interdisciplinary Leaders in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, a new Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities training program housed in the College of Education and led through the Mississippi Institute on Disabilities (MIoD). Mississippi families need a stronger, more connected workforce to support children and youth with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. In many parts of our state, families travel long distances, wait too long for evaluation or treatment, and move between schools, clinics, early intervention programs, pediatric providers, disability agencies, and community organizations that do not always work together easily. These challenges are especially clear in a rural state where specialty services are limited, and families often coordinate care themselves. MSSTATE LEND will build from work already happening at Mississippi State University. MIoD is a statewide hub for disability services, training, family support, and community partnership. Through MIoD and the College of Education, the university supports children, youth, adults, families, schools, providers, and agencies through programs such as the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic, ACCESS, autism liaison and family/community support activities, pediatric feeding and related clinical training, and U-THRIVE. Together, these programs give MSU a practical foundation for training future leaders from early childhood through adulthood. The proposed program will bring these existing strengths together into one coordinated training model. Each year, MSSTATE LEND will train a small interdisciplinary cohort from fields such as school psychology, applied behavior analysis, special education, disability studies, psychology, family leadership, and disability leadership. Family members and people with disabilities will be active participants. The program will also offer selected training opportunities for additional students, professionals, and community partners who cannot participate in the full year-long experience. Long-term trainees will complete a 326-hour training experience that connects classroom learning with real work in Mississippi communities. Trainees will learn about autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities across the lifespan, early identification, screening and diagnostic pathways, evidence-based intervention, family-centered care, school and community supports, assistive technology, transition to adulthood, health and behavioral health needs, rural access, policy, data use, and quality improvement. They will also participate in family listening sessions, disability-led learning, mentoring, continuing education, technical assistance, and an applied leadership project tied to a real Mississippi need. A central goal of MSSTATE LEND is to prepare trainees to work differently when they leave the program. They should be able to listen to families, respect the expertise of people with disabilities, understand the role of other disciplines, use evidence-based practices, and help schools, clinics, agencies, and communities solve practical problems. The program will also provide continuing education and technical assistance across Mississippi so that the impact reaches beyond the annual trainee cohort. Over five years, MSSTATE LEND will build a sustainable leadership pipeline for Mississippi. The program will strengthen the state’s capacity to identify needs earlier, coordinate services more effectively, support families more clearly, and improve the systems that children and youth with autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities rely on. The project will organize and expand existing disability infrastructure at MSU so Mississippi can better prepare professionals, family leaders, disability leaders, and community partners to improve care and services.
