The LEND Program

Apply to LEND

Check out our LEND information video below!

Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) is an interdisciplinary training program of The Ohio State University Nisonger Center. Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Nisonger Center partners with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to create an exceptional training opportunity for students interested in becoming leaders in autism and developmental disabilities. The LEND program recruits graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and community leaders to participate in an interdisciplinary training curriculum focused on improving the health of children with autism and developmental disabilities and their families. Outstanding faculty from Ohio State and Nationwide Children’s Hospital provide individualized mentoring to students through an integrated curriculum consisting of clinical training, didactic coursework, and public health projects.

LEND Video Accessible Form: LEND video word document

The LEND project addresses five goals:

  1.  Provide effective interdisciplinary training to a wide range of graduate and post-graduate students, family members and people with disabilities, and community members to improve capacity of health systems and access to quality care for individuals with AS/DD and their families.
  2. Develop trainees with advanced clinical skills including knowledge of evidence-based screening, evaluation, and interventions for individuals with AS/DD across the lifespan.
  3. To participate in applied research, continuing education, and consultation/technical assistance activities to increase public awareness and promote systems of care that improve the health and well-being of individuals with AS/DD and their families.
  4. Teach health-related professionals to provide culturally and linguistically sensitive health care services to underserved populations, including transition aged youth with AS/DD, and individuals with AS/DD and mental health disorders.
  5. To prepare health related professionals to address health promotion and health equity for individuals with AS/DD, including awareness and knowledge of how to create social and physical environments that promote health among individuals with AS/DD.

Sensory Processing Toolkit

Sensory processing occurs when the nervous system detects, perceives, and responds appropriately to a stimulus. Effective sensory processing is necessary for learning. This toolkit is intended to serve as a resource for teachers and parents interested in evidence-based strategies to promote sensory regulation in the early childhood education setting. This toolkit was developed following an extensive literature search of 2,176 peer-reviewed, academic journal articles. The information provided in this toolkit is limited due to the lack of high-quality research regarding sensory processing interventions.