Developmental Resources
Recent Events
Developmental Disabilities Day
On March 4th, the Cincinnati LEND program traveled to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to attend the annual Ohio Developmental Disability Awareness and Advocacy Day. 19 LEND trainees and 3 faculty members attended legislative meetings with 17 legislators. Trainees educated elected officials regarding the LEND program, House Bill 141- Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC). After two faculty members met with the Senate Health committee chair, he agreed to schedule a committee hearing to address the bill, the next step in the legislative process. Trainees also educated legislators on House Bill 359, which aims to clarify the statewide emergency alert system in cases of missing autistic or developmentally disabled children and to name the alert the Joshua Alert.
National Conferences
On March 15th, two LEND trainees traveled to Jacksonville, FL to attend the 2026 Early Detection and Hearing Intervention (EHDI) Conference where they learned valuable information pertaining to their future careers in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology.
On March 23rd, a LEND trainee and a LEND faculty member traveled to the Disability Policy Seminar (DPS) in Washington, D.C. where they met with Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill, educating them on the LEND program, as well as the impact of changes to the Department of Education on students with disabilities.
Collaboration with Akron Children’s
“The LEND program has allowed me to engage in thoughtful, intentional advocacy via experiences that otherwise would not have been available to me in my current career. Additionally, the focus on multidisciplinary learning and collaborative care have been essential in allowing me to build connections and grow my fund of knowledge as a care provider for individuals with developmental disabilities.” -Delaney Hernick, DBP Fellow
“The LEND experience offered excellent opportunities to enhance clinical knowledge, learn families’ experiences and to develop leadership skills. I was really excited to have the opportunity to contribute to DD Awareness and Advocacy Day in Columbus and to learn from our FMP family. Overall, a great experience that can help all trainees.” -Delma Mark, DBP Fellow
Research from the 2025-2026 LEND Cohort
Exploring Concordance in Human Phenotype Ontology Term Selection and Possible Impact on Genetic Results Between Genetics and Non-Genetics Providers
Authors:
Ihika Lagisetty, MS1-2; Jacquelynn Berton, LGC2; Leandra Tolusso, LGC2; Kristin Theobald, LGC2; Elizabeth Seiwert, LGC2; Yaning Wu, MD PhD2; Hua He, MS2; Ammar Husami, BS2
Perceptions and Experiences of Early Childhood Educators Supporting Communication of Autistic Preschoolers
Authors:
Emily Gayer, B.S., Lisa J. Krain, Ph.D., & Hannah Wirth, B.S. Faculty Mentor: Andrea Ford, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
The Predictive Value of Prenatal Imaging Findings of Atypical Genitalia
Authors:
Ruthann Schmiege, BA 1; Nicki Smith, MS, CGC 2,3; Xue Zhang, PhD 4; Robert J. Hopkin, MD 5,6; Meilan M. Rutter, MD 6,7; Jodie Johhson, MS, CGC 5
Understanding Behavioral Challenges After Prenatal Opioid Exposure A Maternal Perspective
Authors:
Tina Johnson; Hannah Shields, BS; Sandra Rice, MA; Adrianna Jones, MA; Leeanne Mager, MSW, LSW; Steph Weber, PsyD, MPH & Pamela Williams-Arya, MD
Understanding the Educational Needs of Caregivers of Children with Cerebral Visual Impairment
Authors:
Abbi Denham, PT, DPT; Amna Hassan, MPH; Victoria White, MA; Molli Wilkins, OTD, OTR/L; Karen Harpster, PhD, OTR/L; Elsie Bush, MS, OTR/L
Understanding the Experiences of those Using Sensory Spaces in the Community
Authors:
Ashley Garza, MD, Kathleen King, MEd, Valerie Miller, PhD, MS, OTR/L, & Annahita Modirrousta, PhD
The Trailblazer Initiative A Quality Improvement Project to Enhance Inclusive Summer Camp Programming for Children with Developmental Disabilities
Providers’ Experiences of Statewide Newborn Screening for Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Ohio
Parental Preferences of a Congenital Heart Disease Genetic Counseling Session
Developmental Profile of Preschool-Aged Children with Prenatal Opioid Exposure
Disseminating Developmental Toolkits to Head Start Parents, Teachers, and Staff Working with Children to Promote Development
Multidisciplinary Approach on the Intervention Manualization for Children with Autism (Modalities of the Approach and Collaboration
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes and Prenatal Opioid Exposure Investigating the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder