Addressing the Need for Training More School Psychologists to Serve Toddlers and Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has risen significantly in the past two decades. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of mental health providers who have specialized training in delivering evidenced-based services to this population. Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) is an evidenced-based treatment recommended for toddlers with ASD, and school psychologists are uniquely positioned to help children with ASD receive it. However, many school psychologists do not receive adequate training in this subspecialty. This paper makes recommendations to school psychology training programs about how to add or improve training in this subspecialty based on the results of an Office of Special Education Programs grant-funded ASD training program which involved collaboration between a NASP-approved and APA-accredited school psychology training program and a community-based early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) clinic. The grant supported development of an interdisciplinary didactic and clinical training program to increase the ASD knowledge, skills, and competencies of school psychology graduate students, with the broader goals of developing a replicable training model and increasing the workforce of trained providers for this underserved population. Fifteen graduate students completed the training program. Outcomes related to trainee knowledge, skills, and competencies, trainee satisfaction, and lessons learned over time analyzed within a logic model that guided the project’s development and execution can be informative for other school psychology programs undertaking training in this subspecialty

Physician Satisfaction With Integrated Behavioral Health in Pediatric Primary Care

As the benefits of integrated behavioral health care services are becoming more widely recognized, this study investigated physician satisfaction with ongoing integrated psychology services in pediatric primary care clinics. Data were collected across 5 urban and 6 rural clinics and demonstrated the specific factors that physicians view as assets to having efficient access to a pediatric behavioral health practitioner. Results indicated significant satisfaction related to quality and continuity of care and improved access to services. Such models of care may increase access to care and reduce other service barriers encountered by individuals and their families with behavioral health concerns (ie, those who otherwise would seek services through referrals to traditional tertiary care facilities)

Transformation of Human Cathelicidin LL-37 into Selective, Stable, and Potent Antimicrobial Compounds

This Letter reports a family of novel antimicrobial compounds obtained by combining peptide library screening with structure-based design. Library screening led to the identification of a human LL-37 peptide resistant to chymotrypsin. This d-amino-acid-containing peptide template was active against <i>Escherichia coli</i> but not methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA). It possesses a unique nonclassic amphipathic structure with hydrophobic defects. By repairing the hydrophobic defects, the peptide (17BIPHE2) gained activity against the ESKAPE pathogens, including <i>Enterococcus faecium, S. aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, and <i>Enterobacter</i> species. <i>In vitro</i>, 17BIPHE2 could disrupt bacterial membranes and bind to DNA. <i>In vivo</i>, the peptide prevented staphylococcal biofilm formation in a mouse model of catheter-associated infection. Meanwhile, it boosted the innate immune response to further combat the infection. Because these peptides are potent, cell-selective, and stable to several proteases, they may be utilized to combat one or more ESKAPE pathogens