NSU Horizons Winter 2008 - 2009

Getting the Council off the Ground The council is headed by Sue Kabot, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, director of the clinical programs for MSI. One of the first goals of the council was to take a look at the programs and services al- ready being offered by the individual academic disciplines and begin a process of sharing the information to create a more col- laborative approach. “We had a lot of information from departments that we just hadn’t realized we had, in addition to the number of people inter- ested and involved in autism,” Kabot said. The second part of the plan is to look at future initiatives that can take the group’s work to the next level. These plans include linking together on one comprehensive Web site where the community, parents, and professionals alike can find exactly what type of autism-related help they are looking for from NSU. The current list of topics includes programs for early diagnosis, on-site campus and school programs, therapeutic programs, re- search, and educational programs—all easily accessed with one click at a computer. New Initiatives As a result of one of the first initiatives of the council, par- ents will be able to find help early on through the Unicorn Child Development Clinic at MSI. The clinic was established through a gift from the Unicorn Children’s Foundation, a $1 million endowed chair in autism and learning communication disorders shared by both MSI and NSU’s Center for Psychological Studies (CPS). The clinic now offers a state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary autism diagnostic assessment center for children from birth to age five at MSI. It provides parents with a centralized location to have their child evaluated simultaneously by a team of experts. “The benefit is that the children will be seen by all team members, including those from psychology, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and family therapy,” said Kristen Cun- ningham, Psy.D., the lead psychologist at the Unicorn Clinic. According to Cunningham, another unique aspect of the Unicorn Clinic at NSU is the additional family therapy support patients will receive. Counselors will work with the families through the entire screening process, preparing them for what to expect, answering any questions, and helping them access rec- ommended services and interventions. “Parents are getting reports and recommendations, but they need to know how to proceed from there. We are trying to pro- vide them with extra support so they can access what they need,” Cunningham said. Training the Professionals “There is also increasing interest from our students who are interested in learning and communication disorders because of the increased awareness of this problem and need for more research and effective interventions,” said Karen Grosby, M.Ed., dean of the Center for Psychological Studies. The mission of Grosby’s program is to train school and clinical psychologists as well as mental health and school counselors—professionals who are interested in providing services to children and families, developing tools for early autism diagnosis, and identifying effective existing treatments while discovering new treatments through research. Because more students are taking an interest, the council will also pave the way for placing better-educated professionals out in the community. Christine Reeve is director of academics at MSI. She coordi- nates the roster of undergraduate and graduate coursework in au- tism and applied behavioral analysis for professionals in educa- tion, counseling, child protection, psychology, and more. She said the coursework fits in well with the mission of the council. “It helps to bring all the people together in one place, facili- The research is conclusive. The early diagnosis and intervention of children with autism spectrum disorder is critical to improving the developmental outcomes. But not every South Florida family has been within easy reach of this support until now. The first Mobile Autism Family Clinic, a uniquely equipped van, was unveiled by the University of Miami/NSU Center for Autism and Re- lated Disabilities (UM/NSU CARD). It will travel to families in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties who cannot access screenings, medical resources, and au- tism awareness information—all at no charge. The 23-foot van includes a waiting room, therapy/evaluation room, and a worksta- tion. Clinicians evaluate children and adults in a variety of social, communication, and behavioral contexts in the therapy/evaluation area. It contains video cameras connected to a monitor in the waiting area, allowing for interactive training opportuni- ties for families. UM/NSU CARD is a South Florida nonprofit organization commit- ted to providing free family support, outreach, and educational services to children and adults who have autism and autistic-like disabilities or have a loved one with the disorder. CARD’s Broward County office is housed at NSU with clinicians and staff members. 16 horizons Early Intervention Support for Autistic Children Goes Mobile