Report on Model Accreditation Standards for Higher Education Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability: A Path to Education, Employment, and Community Living

The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) enacted in 2008 created exciting opportunities for students with intellectual disability (ID) to access federal financial aid, and authorized both new model demonstration programs and a National Coordinating Center (NCC). The NCC, administered by Think College at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, is charged with providing technical assistance, coordination, and evaluation of model demonstration programs. The NCC is also required by HEOA to convene a Workgroup to develop and recommend model criteria, standards, and components of higher education programs for students with intellectual disability. The National Coordinating Center Accreditation Workgroup issues this report in response to that statutory requirement. The National Coordinating Center Accreditation Workgroup is composed of 15 members representing diverse expertise as required by Congress. From Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 through FY2016, the Workgroup consulted with experts, developed draft model accreditation standards, compared the draft standards to federal law and regulations, obtained public input, and finalized model accreditation standards for higher education programs for students with ID. This is the first time that accreditation for these programs has been addressed, and this undertaking will lead to oversight, accountability, and an expectation of continuous improvement. Establishing accreditation standards will create benchmarks that will be useful for quality assurance and improvement of higher education programs enrolling students with intellectual disability. The model standards will be valuable for institutions of higher education, federal student aid offices, accrediting agencies, as well as students with ID and their parents. The implementation of model standards will validate and strengthen programs and provide guidelines for colleges and universities considering establishing high-quality programs. A list of the model accreditation standards can be found on page 34 of this document. The list of standards contains a discussion, guidance, and “next steps” for each standard when appropriate

Defining Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems

This brief describes the methodology for defining Comprehensive Public Health Delivery Systems using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Public Health Systems. The systems meeting this definition have been shown to deliver a broader range of recommended public health services, using fewer resources, than the more prevalent types of U.S. public health systems that do not meet this definition. Over time, comprehensive systems are associated with larger gains in population health status than are their counterparts

Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders-- Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, six sites, United States, 2000: Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders-- Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2002 ; and, Evaluation of a methodology for a collaborative multiple source surveillance network for autism spectrum disorders-- Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2002

Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders-- Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, six sites, United States, 2000 / Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network surveillance year 2000 principal investigators ; corresponding author, Catherine Rice -- Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders-- Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2002 / Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network surveillance year 2000 principal investigators ; corresponding author, Catherine Rice -- Evaluation of a methodology for a collaborative multiple source surveillance network for autism spectrum disorders-- Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2002 / Kim Van Naarden Braun, Sydney Pettygrove, Julie Daniels, Lisa Miller, Joyce Nicholas, Jon Baio, Laura Schieve, Russell S. Kirby, Anita Washington, Sally Brocksen, Hossein Rahbar, Catherine RiceCover title."February 9, 2007"--Cover.Data from a population-based, multisite surveillance network were used to determine the prevalence of children aged 8 years with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs, encompassing a spectrum of conditions, including autistic disorder; pervasive developmental disorders, not otherwise specified [PDD-NOS]; and Asperger disorder) in various areas of the United States. In 2000, in response to increasing public health concern regarding ASDs, CDC established the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network to track the prevalence and characteristics of ASDs in the United States. Cf. Abstracts of titles.Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references

Association of blood lactate with type 2 diabetes: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Carotid MRI Study

Background Accumulating evidence implicates insufficient oxidative capacity in the development of type 2 diabetes. This notion has not been well tested in large, population-based studies

Research Support Infrastructure: Implementing a Clinical Research Coordinating Center

Insufficient infrastructure is one of the challenges facing investigators in the field of clinical research. At the University of Louisville (UofL) Division of Infectious Diseases, we developed a multidisciplinary coordinating center with the aim to support investigators in all aspects of the clinical research process. The objective of this article is to describe the composition and the role of the different units of the UofL Clinical Research Coordinating Center. The different components of the Center can serve as a template for institutions interested in developing a clinical research support infrastructure

Applying Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership Principles to Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks

With real-world relevance and translatability as important goals, applied methodological approaches have arisen along the participatory continuum that value context and empower stakeholders to partner actively with academics throughout the research process. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) provides the gold standard for equitable, partnered research in traditional communities. Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) also have developed, coalescing communities of practice and of academics to identify, study, and answer practice-relevant questions. To optimize PBRN potential for expanding scientific knowledge, while bridging divides across knowledge production, dissemination, and implementation, we elucidate how PBRN partnerships can be strengthened by applying CBPR principles to build and maintain research collaboratives that empower practice partners. Examining the applicability of CBPR partnership principles to public health (PH) PBRNs, we conclude that PH-PBRNs can serve as authentic, sustainable CBPR partnerships, ensuring the co-production of new knowledge, while also improving and expanding the implementation and impact of research findings in real-world settings.ECU Open Access Publishing Support Fun

Discontinuation of thyroid hormone treatment among children in the United States with congenital hypothyroidism: findings from health insurance claims data

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Thyroid hormone treatment in children with congenital hypothyroidism can prevent intellectual disability. Guidelines recommend that children diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism through newborn screening remain on treatment to at least 3 years of age, after which a trial off therapy can determine which children have transient hypothyroidism. The purpose of this study was to describe the rate at which children with congenital hypothyroidism in the United States discontinue thyroid hormone treatment in early childhood.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Retrospective analysis of the 2002-2006 MarketScan^®Commercial Claims and Encounters research databases and the 2001-2005 MarketScan Multi-State Medicaid databases. Children were classified as having congenital hypothyroidism based on billing codes and having filled a prescription for thyroid hormone treatment. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis was used to determine discontinuation rates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were a total of 412 Medicaid-enrolled children and 292 privately-insured children with presumed congenital hypothyroidism included in this study. The overall birth prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism across both datasets was about 1 per 2,300. By 36 months, the percentage who had discontinued thyroid replacement treatment was 38% (95% Confidence Interval: 32%-44%). Medicaid-enrolled children had a more rapid decline in the first 24 months of treatment compared to those with private insurance (<it>P </it>= 0.02).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>More than one-third of children treated for congenital hypothyroidism discontinued treatment within 36 months, which is inconsistent with current guidelines. It is not known how many of these children required continued treatment or experience adverse effects from discontinuation. These findings emphasize the critical need for follow-up systems to monitor the outcome of newborn screening.</p

HIV/AIDS among youth in urban informal (slum) settlements in Kenya: What are the correlates of and motivations for HIV testing?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although HIV counseling and testing (HCT) is widely considered an integral component of HIV prevention and treatment strategies, few studies have examined HCT behavior among youth in sub-Saharan Africa-a group at substantial risk for HIV infection. In this paper we examine: the correlates of HIV testing, including whether associations differ based on the context under which a person gets tested; and the motivations for getting (or not getting) an HIV test.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Drawing on data collected in 2007 from 4028 (51% male) youth (12-22 years) living in Korogocho and Viwandani slum settlements in Nairobi (Kenya), we explored the correlates of and motivations for HIV testing using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a theoretical framework. Multinomial and binary logistic regression analyses were employed to examine correlates of HIV testing. Bivariate analyses were employed to assess reasons for or against testing.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nineteen percent of males and 35% of females had been tested. Among tested youth, 74% of males and 43% of females had requested for their most recent HIV test while 7% of males and 32% of females reported that they were required to take their most recent HIV test (i.e., the test was mandatory). About 60% of females who had ever had sex received an HIV test because they were pregnant. We found modest support for the HBM in explaining variation in testing behavior. In particular, we found that perceived risk for HIV infection may drive HIV testing among youth. For example, about half of youth who had ever had sex but had never been tested reported that they had not been tested because they were not at risk.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Targeted interventions to help young people correctly assess their level of risk and to increase awareness of the potential value of HIV testing may help enhance uptake of testing services. Given the relative success of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services in increasing HIV testing rates among females, routine provider-initiated testing and counseling among all clients visiting medical facilities may provide an important avenue to increase HIV status awareness among the general population and especially among males.</p

Do changes in traditional coronary heart disease risk factors over time explain the association between socio-economic status and coronary heart disease?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Socioeconomic status (SES) predicts coronary heart disease independently of the traditional risk factors included in the Framingham risk score. However, it is unknown whether <it>changes </it>in Framingham risk score variables over time explain the association between SES and coronary heart disease. We examined this question given its relevance to risk assessment in clinical decision making.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study data (initiated in 1987 with 10-years follow-up of 15,495 adults aged 45-64 years in four Southern and Mid-Western communities) were used. SES was assessed at baseline, dichotomized as low SES (defined as low education and/or low income) or not. The time dependent variables - smoking, total and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure and use of blood pressure lowering medication - were assessed every three years. Ten-year incidence of coronary heart disease was based on EKG and cardiac enzyme criteria, or adjudicated death certificate data. Cox survival analyses examined the contribution of SES to heart disease risk independent of baseline Framingham risk score, without and with further adjustment for the time dependent variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Adjusting for baseline Framingham risk score, low SES was associated with an increased coronary heart disease risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.53; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.27 to1.85). After further adjustment for the time dependent variables, the SES effect remained significant (HR = 1.44; 95% CI, 1.19 to1.74).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Using Framingham Risk Score alone under estimated the coronary heart disease risk in low SES persons. This bias was not eliminated by subsequent changes in Framingham risk score variables.</p