In This Issue

Electronic Submission Update

KU Offers Supercomputing Service

Structural Equation Modeling set for Feb. 5

Computer Assistance at LSI-Lawrence

KU/LSI Logo Use Update

LSI Annual Unclassified Performance Evaluations due March 26

Project Development

Mayo named Person of the Year

Project Spotlight: Kansas College of Direct Support

Attention in Autism: Baggett awarded $960,000 grant from Autism Speaks

Aging vs. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease: Kemper and McDowd net KCALSI grant on assessing cognitive deficits

World Health Organization Collaborating Centre News

Institute Activities

The Lifeline Online is a newsletter of the Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies at the University of Kansas

Online, printable version and back issues.

Karen Henry, Editor

The Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas
1052 Dole Human Development Center
1000 Sunnyside Avenue
Lawrence, KS 66045-7555
(785) 864-4295 TDD
(785) 864-5051
lsi.ku.edu

The Centers and their inception dates

The Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies is a center of centers collectively dedicated to discovering research-based solutions for the challenges of human and community development, disabilities, and aging.

Friends of the Life Span Institute

Ross and Marianna Beach

Dan Biles and Amy McCart

Michael Cataldo

John Colombo and Dale Walker

Gregorio Diaz

David and Peggy Ekerdt

Steve Fawcett and Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett

Charles R. Greenwood and Judith J. Carta

Vance and Marilyn Hall

Betty Hart

Floyd Horowitz and Frances Degan Horowitz

Todd Little and Patty Hawley

James and Lee McLean

Virginia and Fred Merrill

Bob Mirman

Terry and Judi Paul

Mabel Rice

Dick and Ruth Schiefelbusch

Steve and Carolyn Schroeder

Dale Slusser and Sherry Fowler

Joe and Rita Spradlin

John T. Stewart III and Linda B. Stewart

Rud and Ann Turnbull

John and Patty Turner

April Waldron

Frances Waldron

Gary Waldron and Sunny Foster

Steve Warren and Eva Horn

Michael and Kathy Wehmeyer

Bruce and Melinda Wetherby

Glen and Nancy White

David and Dee Yoder

Ed and Mary Ann Zamarripa

In the News

Most of the KUMC-based Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Center affilated investigators have a spectacular new home on the KUMC campus at 39th and Rainbow Boulevard. The 205,000-square-foot Kansas Life Sciences Innovation Center was dubbed a "lab with a view" by the January 23 Kansas City Star. MRDDRC Co-Director Peter Smith is featured in the print and video stories.

Michael Fox talked about the underinsured and uninsured on on Up to Date on KCUR-FM on January 31.

Austin Howell, one of the first participants in a project on the communication of children with deaf-blindness directed by Nancy Brady with Susan Bashinski is the subject of Reaching Austin in the November 2006 Good Housekeeping. Austin and his family were previously featured on page one of the July 7, 2005 Kansas City Star.

Editor's note: This issue features news from the LSI support units.

Electronic Submission Update
Important Changes to NIH Submissions: Multiple PI Policy, Changes in Submission Dates, Hints for Submitting an Electronic Proposal
Jessica Black, Grant Monitor

NIH-Multiple PI Policy
Beginning with February 2007 submissions, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will allow multiple Principal Investigators (PIs) on all proposals unless otherwise mentioned in the RFA (as in individual career awards, fellowships, dissertation grants, etc.)  or if submitted in hard copy format. This new option adds more work for PIs, however. For starters, the new Multiple PI Leadership Plan, requires a description of the administrative, technical and scientific responsibilities of each PI. Further, the Leadership Plan requires that if budget allocation is planned, the distribution of resources to specific components of the project or the individual PDs/PIs should be delineated. In the event of an award, the requested allocations can be reflected in a footnote on the Notice of Grant Award. (SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide Part I: Instructions for Preparing and Submitting an Application). Please note: The pilot study of the Multiple PI process reported the following pitfalls to avoid on applications:

• PIs who did not have an identified function within the leadership team based on their expertise and the nature of the project
• PIs who seemed too junior to function in leadership roles
• Senior PIs in  “courtesy roles”
• Leadership teams that had been expanded only to justify additional salary support for involved personnel

(NOT-OD-07-017: Establishment of Multiple Principal Investigator Awards for the Support of Team Science Projects). Finally, this change also impacts how applications are reviewed. Below are revised review criteria per the NOT-OD-07-017 Multiple PI Notice. Standard Review Criteria Modified to Accommodate Applications with and without Multiple PIs:

Significance: Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge or clinical practice be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?
Approach: Are the conceptual or clinical framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well integrated, well reasoned, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics? For applications designating multiple PD/PIs, is the leadership approach, including the designated roles and responsibilities, governance and organizational structure consistent with and justified by the aims of the project and the expertise of each of the PD/PIs?
Innovation: Is the project original and innovative? For example: Does the project challenge existing paradigms or clinical practice; address an innovative hypothesis or critical barrier to progress in the field? Does the project develop or employ novel concepts, approaches, methodologies, tools, or technologies for this area?
Investigators: Are the PD/PI(s) and other key personnel appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the PD/PI(s) and other researchers? Do the PD/PI(s) and the investigative team bring complementary and integrated expertise to the project (if applicable).
Environment: Do(es) the scientific environment(s) in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed studies benefit from unique features of the scientific environment(s), or subject populations, or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support?
NIH has created a site specifically to help investigators with this new policy. If you have any questions or are considering a Multiple-PI application, this site may be very useful http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi/.

NIH Change in Deadline Dates
Due to the incredible volume of applications submitted to NIH through grants.gov, NIH , they will be staggering deadlines starting January 1, 2007. The first deadline this affects is the standard February 2007 deadline (see table below for revised deadline dates).

(NOT-OD-07-001: Change in Standing Receipt Dates for NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Beginning in January 2007)
If you have any questions or need help determining which date your proposal will be due please do not hesitate to contact me (jessica@ku.edu or 785-864-0597).

Hints for an Easier Electronic Submission to NIH
Now that we have done a few electronic submissions through Grants.gov we wanted to inform you of some of the common errors we are encountering. The number one error is key personnel matching with the eRA Commons. As a PI, each of you should have an eRA Commons account (please contact me at jessica@ku.edu if you need an account). That account should match precisely the data we enter into the PureEdge forms. For some, this information is dated, and for others the data in the eRA commons is completely blank, creating unnecessary errors. There is an easy and immediate solution to these kinds of errors -- please update your eRA Commons account. Let us know how our office can assist in this process

Research plan formatting is another common error. NIH limits margins to 0.5, however, if you set your header and footer margins to 0.3”, you will get an extra one-two lines of text per page. They also require specific fonts: Arial, Helvetica, Palatino Linotype, or Georgia typeface, a black font color, and a font size of 11 points or larger (hint - you will get more lines of text using Arial 11). Setting the margins and fonts correctly can save some last-minute trimming of your research plan. The research plan also has different sections and headings than the previous versions of the PHS 398. If you would like a template narrative detailing the different sections with correct font/margin specifications please email me at jessica@ku.edu.

Grants.gov Training
We did not have enough interest in a grants.gov training session to hold a workshop. If you are interested in getting hands-on help please let me know (jessica@ku.edu or 785-864-0597). I will come to your office and show you and your staff how to navigate through the “Find” site to locate a solicitation, download PureEdge Viewer, download application packets, and work on forms and narrative pieces. We can also discuss policy changes and common pitfalls to avoid. If you are interested please let me know and we can get something scheduled.

A Growing Concern: Withdrawing Proposals at the Last Minute after Submitting to KUCR
In 2006 we had several proposals pulled just prior to the submission date. We understand that submitting a proposal is a complicated task for all those involved and we do not live in a perfect world. We also realize that all proposals that come to our office do not get submitted, but we try to keep these to a minimum.  Our concern here is not just the impact on the LSI (though this is a critical factor), but more importantly how it impacts our relationship with KUCR. To that end, it is important that you be aware of what systems are triggered when a proposal comes to this office:

LSI-Central Office

• Paul Diedrich and/or Jessica Black reviews budget(s), justification(s), fills out multiple forms (online or otherwise), formats and uploads files if electronic
• Todd Little, Janet Marquis, Karen Henry, Edward Zamarripa, and Steven Warren simultaneously review the information that is submitted to KUCR during the preliminary review process

KUCR

• Data entry personnel enter proposal into KUCR Proposal Review System Database
• First-level reviewer reviews the budget(s), justification(s), all other forms, preliminary COI review, and supplied portions of the proposal for compliance (margin specifications, page limitation, required formatting, etc.)
• Second-level reviewer reviews the proposal for higher level institutional concerns prior to sign-off
• Human subject reviewers reviews draft narrative and/or human subjects’ portion of the proposal for compliance issues
• Conflict of interest reviewers reviews budget(s), justification(s), and abstract, as applicable, for potential conflict of interest issues

Everyone listed above could better spend their time on proposals that will be submitted.  We think we all agree that pulling proposals at the eleventh hour is not an acceptable practice, and should be avoided at all costs.  If there is any question that a proposal will not be submitted, we should not send it to KUCR for review - that means that our office must have at least one week’s notice (prior to the applicable deadline) if a proposal is not going to be submitted.

KU Offers Supercomputing Service
Ray Cheung, Assistant Director for Information Technology Services

The Life Span Institute Information Technology Service (ITS) is working
with KUCR and the University of Oklahoma Supercomputing Center (OSCER)
to develop the high throughput computing/grid computing service for
research in Lawrence campus.

The service itself is a huge aggregate computing pool formed by harvesting the idle CPU cycles on participating lab and work PCs. OU has implemented the service this semester by pooling 750 computers in the campus and OSCER generously shares the technology with KU.

KUCR Research Information Technology (RIT) is now developing the operating system and process and ITS will help testing and implementing the service, which will be available in LSI the fall semester this year. By joining this venture, LSI is entitled to use the supercomputers at OU for high performance data crunching and complex programming. For details on using the OU supercomputers, and the high throughput computing/grid computing service in LSI, please contact Raymond Cheung, LSI Assistant Director for Information Technology at cheung@ku.edu.

Structural Equation Modeling set for Feb. 5

Todd Little, Scientific Director, MRDDRC Research, Design, and Analysis Core; KU Department of Psychology, Quantitative Program, will give a workshop titled New Developments in Latent Variable Panel Analyses of Longitudinal Data at the KUMC School of Nursing building 3018 on Monday, February 5th at 12:00.

Although numerous new methods for the analysis of longitudinal data have been developed in recent years, traditional panel designs remain popular and offer basic answers to questions that new methods do not directly address.  The motivation for this talk is to present and discuss recent issues and advances in general applications of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).  These issues include setting appropriate scales for latent variables, specifying an appropriate null model, and evaluating factorial invariance in an appropriate manner.

Computer Assistance at LSI-Lawrence
Edith Bond, Information Specialist

If you need computer assistance - LSI Lawrence - this is just a reminder that I am on call and carry my office cell phone home with me at night and check my messages frequently. Please feel free to call me when you are having trouble. Nothing is more frustrating than to be in the office on the weekend or at night trying to accomplish a task and your computer is not cooperating. If you are not sure that we support you, call me anyway. I can help you get to where you need to be. Please pass this along to your staff and students as well. Here are my phone numbers: Office: 864-5630, Cell: 785 691-5449, Home: 785 594-7544.

KU/LSI Logo Use Update
Karen Henry, Assistant Director for Communications

By now most everyone knows that center stationery must be ordered online and that the KU/LSI logo is the default "brand" for LSI-affiliated centers that appears as you "build" your stationery piece online.

This is a reminder that if you are planning a non-stationery print piece, you still need to brand it with one of the KU/LSI logos somewhere in the piece. These are located on the H or Shared drive in the Logos folder. There are black, white, one-color and two-color versions including a subfolder specifically formatted for MS Office documents that you can use in Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, etc., that Chris Lorenzen prepared.

The other sets of logos in the Logos folder are .eps and .tiff files. These high-resolution formats are familiar to graphic designers and are intended for print pieces - particularly for professionally printed materials.

For web, the .eps files can be used to create lower-resolution files for web in programs such as Fireworks or PhotoShop in the "save for the web" options. If you recall, we are all supposed to be migrating to the KU Web Standards as well. These standards in practice are more flexible than the print standards, but we do request that you identify your center with LSI. To avoid a lengthy explanation here. contact Karen Henry for assistance.

If you cannot access the H drive, we can burn a CD or email you the version(s) you want or need.

Further, remember that there are rules on how you can use these logos that we can help you understand and interpret. Most importantly, under no circumstances should you alter the logo or combine this logo with the name of your project or center or any other text or image to create a new pseudo-logo. Only use the logos as they were professionally designed and as specified in the KU Graphic Standards.

Choosing and using these logos right can be tricky, so don't hesitate to contact Chris Lorenzen or Karen Henry if you have questions.

Migrating to KU Web Standards

As a footnote, we are in the process of moving the LSI website into compliance with the new web standards. Although not complete or final, or with real text or images, you can take a look beginning at http://www2.ku.edu/~lsi/. We have found that meeting the standards can be complicated, so if you are contemplating doing the same, call Karen for some free advice and options.

LSI Annual Unclassified Performance Evaluations due March 26
Ed Zamarripa, Director of Administration and Finance

It is time again to prepare annual evaluations for all unclassified staff.

Every unclassified employee must have a job description filled out using the LSI Unclassified Employee Evaluation form. This form can be found on the LSI website at http://www.lsi.ku.edu/lsi/internal/evaluation.html

Supervisors must evaluate the employee's job performance for the past year based on the responsibilities described in his or her job description.

Those senior research staff who are self-reporting should also report their accomplishments using this form describing their responsibilities and accomplishments. Additional materials can be appended if needed.

Send completed evaluations to Ed Zamarripa at LSI by Monday, March 26. Please note that any merit salary increase will be based on these evaluations so it is essential that everyone comply. If a staff member does not have an annual evaluation on file in this office, the staff member will not be eligible for a salary increase.

Final note. After the annual evaluation has been submitted, the supervisor should confer with each employee and together, develop a set of goals for the coming year. These goals can then be added to the evaluation that was submitted, but clearly labeled "Goals for FY 2007-8." These goals can be used as part of the evaluation process next year. The LSI Position Description Menu and Instructions are also at http://www.lsi.ku.edu/lsi/internal/evaluation.html. If you have any questions, please call Ed Zamarripa.

Project Development
Paul Diedrich, Associate Director for Project Development

New Awards (not previously funded)

1. Rachel Freeman received a new, thirteen-month award “Implementing School-wide PBS Using a District-Wide Leadership Model Team in Three Kansas School Districts”  from KsDE that began August 1, 2006.

2. Jerry Schultz received a new four-and-one-half-month award “Development of a System for Online Documentation of Community Coalition Efforts” from the Community Systems Group, Inc. that began August 15, 2006.

3. Joseph Donnelly received a new, four-month subcontract “Long-term Clinical Experience Using a Carbohydrate-restricted Diet” from Duke University that began September 1, 2006.

4. Mary Abbott received a new, nine-month subcontract “Crossroads to Early Language Literacy (CELL):  PreK Initiative funded by The Children’s Cabinet Training and Technical Assistance Center” from KUMC, prime contractor to the Kansas City, Kansas USD 500 that began September 1, 2006.

5. Joseph Donnelly received a new, one-year subcontract “A Proposal to Evaluate the PE4 Life Elementary & Middle School Program” from KUMC, prime contractor to P.E. 4 Life, which began September 15, 2006.

6. Kathleen Olson received a new, thirteen-month award “Kansas College of Direct Support” from KsSRS that began September 20, 2006.

7. Kathleen Baggett received a new, nine-month subcontract “Project EAGLE Community Programs:  Healthy Families in Wyandotte County” from KUMC, prime contractor to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, that began October 1, 2006.

8. Richard Saunders received a new, three-year award “Reducing the Incidence of Obesity in Adults with Developmental Disabilities in Kansas” from the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities which began October 1, 2006

9. Sara Sack received a new, three-year award “Expanding Assistive Technology Reutilization Efforts to include Organizational, Navigational and High Cost Technologies” from DE/NIDRR that began October 1, 2006.

10. Glen White, et.al received a five-year renewal “Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Measurement and Interdependence in Community Living” from DE/NIDRR that began October 1, 2006.

11. Linda Heitzman-Powell and Jay Buzhardt received a new, three-year award “Combining Technologies to Maximize Outcomes:  Online and Telemedicine Training Program of Parents of Children with Autism” from DE/NIDRR that began October 1, 2006.

12. Charles Greenwood and Jay Buzhardt received a new, three-year award “Effects of Progress Monitoring Supported by National Web-based Technology on the Intervention Results of Infants with/without Disabilities Ages Birth to Three” from DE/OSEP that began November 1, 2006.

13. Rud Turnbull received a new, one-year award “Family Support Summit” from KsDD that began December 1, 2006.

14. Wayne Sailor and Amy McCart received a new, four-year award” Tertiary Intervention:  the K-I” from DE/OSEP that began January 1, 2007.

Past Submissions not Previously Reported

1. Gregory Madden and Steve Fowler submitted a new, three-year R21 “Impulsivity, Dopamine and the Behavioral Economics of Gambling” to NIDA on October 1, 2006.

2. Steve Fawcett and Jerry Schultz submitted a new, three-year R21 “Testing the Community Change Model with Substance Abuse Coalitions” NIDA on October 1, 2006.

3. Todd Little submitted a new subcontract for an RO3 “Parenting in High-Risk Settings:  Longitudinal Associations with Youth Well Being” to Johns Hopkins, prime contractor to NIH, on October 1, 2006.

4. David Ekerdt submitted a new, three-year RO1 “Downsizing Possessions for Residential Moves in Later Life” to NIA on October 1, 2006.

5. Cheryl Utley submitted a new, two-year proposal “Making Ecobehavioral Assessment Tools Web-based in Support of Response to Intervention” to DE/OSERS/OSEP on October 3, 2006.

6. Chris Smith and Pam Cress submitted a new, eight-month proposal “Technical Assistance and Training to Expand the Ohio Self-Determination Initiative” proposal to Ohio Department of MR& DD on October 6, 2006.

7. Rud Turnbull submitted a new, one-year proposal “Family Support Summit” to the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities on October 11, 2006.

8. Ric Steele and Ann McGrath submitted their second-year continuation “Effectiveness of a Treatment for Pediatric Obesity” to HHS/HRSA on October 16, 2006.

9. Rachel Freeman submitted her sixth-year continuation “Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Supports” to KsSRS on October 17, 2006.

10. Pam Cress submitted a five-month, supplement to her “Great Plains Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center” to the University of Missouri – Columbia, prime contractor to DE on October 18, 2006.

11.  Nancy Hamilton resubmitted a three-year RO3 “Fibromyalgia and Sleep Treatment (Project FAST)” to NIAMS on October 23, 2006.

12. David Lindeman submitted a supplement for his “Child Care Focus:  Resource and Referral Center Expansion” to KACCRRA on October 26, 2006.

13. Mabel Rice submitted a five-year renewal “Twins and Singletons with Specific Language Impairment” to NIDCD on November 1, 2006.

14. Steve Barlow submitted a five-year renewal “Sensorimotor Control of the Human Orofacial System” to NIDCD on November 1, 2006.

15. Kathleen Baggett submitted a new, three-year proposal “Promoting Early Social-Communicative Competency in Toddlers with Autism through a Joint Attention Medicated Learning Model” to the University of Northern Colorado, prime contract to Autism Speaks, on November 1, 2006.

16. Steve Barlow submitted his sixth-year continuation “Functional Outcomes of Cleft Lip Surgery” to the University of North Carolina, prime contractor to NIDCD, on November 1, 2006.

17. Mary Abbott submitted a new nine-month proposal “Crossroads to Early Language Literacy (CELL):  PreK Initiative funded by The Children’s Cabinet Training and Technical Assistance Center to KUMCRI, prime contractor to the Kansas City, Kansas USD 500, on November 10, 2006.

18. Tiffany Johnson submitted a new, one-year proposal “Characterizing the Effect of Varying Stimulation Parameters on DPOAEs Recorded in Normal and Impaired Ears” to the American Academy of Audiology Foundation on November 15, 2006.

19. Hugh Catts and Diane Nielsen submitted a new, four-year proposal “Early Identification of Children with Reading Disabilities within an RTI Framework” to DE/IES (Topic Area - Response to Intervention) on November 16, 2006.

20. Debra Kamps, Linda Heitzman-Powell and Kathleen Thiemann submitted a new, four-year proposal “The Kansas Autism Reading Experiment (KARE)” to DE/IES (Topic Area - Autism Spectrum Disorders) on November 16, 2006.

21. Jane Wegner and Debora Daniels submitted a new, two-year proposal “SCERTSTM:  A Promising Approach for Educating Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders” to DE/IES (Topic Area - Autism Spectrum Disorders) on November 16, 2006.

22. Michael Wehmeyer and Susan Palmer submitted a new, two year proposal “Determining the Efficacy of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction to Improve Secondary and Transition Outcomes for Students with Cognitive Disabilities” DE/IES (Topic Area - Secondary and Transition Services) on November 16, 2006.

23. Wendy Parent submitted a new, eight month proposal “APBS Conference Planning” to the Association for Positive Behavior Support on November 17, 2006.

24. Sara Sack submitted her fifth-year continuation “Equipment Exchange:  Increasing Access to Durable Medical Equipment” to the Kansas Department of Administration on November 29, 2006.

25. Ann Turnbull submitted a new, sixteen-month proposal “Investigating Communities of Practice (CoP)” to the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory - RUSH competition, prime contractor to DE/NIDRR on  November 30, 2006.

26. Suzanne Adlof (predoc) and Hugh Catts (sponsor) submitted an F31 “Morphosyntactic Skills of Poor Comprehenders” to NIH on December 5, 2006.

27. Jill Hoover (predoc) and Holly Storkel and Mabel Rice (sponsors) submitted an F31 “The Interface Between the Lexicon and Morphology in SLI” to NIH on December 5, 2006.

28. Ric Washburn, Bryan Smith and Joseph Donnelly submitted a new, three-year proposal “Whey Protein Supplementation with Resistance Training:  Effects on Body Composition of Young Adults” to Dairy Management, Inc. on December 6, 2006.
29. Mabel Rice submitted her second year continuation “Pediatric HIV/Aids Cohort Study” to Tulane University on December 20, 2006.

30. Kendra Williams-Diehm and Michael Wehmeyer submitted a new, six-month proposal “Rocket Reader:  A Simplified PDA-based Portable Reading System for Enabling Access to Audio Books and Electronic Documents for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities” to AbleLink Technologies, prime contractor to DE-IES, on January 16, 2007.

31. Martha Hodgesmith submitted her third-year continuation “Comprehensive Training for Personnel of Hospitals, Public Health, Emergency Preparedness, and Emergency Response Agencies in Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response for Persons with Disabilities” to KsH&E on January 18, 2007.

Upcoming Submissions

We will report on the NIDRR-Field Initiated Competition and the February NIH submissions in the next newsletter.

Mayo named Person of the Year by Peruvian press association

Liliana Mayo, founder and director of the renowned LSI Peruvian affiliate, Centro Ann Sullivan del Perú, was named one of the ten distinguished Persons of the Year for 2006 by Editora de Perú, a Peruvian press association that publishes the official national newspaper, El Peruano.

Mayo was cited for her development of an educational system for people of different abilities.

Project Spotlight: Kansas College of Direct Support
Kathy Olson, Principal Investigator

Editors Note: Excerpted from the Parson's LSI January 2006 Insider. The College of Direct Support provides online multimedia training for the frontline staff who work with individuals with developmental and other disabilities.

The Kansas College of Direct Support (CDS) became a reality this month following sustained effort by stakeholders to secure funding for this high quality online training for the direct support professional  (DSP) workforce. Many people with developmental disabilities, whether living in their own homes, an apartment, a group setting, or with family rely on paid support workers, DSPs, to assist them with daily activities ranging from self care and homemaking to employment and community participation. DSPs are in the position to influence the quality of life for the people they support.

The 16 courses of the College of Direct Support have been developed by national content experts and are based on nationally validated competency sets and ethical guidelines.

Securing funding for CDS is the most recent accomplishment of Kansans Mobilizing for Direct Support Workforce Change, a group of stakeholders that came together under a KUCDD project in 2002. Committed to improving the DSP workforce, KMFC addressed several challenges related to the recruitment, training, and retention of DSPs. Participants have been effective in decreasing turnover and received national recognition for efforts in workforce change. After piloting the CDS and witnessing the growth in employees and experiencing the benefit of online training, KMFC members were instrumental in getting the Kansas legislature to fund the purchase of CDS for the state. A grant from the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services now makes CDS, the computer-based online training available to DSPs.

KMFC members identified the CDS courses as the related instruction component of the Ad Astra Direct Support Registered Apprenticeship Program. Although still in its infancy, Ad Astra is one of the first registered programs in the nation developed for DSPs. Apprenticeship is a step toward recognition of the profession and defining a career lattice and ladder for the DSP.

The Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities will serve as the administrator for Kansans using CDS. In this role, KUCDD will market CDS to providers who are unaware of this resource, as well as assist service providers and individuals to use the CDS to meet local training needs. The transition from face-to-face to online training is a major move for many employers. It often requires revisions of agency policies and training approaches. This project will also support the continued activities of KMFC and the apprenticeship program.

Kathy Olson serves as the director of this project. Kelly Perry provides assistance. Kathy is also a member of the National Advisory Board and National Board of Editors for the College of Direct Support.

Attention in Autism: Baggett awarded $960,000 grant from Autism Speaks

Juniper Garden's researcher Kathleen Baggett is one of the investigators who was funded by the independent organization, Autism Speaks, to direct an early intervention study. The study is based on a protocol that promotes social competency in toddlers. Baggett, together with Hanna Shertz of the University of Northern Colorado and Samuel Odom of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will focus on joint attention. Joint attention - the ability to coordinate interest in external objects or events with people, is a common deficit in children with autism.

Aging vs. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease: Kemper and McDowd net KCALSI grant on assessing cognitive deficits

Gerontology Center and Distinguished Professor Susan Kemper and Joan McDowd (Landon Center on Aging, KUMC) have received a small grant from the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI) to support "Measuring Executive Function in Aging and Aging-Related Neurological Diseases."  This project will contrast the performance of young adults, healthy older adults, older adults with Alzheimer's Disease and older adults with Parkinson's Disease on verbal fluency tasks such as generating the names of animals or words beginning with an "f."  The goal is to compare alternative testing procedures and scoring approaches in order to determine how best to assess the cognitive deficits associated with aging versus Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.  Participating colleagues include Jeff Burns, Rajesh Pahwa, and Kelly Lyons from the Department of Neurology at KUMC.

World Health Organization Collaborating Centre News

Editor's Note: In 2004, the Work Group for Community Health and Development was designated by WHO as an official collaborating center.

In January, Dr. Cesareo Fernandez Gomez (from Cidecot in Vicaya, Spain) joined the KU Work Group for Community Health and Development as a postdoctoral fellow with the WHO Collaborating Centre. He is sponsored by the Democracy, Cities, and Drugs Project, an alliance of 300 European cities and organizations involved in seven European civil society networks. Cesareo is developing a program of research and technical support using KU capabilities for documenting and building capacity for community health initiatives. He is planning collaborative projects for healthy communities and substance abuse prevention in Spain and Europe. 

Steve Fawcett, director of the KU Work Group, has agreed to be a Scholar-in-Residence at the World Health Organization in Geneva in March, 2007. He will will consult on the use of health promotion methods to address social determinants of health. His host will be Dr. KC Tang in the Health Promotion division of WHO-Headquarters.

In December 18, the WHO Collaborating Centre hosted a meeting of faculty and staff from several KU Schools/Departments/Centers. The aim is to develop a network of KU colleagues working on global community health and development.

Institute Activities

Honors and Service

Lisa Bowman served in the following capacities in 2006:

• Invited Editor, Reading and Writing Quarterly. Special Issue on Grade Retention among Students with Reading Difficulties (In Preparation).
• Human Subjects Committee Alternate Member (2003-2005). University of Kansas.
• Review Board Member (2003-Present). Journal of Special Education Technology.
• Technology and Media Division, Council for Exceptional Children.
• Review Board Member (2002-Present). Multiple Voices, Division of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners, Council for Exceptional Children.
• Field Associate (2002-Present). Beyond Behavior, Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders, Council for Exceptional Children

G. Denise Lance (KUCDD) was elected to represent the central U.S. on the steering committee of the Council on Community Advocacy (COCA) at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities annual meeting October in Washington,  DC.

Jerry Schultz and Steve Fawcett, KU Work Group for Community Health and Development, serve as members of the Advisory Committee for the Strategic Prevention Framework to guide state investments in prevention of substance abuse in Kansas.  

Jerry Schultz, is also serving on the Kansas Substance Abuse Profile Team chartered by the SRS, Addiction and Prevention Services. The Team is developing the Kansas substance abuse profile that will be used guide the use of the state's new State Incentive Grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

Publications

Bowman, L., Greenwood, C., & Tapia, Y. (accepted for publication, 2006). ClassWide Peer
Tutoring as an intervention for students with emotional and behavioral disorders in alternative education settings. Education and Treatment of Children.

Bowman-Perrott, L., Greenwood, C. R., Herrera, S., Martinez, T., & Tapia, Y. (submitted for
review). Program Evaluation of the Effects of Secondary Teacher Training on
Teachers’ Use of Effective Instructional Strategies for Secondary English Language Learners’ Academic Success. Bilingual Research Journal.

Doughty, S. S., Anderson, C. M., Doughty, A. H., Williams, D. C., & Saunders, K. J. (in press). Discriminative control of punished stereotyped behavior in humans. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Saunders, K. J. (in press). Word-attack skills in individuals with mental retardation. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews.

Presentations

Bowman-Perrott, L., Martinez, T., & Tapia, Y. (2006, February). Measuring Student and
Teacher Outcomes: A Review of Data Collection Tools. Session presentation. Kansas Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and Bilingual Educators (KATESOL/BE) Annual Conference. Manhattan, KS.

Bowman, L. (2006). LAS ESTRELLAS data review: CBMs and ESCRIBE 2005-2006. LAS ESTRELLAS Summer Institute. Kansas City, MO

Tyrrell, A. L., Freeman, R. L., & Chambers, C. R. (2006). Family perceptions of problem McKnight, C. (2006). Tertiary level PBS training in the context of interagency collaboration. Secondary and Tertiary Interventions National Forum. Rosemont, IL.

Freeman, R. (2006). Using positive behavior support planning to assist young adults moving into new employment settings. Creativity at work: Small business development and employment innovations. Wichita, Kansas.

Freeman, R. (2006). Strand Facilitator and Presenter. Kansas Innovations Conference, Response to Intervention  Planning. Kansas Instructional Support Network. November 15, 2006. Gardner, Kansas.

Freeman, R. (2006). Free online resources in positive behavior support. Interhab. Topeka, KS.

Freeman, R., Lester, J., & Tate, K. (2006). Statewide positive behavior support initiative. Interhab. Topeka, KS.

Lance, D., Making It Real: Participatory Action Research in UCEDDs, 2006 AUCD Annual Meeting and Conference, October 29, 2006

Rinkel, P. (2006, November). Instructional resources and professional development for early childhood special education/early intervention: The Kansas Inservice Training System.  Presentation at the Learning Disabilities of Kansas annual conference, Lawrence, KS.

Smith, C. (2006, July). Community action training in excellence system: Implementing national quality standards locally. Onsite workshop and training to Community Action Incorporated, Topeka, KS.

Smith, C. L., & Cress, P. (2006, July). Ohio quality management for persons with developmental disabilities: An update. Presented at the quarterly Management Advisory Council meeting for the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

Smith, C. (2006, August). Community action training in excellence system: Implementing national quality standards locally. Onsite workshop and training to Northeast Kansas Community Action Program, Hiawatha, KS.

Smith, C. (2006, August). The Social Emotional Screening Tool-revised: Using the new tool in early head start programs in Kansas. Onsite workshop and training to Kansas Early Head Start Leadership, Topeka, KS.

Smith, C. (2006, October). The Social Emotional Screening Tool-revised: Using the new tool in early head start programs in Kansas. Onsite workshop and training to Kansas Early Head Start Leadership and other early childhood and mental health providers, Garden City, KS.

Smith, C. (2006, October). The Social Emotional Screening Tool-revised: Using the new tool in early head start programs in Kansas. Onsite workshop and training to Kansas Early Head Start Leadership and other early childhood and mental health providers, Great Bend, KS.

Smith, C. (2006, October). The Social Emotional Screening Tool-revised: Using the new tool in early head start programs in Kansas. Onsite workshop and training to Kansas Early Head Start Leadership and other early childhood and mental health providers, Wichita, KS.

Smith, C. (2006, October). The Social Emotional Screening Tool-revised: Using the new tool in early head start programs in Kansas. Onsite workshop and training to Kansas Early Head Start Leadership and other early childhood and mental health providers, Pittsburg, KS.

Smith, C. (2006, October). The Social Emotional Screening Tool-revised: Using the new tool in early head start programs in Kansas. Onsite workshop and training to Kansas Early Head Start Leadership and other early childhood and mental health providers, Manhattan, KS.

Smith, C. (2006, September). The Social Emotional Screening Tool-revised: Using the new tool in early head start programs in Kansas. Onsite workshop and training to Kansas Early Head Start leadership and other early childhood and mental health providers, Lawrence, KS.

Smith, C. (2006, November). Screening young children for serious mental health problems. Address to the Kansas Head Start Association’s Conference on Mental Health and Challenging Behavior, Topeka, KS.