Campaign Connections
January
2009
In This
Issue:
“Learn the
Signs. Act Early.” Looks Ahead
Campaign
Update: What’s Going On?
Spotlight
On…
Kudos to
You!
On the
Horizon
What People
Are Saying
Campaign and national partners successfully
wrap up Innovative Initiatives program
Last year, “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” teamed up with its
national partners to extend the reach of the campaign among underserved
populations, health care professionals, child care providers, and the
public health community.
The Innovative Initiatives program proved to us what we
already knew to be true: working together, there is no mission impossible. In a
previous issue, you read about the work of the Organization for Autism
Research. Following is a recap of the projects implemented by the Autism
Society of America, Autism Speaks, and First Signs.
*******
Who: Autism Society of
The
The Project: To train local ASA chapters to
conduct grassroots outreach and increase distribution of the campaign’s
materials among underserved communities.
The Test: ASA selected 14 chapters reaching
underserved populations to participate in the project. The chapters were trained
on the campaign, its materials, and best practices for identifying and reaching
priority communities. Each chapter received a supply of campaign materials and kept
track of its distribution process.
Below are a few examples of the innovative ways the chapters
distributed campaign materials:
Overall, ASA chapters distributed nearly 700 campaign kits
to underserved communities.
*******
Who: First Signs
The
The Project: Conduct two trainings of First
Signs’ accredited course, Improving
Developmental Screening Practices for Young Children with Autism & Other
Developmental Disorders.
The Test: Working with CDC, First Signs selected
There was great demand in both cities for the trainings with
more than 200 participants in
Participants experienced an overall increase in knowledge
about social, emotional, and communication milestones; early signs for autism
spectrum disorders; the importance of routine developmental screening; and local
and federal referral guidelines. Upon completing the course, participants
received continuing education credits along with First Signs and “Learn the
Signs. Act Early.” materials.
*******
Who: Autism Speaks
The
The Project: To develop an educational video
with motivational messages about interacting with and engaging parents of
children who may be at risk for autism.
The Test: Early
childhood educators spend lots of time watching children and often notice when a child is not reaching typical developmental milestones. Yet,
many do not feel comfortable talking to parents about a child’s potential
developmental delays.
To
help them discuss this sensitive topic, Autism Speaks developed a free,
downloadable action kit for early childhood educators. The kit includes a video
that shows how they can talk with parents about child development and any concerns
they might have about a child. The video contains real-life situations,
strategies, and success stories. As part of the Innovative Initiatives project,
Autism Speaks translated the kit and video into Spanish. The kit includes a milestone
map for early childhood educators to give to parents so they can track their
child’s development at home. For more information, and to download a free kit, please
click here. (Link: http://autismearlyeducatorskit.com/)
The Organization for Autism Research, a national partner, also implemented an Innovative Initiatives project focusing on increasing awareness of developmental delays among Hispanic parents using promotoras (lay community health educators). To read about OAR’s project in the previous newsletter, please click here.
Thanks to
all of our national partners for their continued support and dedication to
increasing awareness of child development and warning signs of developmental
disabilities like autism.
“Learn the Signs. Act Early.” Looks Ahead
The start of a new year is the perfect time to look to the future and
the promise it holds. As we usher in 2009, we’re excited to share some new campaign
initiatives.
New Efforts to Reach Hispanic Parents
The campaign is rejoining forces with one of our national partners, the Organization for Autism
Research (OAR). OAR reached hundreds of Spanish-speaking parents in
To equip the hero in every parent, OAR will be working with the
campaign to develop fotonovelas, popular storybooks in the Hispanic
culture. The fotonovelas will teach Hispanic parents about early childhood
development and milestones and how to “act early” if they suspect their child might
have a developmental delay.
Expanding
Outreach to Health Care Professionals
Our
research has shown that since the campaign launched, more pediatricians
regularly screen for developmental delays and fewer tell parents to “wait and
see” when they have a concern about their child’s development. As the campaign
progresses, we are extending our education efforts to include allied health
professionals and neonatal nurses.
Children
with difficulties in speech or language may be referred to a speech pathologist
or audiologist for treatment. These problems, however, could also be a
sign of a developmental delay. Allied health professionals—speech,
occupational, physical therapists—are often the first to see children with
developmental delays and are in a unique position to identify children in need
of developmental screening. The campaign will be creating messages and
materials to educate allied health professionals about the importance of
looking at the broader issues of a child’s overall developmental health and how
to refer a child for screening and care.
Parents of
children who are born prematurely or who require care in neonatal intensive
care units (NICUs) are naturally concerned about their child’s health and
development. These parents need specific information, based on their
child’s unique needs, and they look to the neonatal nurses for information on
what to expect as their child grows and develops. The campaign is reaching
out to neonatal nurses, to give them resources to educate parents and support
them in monitoring their child’s development.
Campaign Updates: What’s Going On?
Campaign
Collaborates with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities
“Learn the Signs. Act Early.” partnered with the Association
of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) to plan and host a series of Act
Early Regional Summits. These meetings gather parents and representatives from
state public health agencies, early intervention agencies, medical
organizations, and universities. The goals of the Act Early Summits are to
educate attendees about the campaign, to enhance collaboration among
stakeholders, to gain a greater understanding of the opportunities and
challenges of the systems that serve families and children with autism and
other developmental disabilities, and to improve early identification of
developmental disabilities and access to appropriate early intervention on a
state level.
In the spring of 2008, a Region
7 Summit in
Plans are underway for summits in Region 2 (
Reaching
Moms through MOPS
In October
2008, “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” attended the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS)
convention in
At the convention,
the campaign hosted a booth, distributed materials, and educated mothers about
developmental milestones. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of
attending the event was hearing the stories from mothers who were monitoring
their child’s development. We heard from moms who thought something might be wrong
but hadn’t had their child evaluated. We heard from moms who were having
trouble getting services for their children with disabilities. And, we heard
success stories from moms who acted early when they had a concern about their
child’s development by reaching out to their child’s doctor and calling the
early intervention program in their area.
We also
learned the power of working with consumer organizations like MOPS whose
members go back to their communities and share important information with their
friends and family. We look forward to continuing to work with MOPS!
A New
Campaign Resource – “Baby Steps: Learn the Signs. Act Early.”
In collaboration with CDC-TV, the campaign
has produced and released a new online video, “Baby Steps: Learn the Signs. Act Early.”
The educational video provides background information on the campaign and guidance
on identifying developmental disabilities. “Baby Steps” details developmental
milestones and gives parents action steps to take when they are concerned about their child’s
development, such as talking to their child’s pediatrician and contacting early
intervention services. The video is a great
instructional tool for new parents, child care providers, and health care
professionals. It features campaign developmental pediatrician Dr. Georgina
Peacock and the parent of a child with special needs.
“Baby
Steps,” is available for download, as a podcast, or
for viewing by mobile phone. To watch the video, click here.
We encourage you to watch the video and share it with others by e-mailing the
web link or downloading the video.
Spotlight On: Campaign Champions
As the
campaign enters its fourth year, we continue to be amazed by the incredible support
from our campaign champions. Over the past few months, several partners have
implemented unique and impactful projects to help educate their communities
about developmental milestones and early intervention.
Following is
a summary of some of the amazing work being done in local communities by our
champions. Hats off to you! With your help, we are able to reach more people
with important campaign messages and materials.
Paint the Country Purple Winners: Norah Louise Johnson, Penelope
Brennell, Julie Roscoe, and Dr. Diane R. Edwards
Last March, the “Learn the Signs. Act Early.”
campaign issued a challenge to its champions and partners to “Paint the Country
Purple” during Autism Awareness Month 2008 by conducting or participating in local activities to
increase awareness of the importance of monitoring a child’s development. The four winners went above and beyond, executing
projects that included improving health care for children with autism,
increasing awareness of autism among legislators, and offering free screenings
to underserved communities.
Emily Iland: Campaign Champion,
Emily Iland
wears many hats—mother, author, educator, advocate. Though she plays numerous
roles, there is one thing that remains constant: her passion for educating
people about developmental disabilities. In 2004, Emily and her sister wrote a
comprehensive guidebook on autism for parents and professionals; the book was
also translated into Spanish. Whenever Emily ships a book order, she inserts a
“Learn the Signs. Act Early.” informational card, which is printed with English
on one side and Spanish on the other, so that families have a quick list of key
developmental milestones.
Emily also conducts
trainings on autism and developmental disabilities throughout the country. At
every training, she uses and distributes campaign materials and encourages
participants to share them with others.
Lisa
Kowalski: Campaign Champion,
Lisa always
had a passion for educating others about childhood development. This interest
turned to action when the younger of her two boys, Aaron, was diagnosed with
autism. Lisa worked with her local library system and the Autism Society of
America–Oakland County Chapter to launch a donation book project in which more
than $9,000 worth of books on autism spectrum disorders was distributed to 30
public libraries in her county alone. In addition to the books, each library
received a box of “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign materials to display
and distribute. Each participating library set up a resource area featuring the
donated books and campaign materials.
Have an Inspiring Story To Tell?
If you or someone you know has an inspiring story to tell as
a result of becoming involved in the “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign,
please send it to actearly@cdc.gov. We’re
always looking for success stories to share with partners and campaign
champions throughout the country. We want to hear from you!
Kudos to You!
Special thanks to:
·
All of our dedicated campaign champions who
participated in the “Paint the Country Purple” Initiative.
·
Dr.
Christine Prue, former chief of the Prevention Research Branch at CDC’s National
Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), for her leadership
and guidance of the “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” campaign. We wish her well in
her new role as Associate Director for Communication Science in CDC’s
And
congratulations to Cathy Rice, PhD, and
On the Horizon
2009
Conferences: A Year in Preview
The
campaign is gearing up to hit the road in 2009, making the rounds at
conferences for a variety of audiences, including consumers, health care
professionals, and early educators. If you are attending any of these
conferences, please look for the campaign materials or presentations. We hope
to see you there!
·
·
·
·
Association
of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses
·
National Association for the Education of Young
Children
·
National
Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
·
National
Head Start Association Annual Training Institute
Autism Awareness
Month: It’s Just Around the Corner!
As many of you
know, the campaign recognizes Autism Awareness Month by asking partners to help
implement activities to increase awareness of developmental milestones in their
local communities. As we plan this year’s activities, we would like to hear
about your outreach projects and how the campaign can support your efforts. Tell
us about your plans by e-mailing us at actearly@cdc.gov.
What People Are Saying
“The
campaign materials are a wonderful and needed resource. They can really make a
difference and help children living with disabilities be identified sooner and
receive the help they need.”
-Emily Iland, campaign
champion
“When I
found these materials, I knew I had to share them with others, especially with
the underserved populations in my community.”
-Lisa Kowalski,
campaign champion