Utah Disability Today

New, Free Professional Development for Autism Service Providers

IDRPP starts a new EHCO training network this month, with a focus on early identification of autism.

Utah lags behind all other states in the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network* (ADDM). Data from 2020 show just 10 children per 1000 identified with autism by 48 months, while the network average is more than 21 per 1000. A delay in identification means children who need services are often years into school before they receive them.

In an effort to improve their chances for success, the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice at Utah State University will be offering a new ECHO professional development project focused on autism. It's free, and you can register on the ECHO site. Sessions begin on Sept. 25.

These sessions are targeted to is adults with disabilities, family members, and professionals who serve individuals with disabilities. Sign up on the ECHO website.

Text from image: Healthy Relationships ECHO starting September 23rd at 12 pm MST. Join us for a yearlong series focusing on increasing access to information and education about healthy relationships and sexuality for adults with disabilities. This will be held the 4th Monday of every month. Our focus: consent and healthy communication, boundaries, appropriate behaviors, and sexual abuse and exploitation.

DDNJ Podcast: Special Issue, Mental Health & Developmental Disability

Joan and Luke Kalb, an Assistant Professor at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discuss the motivation behind “Advancing Strength-Based Inclusive Mental Health Research in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.” The article appeared in Volume 4, Issue 1 of the Developmental Disabilities Network Journal.

Joan Beasley states, “...I just want to say the reason why I call it mental health aspects of IDD is because having an intellectual and developmental disability is the same as not having an intellectual and developmental disability. We all have mental health challenges at one point or another in our lives, whether faced with crisis situations, trauma, or innately as part of who we are, and it's true for people with IDD.”

Read a summary and listen to the podcast on our blog. You can suscribe to DDNJ Author Insights on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the DDNJ Author Insights Podcast page.

Mindfulness Foundations Class Now Open To The Community

This fall, IDRPP opens its mindfulness trainings up to anyone who wishes to improve their life balance or reduce anxiety. There is still space open in the Mindfulness Foundations course.

One hour classes are on Wednesdays at noon from September 11 to December 4. Training is offered on a sliding scale from $60 to $360, with scholarships available.

The Mindfulness Foundations course helps you learn mindfulness by engaging with four pillars: body, mind, emotion, and connection.

You can register on this website. If you have any questions, instructor Joana Franco, Ph.D, can answer them!

These 10-minute guided meditations are offered freely and those interested can sign up here. The dates and times can be found through the sign up link.

News From Around IDRPP

Congratulations to UATP for hosting the public at its 35th Anniversary Fair last month!

And congratulations also to Karen Robinson, recipient of the inaugural John D. Copenhaver Team Member of Excellence Award at TAESE!

WebAIM passed a milestone last month: the total WAVE extension users exceed 600,000. Want to know how accessible a website is? Try WAVE, it's free!