Brooklyn 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 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. LEND involves key state, regional and local stakeholders from NY state governmental agencies in its trainings and own LEND Advisory Committee. LEND runs a Family Support Project including family support group and family advocacy training that has reached over 200 families, and in a pay-it-forward pipeline, is helping some of these family members to become advocates for others. LEND sponsors community workshops and conferences on a range of neurodiversity topics for families, professionals and community providers. Brooklyn LEND is based in SUNY Downstate’s Department of Pediatrics and School of Health Professions.

Additional information about LEND programs: