LEND Brooklyn
LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) is a HRSA-Maternal Child Health Bureau funded program to improve the health of children, youth and adults who have autism or other neurodevelopmental disabilities or neurodiverse conditions. It provides interdisciplinary training for professionals, family members and self-advocates covering clinical care, advocacy, community awareness and systems change. LEND Brooklyn is based on a full partnership between family, community and professional providers such as Psychologists, Social Workers, Physicians, Teachers, Behavior Analysts, Creative Arts Therapist, Occupational, Speech and Physical Therapists. LEND embraces a neurodiversity perspective and person/family-centered approach, and involves family members and self-advocates as trainees, faculty and leadership. The program involves key state, regional and local stakeholders from NY state governmental agencies in its trainings and own LEND Advisory Committee. LEND Brooklyn runs a Family Support Project including family support group and family advocacy training that has reached over 300 families, and in a pay-it-forward pipeline, is helping some of these family members to become advocates for others. LEND Brooklyn sponsors community workshops and conferences on a range of neurodiversity topics for families, professionals and community providers. LEND Brooklyn is based in 黄果视频 Downstate鈥檚 Department of Pediatrics. The program is not MCHB funded.