U of Florida gets $2.3M grant to train doctors to diagnose autism
Efforts to train autism specialists in the North Central Florida region got a big boost this month when the University of Florida was selected for a $2.3 million, five-year federal grant to improve diagnosis, care and outreach for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
The highly competitive grant adds UF to sites spanning the country that are part of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities training program, known as LEND. These workforce development grants aim to build leadership skills among counselors, technicians, psychologists, physicians and educators, beginning with undergraduates and continuing through fellowship training.
. . . “It will allow us to train more providers, increase those who can do diagnostic assessments, send behavior therapists out to schools to support students and families, and expand access to care overall.”
Currently, there are LEND sites in every state, 60 in all, funded under the federal Autism CARES Act of 2006 and administered through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
At UF, the LEND site will be a collaboration among the departments of psychiatry, psychology, pediatrics, and health outcomes and biomedical informatics and the UF College of Dentistry, working together to provide earlier identification, more coordinated care and better outcomes across Florida. . . .
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