October 2022: Brain Injury

Faces Of: Carmen Lopez-Arvizu

Director’s Message

Greetings, readers! Autumn brings not only cooler temperatures and falling leaves, but the return to school, the Room to Grow: Journey to Cultural and Linguistic Competency Virtual Conference, and of course, exercising our right to vote.

COVID-19 Resources

Please take a moment to read these important pandemic-related resources from state and national agencies and organizations. Topics include updated COVID-19 boosters, booster and vaccine updates, and Kennedy Krieger Institute’s vaccination clinic.

IDDRC Corner

The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) at Kennedy Krieger supports any investigator doing intellectual and developmental disability research at the Institute, regardless of independent funding status. A range of specialized services, including one-time consultation and navigation services, is available through the IDDRC’s cores

Back-to-School Resources

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) recently released a back-to-school checklist for parents and families. The purpose of the checklist is to help parents, caregivers and families understand how school leaders are supporting students as they recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Expanding the Public Health Workforce

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) provided funding to recruit, hire and train public health workers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future public health challenges. As a result, on November 10, 2021, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced a $150 million investment to expand the public health workforce within the aging and disability networks across the U.S.

Invitation to Complete the Disability and Faith Community Survey

Please help the MCDD promote inclusive practice and improve health outcomes for people with disabilities and their families by responding to a short seven-question survey about the disability training needs of Maryland’s faith communities.

Autism Research and Engagement Core News

The website of the Simons Powering Autism Research (SPARK) ASD research project recently published two articles on suicide prevention and autism spectrum disorder (ASD): “Autism and the Troubling Risk of Suicide” and “Working to Prevent Suicide in Youth with Autism.”