 Central to all the activities in the CHILD Center is interdisciplinary leadership training in the family-centered, culturally competent approach to working with children with special health care needs and their families.
Graduate and post-graduate trainees in more than 10 disciplines, as well as parents/family members of children with special needs, participate in our year-long Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program, supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, HRSA, DHHS. Other pre-service training activities include an American Dietetic Association-approved Dietetic Internship, one of the few in the US that focuses on pediatric populations, as well as the interdisciplinary training of pediatric medical interns and residents within the General Pediatrics Division at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
The CHILD Center also has a mandate to provide continuing education for professionals in health and education-related disciplines who are already a part of the service system, but who need training related to children with special needs and disabilities and their families. Our activities range from local meetings to national conferences and include distance education events such as Telehealth/Telemedicine conferences/consultations, CD-ROM development and web-based self-instructional modules. Leadership development includes engaging in research to advance our knowledge base. A current project: Spina Bifida Mentoring Program Training Manual, is an example of the type of interdisciplinary, collaborative research carried out by the CHILD Center.
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