People are generallyuncomfortable in

venturing beyondtheir area of expertisein any profession. Yet,the modern study ofhuman developmentand brain functiondemands that ourefforts include experi-mental approaches

from multiple disci-plines. How do we approach this quandary?While established scientists may be moreconservative in exploring beyond their normalboundaries, their students and research fellowscan bring a youthful exuberance to

It was an unusual gathering of two kinds ofpeople: those who are interested in persons who

are blind because of what blindness can tell themabout the nature of the brain and those who areinterested in the brain because of what it can tellthem about the nature of blindness and how tohelp people adapt to it.

Nearly 50 experts from a variety of fieldsincluding basic brain research, special educationand rehabilitation came to Nashville from aroundthe nation and world to discuss recent advances inthe basic understanding of how the brain handlesspatial information and how this new knowledgecan inform efforts to train and assist individualswho have lost their sight.

The workshop “Blindness, Brain Plasticity,and Spatial Function,” held March 11-14, wasco-sponsored by the Vanderbilt Kennedy Centerand organized by a group of Vanderbiltresearchers: John Rieser, Ph.D., professor ofpsychology and human development; DanielAshmead, Ph.D., associate professor of hearingand speech sciences and

Art Through theEyes of Autism

Reading,FromResearch toPractice

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Continued on page 3

Brain Research and Blindness RehabilitationBy David F. Salisbury

Training FutureGenerations

Director’s Message

Pat Levitt, Ph.D.

Michelle Jacobs is a biologist studying genetics, behavior, and development. BradFolley is a clinical psychologist using the tools of neurobiology to explore

psychosis and creativity. They’re the future of science—researchers with expertiseacross fields of knowledge, able to ask scientific questions from new perspectives,prepared to use a wide variety of methods to answer questions about developmentand disabilities.

In the past, doctoral and postdoctoral training typically meant becoming highlyspecialized within a single area. Researchers from different fields often found itdifficult to discuss research together, let alone conduct research together.

Today we understand that biology and behavior are continuously shaping develop-ment. Never has it been more important for scientists not just to bridge disciplines butto collaborate. At the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, young researchers are being preparedfor this new world of interdisciplinary science.

As an undergraduate at Case Western Reserve University, Michelle Jacobsmajored in biology and psychology but had opportunities to do genetics research.This interest, especially the genetics of autism, led her to Vanderbilt’sNeuroscience Graduate Program.

Expanding Perspectives of Young Scientists

Continued on page 2 Michelle Jacobs, doctoral candidate

Nick Guidice, University of MinnesotaContinued on page 3

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“I chose Vanderbilt because of the interdiscipli-nary first-year program where we’re exposed todifferent fields,” Jacobs said. She’s working in the labof Ronald Emeson, Ph.D., Joel G. Hardman associateprofessor of pharmacology, associate professor ofmolecular physiology and biophysics, and KennedyCenter investigator.

Jacobs’s research is on the serotonin 2C receptor.One of the brain’s most important neurotrans-mitters, serotonin is linked to a wide variety ofprocesses—mood, appetite, sleep, sexual behavior,anxiety. Jacobs explained that at least 15 differentkinds of serotonin receptors are known. The 2Creceptor is found only in the brain and has been

implicated in obesity, depression, schizophrenia,sleep disorders, and perhaps aggression andobsessive-compulsive disorder.

“The 2C receptor undergoes a process known asRNA editing, so one gene can produce up to 24different receptor proteins,” Jacobs explained.“Each of these proteins varies in how it signals inneurons in response to serotonin. I study one ofthese protein isoforms, the nonedited isoform,which has been shown in Dr. Emeson’s lab to havegreatest signaling via certain intracellular path-ways. We’ve taken the 2C gene and modified it sothat only the nonedited isoform can be expressed,and now we’re creating a mutant mouse modelthat only expresses this single isoform.”

Jacobs lists a few of the questions that will follow.Are all 24 2C receptor proteins necessary for normalbehavior or is the one with the greatest activity suf-ficient? Since lack of the receptor is known to causeobesity, will leanness result? Since mice lacking the2C receptor abuse cocaine, will sole expression ofthis isoform be protective for substance abuse?

Jacobs acknowledges it is a bit unusual forneuroscientists to do what she is doing, combiningneuroscience, genetics, behavior, and developmentin an encompassing program. The expert advice of

her thesis committee members is crucial to her

obtaining the training she needs; one committeemember assists her with developmental aspects,another with behavior and brain-specific areas,another with serotonin expertise.

At the University of Maryland, Brad Folleymajored in psychology and biology/zoology andminored in art history, foreshadowing his researchon creativity. His first job was in a National Institutesof Health lab investigating the effects of medicationson cognition in such disorders as schizophrenia andbipolar disorder using brain imaging methods. Thatwas followed by imaging research at Johns HopkinsUniversity Medical School working with childrenwith neurogenetic and neurobehavioral disorders.

“I fell in love with functional neuroanatomy andimaging as a research tool,” Folley said. He sought aprogram that would combine training in severemental disorders and imaging. He selected

Vanderbilt’s clinicalpsychology programand last year enteredthe DevelopmentalPsychopathologyResearch TrainingProgram. His advisor isSohee Park, Ph.D.,associate professor ofpsychology and KennedyCenter investigator.

Folley is investigatingthe behavioral andneurobiological corre-lates of creativity inpersons with schizo-phrenia, persons with nohistory of psychoticdisorder, and “schizop-tyes,” extremely creative

persons who have schizophrenia-like traits but arenot psychotic. His research methods include nearinfrared optical tomography, to investigate activity inthe cortex during creative tasks, and diffusion tensorimaging, which tracks white matter (connectionsbetween the cell bodies, or grey matter).

“The frontal lobes have been thought to bethe site of creative thinking. We’re finding thatit’s a network of prefrontal cortex, anteriorsingulate, and hippocampus—areas involved ingenerating new thoughts, cognitive inhibition,and semantic networks.”

The hypothesis is that creative thinkers not onlyhave behavioral correlates of putting ideas together,lower inhibition, and greater network priming, butthey also have innate, intrinsic processes in the brainthat facilitate connections.

Folley works with clinical psychologists,radiologists, and cognitive neuroscientists. “It’s awell-rounded education and research experience,facilitated by all this interdisciplinary activity,”he said.

Although Folley and Jacobs approach scientificquestions from different disciplines, both are moti-vated by concern for persons. The point of research,including molecular research, as Jacobs sees it, is “tohelp someone and improve their quality of life.”

Expanding Perspectivesfrom page one

VANDERBILT RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAMSVanderbilt Kennedy Center researchers serve asfaculty in these training programs.

Developmental Disabilities ResearchTraining Program

• Predoctoral trainees pursue programs in psychology or special education

• Postdoctoral fellowships offered• Web: kc.vanderbilt.edu/kennedy/researchers/

devdis.html• Supported by National Institute of Child

Health and Human Development

Developmental Psychopathology ResearchTraining Program

• Predoctoral trainees from psychology,psychiatry, pediatrics, and education

• Postdoctoral fellowships offered• Web: kc.vanderbilt.edu/kennedy/researchers/

devpsych.html• Supported by National Institute of

Mental Health

Training Program in Neurogenomics• Postdoctoral training in human and

model system genetics, molecular biology,biochemistry and proteomics applied to questions of neural development, plasticity,and disease

• Ph.D. and M.D. fellows drawn from both basic science and clinical departments

• Web: www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/vumc/centers/neuro/

• Supported by National Institute ofMental Health

Vanderbilt Kennedy Postdoctoral Fellows• Postdoctoral fellowships offered in areas

including neuroscience, neurogenetics,behavior, and education

• Web: kc.vanderbilt.edu/kennedy/researchers/researchassociates.html

• Supported by Vanderbilt Kennedy Center

Vanderbilt Neuroscience Graduate Program• Offers predoctoral trainees choice between

integrative/cognitive track or molecular/cellular track

• Web: braininstitute.vanderbilt.edu• Supported by National Institute of

Mental Health

Vision Research Training• Predoctoral trainees pursue programs in

psychology, neuroscience, cell biology,pharmacology, or electrical engineering

• Postdoctoral fellowships offered• Web: vision-research.vanderbilt.edu/pages/

vtpg.html• Supported by National Eye Institute

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Primer

Brad Folley, doctoral candidate

Brain Research and Blindness Rehabilitation from page one

multidisciplinary research that is infectious.We rely on our trainees to push us beyond ourown generational boundaries, which makes theresearch programs of the Vanderbilt KennedyCenter so exciting and unique.

If you want to effect change long-term, investin youth. The transfer of knowledge from onegeneration of scientists to the next guaranteesthat science moves forward and builds on thewisdom of the past. Kennedy Center investiga-tors serve as mentors in a variety of NationalInstitutes of Health-funded predoctoral andpostdoctoral research training programs (see“Primer” for list) across the Vanderbilt campus.Last year, we initiated a new Kennedy CenterPostdoctoral Training Program, in whichoutstanding candidates from graduate programsaround the country compete for a limitednumber of positions. These fully fundedpositions encourage the best and brightest tocontinue on a career path of investigating themysteries of developmental disabilities.

Although the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center ismost heavily invested in predoctoral andpostdoctoral training, we know that the com-mitment to become a scientist grows out offormational early educational experiences.We must be creative in cultivating an earlyinterest in science. Consequently, manyKennedy Center faculty members provideresearch experiences for undergraduates andhigh school students. Investigators and theirtrainees also take part in communityeducational events like Vanderbilt’s Brainstormand Brain Bee.

Still another essential part of our commit-ment to education and training is to transferresearch into practice. For example, in theBritt Henderson Training Series for Educators,over the course of an academic year, VanderbiltKennedy Center researchers teach schoolteams of general and special educatorshow to apply innovative research-basedinstructional methods and behavior manage-ment strategies to improve student learning intheir own classrooms, as well as to gather datato determine whether strategies are effectiveand present that data to colleagues. This train-ing model is extending to MetropolitanNashville Public Schools through the efforts ofour leadership in the Vanderbilt KennedyReading Clinic.

It is a unique and exciting time to be astudent in the field of disability research andtreatment. Today’s students have the advantageof intellectual “free agency,” the ability toembrace a myriad of scientific points of viewand, ultimately, to create something uniquelytheir own.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center investigators arecommitted to training a new generation of scien-tists who will be fluent in multiple disciplines andwho will be the leaders of tomorrow in solvingthe mysteries of typical and atypical development.

psychology; Anne Corn, Ed.D.,professor of special education andophthalmology and visualsciences; Ford Ebner, Ph.D.,professor of psychology and celland developmental biology; PeterMelzer, Ph.D., research assistantprofessor of psychology; andRobert Wall, Ph.D., researchassistant professor of hearing andspeech sciences. Rieser, Ashmead,Corn, Ebner, and Wall are alsoVanderbilt Kennedy Centerinvestigators.

“There’s been a wonderfulconvergence between our under-standing of spatial sense and whatwe need to understand at a basic level,” commentedMichael Oberdorfer, a program manager at theNational Eye Institute (NEI) that provided majorsupport for the meeting. This convergence involvesinsights from visual neuroscience, cognitive studies,and rehabilitation research, he continued. “Bringingtogether these fields is where we need to be.”

Much of the basic research presented had to dowith the brain’s ability to reprogram itself inresponse to injury and other major changes in

sensory input. Twenty years ago, scientists thoughtthat the circuitry in the adult brain was basicallyfixed and so could not respond much to injury.Research since then, however, has found that thebrain is much more dynamic than experts hadthought. They have found evidence that differentgroups of neurons are continually competing witheach other, with those that are used the mostgrowing and making new connections and thosethat are used less shrinking and loosing connec-tions. One implication is that the brain has aremarkable ability to respond to major changes insensory input. Following loss of vision, forexample, a number of studies have now shownthat large areas of the visual cortex can beconverted from processing visual input to

processing auditory and tactile input.In addition, Alvaro Pascual-Leone, director of

the Laboratory of Magnetic Brain Stimulation atthe Harvard Medical Center, provided newevidence that the brain’s visual centers are notlimited to processing visual information, butprocess a certain amount of auditory and touchinformation as well.

Recent advances in brain research haveheightened the expectations of rehabilitationworkers that all this new information should helpthem do a better job treating and training peoplewith impaired vision. However, few of the basicstudies have provided clinicians with the answersthey seek.

As research moves from the laboratory to theclinic and is coded into various regulations, theimpact on human lives and expenditure of publicfunds can become enormous.

The public demand for instantaneous answerscan be a real problem, said one participant,because it puts researchers under pressure andmay lead some of them to over generalize fromtheir research.

Wendy Sapp of Florida State Universitypointed out another reason for caution: “The factthat the brain changes in response to what we aredoing means that we want those changes to beadaptive rather than maladaptive.”

Yet Michael May, one of the participants withvisual impairments, argued that “A potentialsolution is better than no solution.” He is thefounder of Sendero Group, a company thatproduces Global Positioning Systems-basednavigation means for blind persons.

A necessary first step toward creating aneffective link is establishing communicationbetween the basic researchers, clinicians, andrehabilitation experts. There was generalagreement among the participants that thisworkshop was a good first step, and theyexpressed interest in setting up some kind ofelectronic network to continue the collaborationin the future. A book based on conferenceproceedings will be published.

Director’s Message from page one

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Michael May, Sendoro Group, and Michael Oberdorfer, National Eye Institute

Aries Arditi, Lighthouse International

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ANN KAISER, PH.D.Professor of Special Educationand Psychology & HumanDevelopmentVanderbilt Kennedy CenterDeputy Director of ResearchProgram on Families

Joined Vanderbilt KennedyCenter 1982

Research InterestsEarly language acquisition andintervention, early childhoodspecial education, parenting,siblings and family issues, andprevention of problem behaviorin young children at risk

Principal Investigator for• Preventing Problems in Children’s Social

Behavior, National Institute of Mental Health• Doctoral Leadership Training in Early Childhood

Special Education, U. S. Departmentof Education

• Building Social Communication Skills During Peer Interactions, Administration for Children and Families

• Sibling Assessment, Support and Intervention (co-investigator), U. S. Department of Education

Clinical InterestsTraining for parents of young children withlanguage delays and problem behavior

National Service• Member, Child and Adolescent Prevention

Research Panel, National Instituteof Mental Health

• Member, National Advisory Panel on Head Start National Reporting System

• Member, Standing Review Panel, Institute for Educational Sciences

• Board of Editors, American Journal on Mental Retardation, Journal of Early Intervention, Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, andJournal of the Association for Persons withSevere Handicaps

Honors• Educator of the Year, National Association of

Retarded Citizens, 1989• Harvie Branscomb Distinguished Professor,

Vanderbilt University, 2001

Publications• Teaching parents new skills to support their young

children’s development, with Hancock, T. B.(Infants and Young Children, Summer 2003).

• The effects of trainer-implemented enhanced milieu teaching on the social communication of

children who have autism, with Hancock,T. B. (Topics in Early Childhood

Special Education, Spring 2002).• Improving the social communication skills of at-

risk preschool children in a play context, with Craig-Unkefer, L. A. (Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, Spring 2002).

EducationB.S. Kansas State University, ManhattanM.A. University of Kansas, LawrencePh.D. University of Kansas, LawrencePostdoctoral Fellow, NIH, Department of HumanDevelopment, University of Kansas and KansasNeurological Institute

Attraction to Developmental Disabilities ResearchMy interests in language and communication byyoung children with developmental disabilitiesbegan when I was a postdoctoral fellow conductinga study of children with developmental disabilitiesin a residential treatment center; at the same time,I was taking advanced courses in linguistics andchild language. The combination of observing howthese children and youth communicated, or didnot communicate, and learning about theories oflanguage acquisition prompted me to start a seriesof studies on early language intervention in naturalenvironments. I am still interested in effective earlyinterventions that can be delivered in natural envi-ronments to promote the best possible outcomesfor children with disabilities and their families.

Reasons for Kennedy Center MembershipI came to Vanderbilt in large part because of theresearch support and opportunities the KennedyCenter offered. I saw membership as a wonderfulway to be involved in developmental disabilitiesresearch nationally, to have access to colleagueswith similar interests, and to conduct my researchin a context where it would be valued andsupported. Over the years, the Kennedy Centerhas provided many practical supports like spacefor my projects and assistance with producing andmanaging grants. As director of the ResearchProgram on Families, I am thrilled to have theopportunity to build a new initiative that reflectsmy interests and an important focus for develop-mental disabilities research.

On the Horizonof DiscoveryNew Grants Led by KennedyCenter Investigators

IMPROVED IMAGING OF BRAIN WHITE MATTERAims to develop and evaluate new tools fornoninvasive analysis of white matter fiber bundlesin the brain.Adam Anderson, Ph.D., associate professor ofbiomedical engineering and radiology andradiological sciencesFunding: National Institute for Biomedical Imagingand Bioengineering

GENETIC ANALYSIS OF OLIGODENDROCYTESPECIFICATIONThe goal is to use transgenic zebrafish to investi-gate mechanisms that specify a commonpopulation of neural precursor cells for motorneuron and oligodendrocyte fates and to screenfor mutations that disrupt oligodendrocytespecification.Bruce Appel, Ph.D., assistant professor ofbiological sciencesFunding: National Institute of NeurologicalDisorders and Stroke

NATIONAL CENTER ON PROGRESS MONITORINGA new national center to promote progressmonitoring of students in elementary schoolsacross the country.Doug Fuchs, Ph.D., Lynn Fuchs, Ph.D., NicholasHobbs Chair in special education and humandevelopment and professors of special education,in collaboration with researchers at the AmericanInstitute for ResearchFunding: U. S. Department of Education

UNDERSTANDING/PREVENTING MATH PROBLEM-SOLVING DISABILITIESTo understand the variables that underlie mathproblem-solving disability and to identify effectivepreventative programs to reduce the incidence ofmath problem-solving disability.Lynn Fuchs, Ph.D., Nicholas Hobbs Chair in specialeducation and human development and professorof special educationFunding: National Institute of Child Health andHuman Development

DEVELOPMENTAL COGNITIVE APPROACHES TOMATH PROCESSES(Parent project: Cognitive, Instructional, andNeuroimaging Factors in Math, Jack Fletcher, PI, U.Texas Houston)

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Uses a developmental cognitive approach tounderstand core mathematical and cognitiveprocesses related to math disabilities.Doug Fuchs, Ph.D., Nicholas Hobbs Chair inspecial education and human development andprofessor of special educationFunding: National Institute of Child Health andHuman Development

REMEDIATING STUDENTS’ MATHEMATICSDISABILITIES(Parent project: Cognitive, Instructional, andNeuroimaging Factors in Math, Jack Fletcher, PI,U. Texas Houston)Focuses on math disability as a function ofdisability subtype: math disability alone vs. mathdisability with reading disability. Will study theunderlying cognitive processes and neuralactivity, as revealed by functional MagneticResonance Imaging, associated with these sub-types of disability. Will seek to remediate themath disability and examine how brainfunctioning changes with remediation.Lynn Fuchs, Ph.D., Nicholas Hobbs Chair inspecial education and human development andprofessor of special educationFunding: National Institute of Child Health andHuman Development

IDENTIFYING AND PROMOTING OUTCOMES FORSTUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN MATHEMATICALPROBLEM-SOLVINGTo understand the effects of using a multi-tiered

model to identify students with math problem-solving disability on student outcomes and patternsof disability.Lynn Fuchs, Ph.D., Doug Fuchs, Ph.D., NicholasHobbs Chair in special education and humandevelopment and professors of special educationFunding: U. S. Department of Education

COMMUNITY INCLUSION PROJECT (CIP)Many people with dual diagnoses displaychallenging behavior that interferes with typicalfunctioning. CIP provides comprehensive health,educational, and behavioral assessments toidentify causes of behavioral challenges and pro-vides long-term training and follow-up in home,work, and community settings. A variety ofVanderbilt resources provide expertise.Craig Kennedy, Ph.D., associate professor of specialeducation and pediatricsFunding: Tennessee Council on DevelopmentalDisabilities, Tennessee Department of MentalHealth and Developmental Disabilities, TennesseeDivision of Mental Retardation Services

SLEEP IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISMCompares sleep patterns in children with autismand typically developing children.Beth Malow, Ph.D., associate professor of neurologyFunding: Vanderbilt Discovery grant andVanderbilt General Clinical Research Center

ADAPTION TO LONG CHAIN FATTY ACID OXIDATIONDEFICIENCYFatty acid oxidation is critical for typicaldevelopment, particularly organ systems that are

highly oxidative, such as the liver and brain.This research program has wide-reachingimplications for understanding complexmetabolic disorders that involve defects inmultiple organ systems, including the brain.Arnold Strauss, Ph.D., James C. Overallprofessor of pediatrics and chair of theDepartment, and professor of molecularphysiology and biophysics

Funding: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

ERP AND BEHAVIOR PREDICTORS OF LANGUAGEINTERVENTIONAddresses whether speech processing (as measuredby event related potentials and behavioral tests)predicts children’s differential response to one oftwo language interventions on the grammaticaldevelopment of children with specific languageimpairment.Paul Yoder, Ph.D., professor of special educationFunding: National Institute on Deafness andCommunication Disorders

EEG POWER AND GROWTH IN JOINT ATTENTION INCHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERSAND THEIR SIBLINGSExamines the relationship between the naturalelectrical rhythms of children’s brains asmeasured by an electroencephalogram(EEG) and their interest in and willingnessto initiate social interactions.Paul Yoder, Ph.D., professor of special educationFunding: Vanderbilt Kennedy Center NicholasHobbs Society Discovery grant

Among all articles cited in Exceptional Children,The Journal of Special Education, and Remedialand Special Education from 1990 to 1996 inclu-sive, a 1994 article by Doug Fuchs, Ph.D., andLynn Fuchs, Ph.D., published in ExceptionalChildren (“The Inclusive Schools Movement andthe Radicalization of Special Education Reform”),was cited most often, according to a University ofFlorida scholar writing in a recent issue ofRemedial and Special Education. The Fuchs’sarticle was also among the top 10 most frequentlycited articles in the three journals from 1960-1996 and was described as an emerging classic in

the special education literature. Doug Fuchs andLynn Fuchs hold the Nicholas Hobbs Chair inspecial education and human development, andare professors of special education and KennedyCenter investigators.

Steven Gabbe, M.D., dean of the VanderbiltSchool of Medicine and Kennedy Center member,was elected president-elect of the Society forGynecological Investigators, a premier scientific

organization inobstetrics andgynecology withnational and interna-tional representation.He will serve as SGI’spresident in 2005.

Isabel Gauthier, Ph.D.,assistant professor ofpsychology and Kennedy

Center investigator, received the 2003 AmericanPsychological Association Distinguished ScientificAward for Early Career Contribution to Psychologyin the area of behavioral/cognitive neuroscience.

John Gore, Ph.D., Chancellor’s University profes-sor of biomedical engineering and radiology,

director of the Institute of Imaging Science, andKennedy Center investigator, was awarded theGold Medal of the International Society ofMagnetic Resonance Imaging in Medicine, thehighest honor from the leading organization inthe field.

Jonathan Haines, Ph.D., T. H. Morgan professor ofhuman genetics, professor of molecular physiologyand biophysics and a Kennedy Center investigator, isa member of a team led by Duke University MedicalCenter researchers that identified a gene that influ-ences when, but not if, people develop Alzheimer’sand Parkinson’s diseases. It is the first time a singlegene has linked the two nerve-related disorders.

Steven Gabbe, M.D.

John Gore, Ph.D.

Doug Fuchs, Ph.D., and Lynn Fuchs, Ph.D.

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Susan Gray School for All ChildrenVanderbilt Kennedy Center • Peabody College

Since the 1970s, the Susan Gray School for Childrenhas provided leadership in early childhood educa-

tion and special education through the involvement ofinnovative Peabody instructors and Kennedy Centerresearchers. A central reason for the School’s success isits mission to create a learning environment that sup-ports teacher and researcher training while enhancingdevelopmental outcomes for all young children.

Ruth Wolery, Ph.D., Susan Gray School director,believes that close ties between the School andPeabody’s Department of Special Education iscrucial to the School’s effectiveness in its trainingmission. “The Department of Special Education hasbeen ranked first nationally for the second year in arow. The people we are training are the nextgeneration of educators for young children withdisabilities and leaders in the field.”

Early Childhood Special EducationMaster’s Program

Four lead teachers in the Susan Gray School areenrolled in Peabody master’s program in earlychildhood special education. Involved with the day-to-day aspect of teaching and caring for the childrenat the School, these teachers are able to apply intheir classrooms up-to-date knowledge in themaster’s program about new curricula and child

development. Teachers share this knowledge by mentoring co-teachers and providing guidance

while constructing new lesson plans.“We have had a lot of training grants here, but

never one that met every week in the School,” saidAnn Kaiser, Ph.D., professor of special education andpsychology and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center deputydirector of family research. “But what it really signifiesis bringing our master’s training grant back in contactwith students and families, thinking about how athesis could be about practice, and how best practicecould be generated by working one-on-one with kidsand families and classrooms and training teachers—and thinking about problems and service delivery asboth science and practice and something reallyimportant to do.”

Yolanda Mara, master lead teacher, believes herhands-on experience will better prepare her forfuture classroom situations. “Through my specialeducation classes and working here at the School,there has been a strong emphasis on research,” saidMara. “Now I wouldn’t be intimidated if I had achild with a rare disorder. I know that I can go tothe library, find some research, and do what is bestfor the child.”

Graduate students may come from outside theVanderbilt campus to complete course work in theSusan Gray School. Michelle Bryant, a graduatestudent from Tennessee State University and CircusStar classroom lead teacher, finds working at theSchool important in more ways than fulfillingacademic credit. “One of the most rewarding

aspects personally is having the opportunity to workwith children and families of different nationalities,backgrounds, or special needs,” said Bryant. “I feellike I am prepared to handle any type of situationthat might arise because of my training here at theSusan Gray School.”

Community Outreach

Sharing the practices of the Susan Gray School takesplace not just on campus but also in the community.Several teachers provide training through theOutreach Program, working with care providers at achild’s home or child care center. Each Outreachteacher has at least a bachelor’s degree, and most arepursuing graduate degrees.

Outreach teachers spend one hour once or twice aweek with a parent or care provider of a child betweenbirth and age three with a developmental delay ordisability. The Outreach teacher leads a discussion ofvarious options and goals for early childhoodeducation that can take place in the home or childcare centers, while training the care giver to imple-ment activities. “One of the things that Outreachteachers do when they are in community programs isshare expertise so those teachers are better equippedto provide high-quality services for young childrenwith disabilities in an inclusive environment,”said Wolery.

Practica

To acquire a general knowledge of development anddevelopmental disabilities, undergraduate andgraduate students in the fields of special education,early childhood education, teaching and learning,nursing, psychiatry, speech, physical, and occupa-tional therapy, and other related areas are offeredacademic credit through various practica programs.Requirements for classes in a variety of disciplinesinclude time spent throughout the semester workingwith the children at the Susan Gray School or inother early education programs.

“If they are in a class learning about generalspecial needs, they typically spend between 20and 25 hours a semester here just learning aboutbeing around children with special needs,” saidMichelle Wyatt, M.Ed., Susan Gray Schoolassistant director. While some students areobservers, other students in practica are givenmore responsibilities in the classroom and serve as“another set of hands” for the lead teacher.Students having contact with children areclosely supervised.

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Training the Next Generation

Peabody master’s degree class in early childhood special education meets in Susan Gray School.

SGS News

General Observation

Susan Gray School classrooms offer a model sitefor observing techniques of developmentallyappropriate practices for toddlers and preschoolersas well as how to use recommended practices intoddler and preschool classrooms that include

children with and without disabilities. For fresh-man and sophomore undergraduates, someteachers require observation of children to helpopen the minds of students to what childdevelopment entails first-hand.

Students from the cognitive development classled by Georgene Troseth, Ph.D., use the Susan GraySchool as an observation center for developingprojects with topics ranging from composition ofplay groups to gender differences. “The studentswill learn something about the forethought thatgoes into designing and implementing a researchproject, and hopefully will learn about thebehavior of young children as well,” said Troseth,assistant professor of psychology and humandevelopment and Kennedy Center member.

Bethany Rittle-Johnson, Ph.D., has herstudents observe two different age groups around acentral topic like motor or language development.“Students write a paper linking their observationsto ideas we are learning in class,” said Rittle-Johnson, assistant professor of psychology andhuman development and Kennedy Center member.From observation booths, students watch thechildren interact with the teachers to help relatethe topics they are learning about in class tothe implementation of recommended educationalpractices.

“Every day now in the School you can see ourwonderful students collecting data and runningstudies and talking to each other about kids andtrying to problem solve about how you trainteachers in the middle of what is a really hard job,”Kaiser said.

The Susan Gray School provides inclusive education for young children with and without disabilities and support fortheir families. Its fourfold mission is providing high-quality service, supporting research, contributing to the trainingof future teachers and researchers, and demonstrating recommended practices as a national model. It is a program ofthe Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and Peabody College.

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Emma Fricke, student teacher

Miranda Dickens, intern in early childhood educaton, Appalacian State University, Boone, North Carolina

PARENT COMMITTEE AT WORKThe School’s Parent Committee has arrangedfor two monthly extracurricular enrichmentprograms—Joel Reese, “The Singing Cowboy,”and Music in Motion. Both provide excellentopportunities for children with and withoutdisabilities to experience music and movementactivities. A monthly bake sale (first Thursday)helps support these programs. The Committeealso is producing a monthly newsletter to keepparents informed.

STAFF LEADERSHIP CHANGESMichelle Wyatt, M.Ed., has been appointedassistant director and is working with directorRuth Wolery, Ph.D., in providing oversight ofservices. Master lead teachers are providingguidance and support to teachers to ensureeducational quality. They are Bri Matern, forToddlers and Twos program, Yolanda Mara forPreschool program, and Annie Adler for Outreach;all have or are working on master’s degrees inPeabody College’s program in early childhoodspecial education.

TEACHING THROUGH ARTSusan Gray School children completed anotheryear of the Ready, Set, Van Gogh program.Coordinated by Susan Eaton, Ph.D., funded by theLouis Draughon Foundation, the six-weekprogram had students taking part in visual arts andmusical drama as well as a field trip to the FristCenter for the Visual Arts.

The project began with teachers readingstorybooks about Van Gogh. With help from FristCenter art educators, children created art as well asmusic and choreography for a skit inspired by VanGogh’s art. This musical drama was videotapedand will be used for teacher training in artseducation for preschool children with andwithout disabilities.

Arts education nurtures interest in nonverbalcommunication while developing thinking andsocial skills. Also, those involved in training andimplementing the project are able to see thequality programming that can be done with thisadapted arts curriculum.

The Ready, Set, Van Gogh project wasinitiated in 2002 as a collaboration among Dr.Eaton, local artist Deborah Yoder, and the staff ofthe Susan Gray School, based on earlier work byDeborah Yoder.

Outreach News

Art can be life enhancing, powerful, and an amazing creative experience for both the

artist and the art-goers.

“Art Through the Eyes of Autism II” is an

exhibit by Tennessee artists with autism spectrum

disorders organized by the Autism Society of

Middle Tennessee (ASMT)

in collaboration with the

Vanderbilt Kennedy

Center. The exhibit began

April 12 and continues

through June 30 on

display at the Vanderbilt

Kennedy Center.“Adapting Arts for

Persons with SpecialNeeds” was the topic of apanel discussion held atthe Kennedy Center onApril 29. Leisa Hammettof ASMT was moderator.Panelists were ReneeSomers, an art therapistand special educationteacher for the

Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools; LonNuell, professor of art and art education directorfor Middle Tennessee State University; and PatSanders, mother of Robert Sanders, a writer andphotographer with Asperger’s syndrome. Artistswere honored at a reception following the panel.

Professor Nuell explained, “Visual art is oneof the most natural communication devicesfor young children and for children withdisabilities. It is a way of expressing, thinking,and responding no matter what condition thebrain is in.”

The Autism Society of Middle Tennesseepromotes lifelong access and opportunity for allindividuals within the autism spectrum and theirfamilies, to be fully included, participatingmembers of their communities through advocacy,public awareness, education and research relatedto autism.

The exhibit and panel, the second such collabo-ration between ASMT and the Vanderbilt KennedyCenter, helped to commemorate April as AutismAwareness Month.

“Art Through the Eyes of Autism II” is one ofa series of exhibits by or about people withdisabilities displayed at the Vanderbilt KennedyCenter and in the community. The Centerinvites organizations and businesses who areinterested in displaying an exhibit organized bythe Center to contact us. We also invitesuggestions for future exhibits. Contactelise.mcmillan@vanderbilt.edu, 615-343-2540.

Families now haveadditional experi-

enced resources forsupport with theaddition of a programcoordinator and socialworker to theVanderbilt KennedyFamily OutreachCenter. Founded inSeptember 2003 withsupport from the LiliClaire Foundation,

the Center provides persons with disabilities andtheir families with a single point of entry into themany research-based services and supports of theVanderbilt Kennedy Center, as well as the wealthof resources at Vanderbilt University and inthe community.

Teresa Turnbo joined the Family OutreachCenter in January 2004 as program coordinator,after nearly three years of working with KennedyCenter investigator Wendy Stone at Vanderbilt’sTRIAD program (Treatment and Research Institute on Autism Spectrum Disorders).

The first person whom families meet when they walk into the Family Outreach Center is Turnbo,

and she considers herself the “official people greeter.”As a parent of a child with disabilities, she has first-hand knowledge of the importance of letting familiesknow what is available to them and where to find it.She uses this knowledge as part of her job with theFamily Outreach Center.

Turnbo goes into the community and tellspeople about the numerous opportunities andresearch programsthat are being doneat the VanderbiltKennedy Centerand the FamilyOutreach Centerand answersquestions thatfamilies mighthave. Turnboclaims that this isthe best part of herjob. “It’s not so muchthat I am consumed with my child’sdisability, it is that I have been through thedifferent stages and the different fears. I knowwhat these families are experiencing, and I feel Ihave something to give back.”

Carol Rabideau, a social worker with many years

of experience in the Nashville area, will lead Centerefforts in reaching out to family with members withdisabilities. She provides social work services andsupport to families who have a member with adisability or developmental or behavioral concerns.She joined the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center inApril 2004.

Rabideau has offices in both the VanderbiltKennedy Family OutreachCenter and in the JuniorLeague Family ResourceCenter of the new MonroeCarell, Jr. Children’s Hospitalat Vanderbilt. “We want tobecome more visible to fami-lies who can benefit from ourresources, and ourpresence in the Children’sHospital allows us to do so,”explains Rabideau. “I have hadso much respect for the

Kennedy Center for so many years. I am so happy tobe a part of the Center—it is a very exciting place forresearch and for service to families.”ContactTeresa Turnbo (615) 936-5118Carol Rabideau (615) 936-5122

We’re Growing Family Outreach Center Welcomes New Staff

S u m m e r 2 0 0 4 D i s c o v e r y

8

Art Through the Eyes of Autism

Teresa Turnbo

Carol Rabideau

Shapes and Lines Inibong Udofia

Leadership Council News

9

Reading research and the services of the VanderbiltKennedy Reading Clinic were the focus of the

quarterly Leadership Council luncheon on March 24.Doug Fuchs, Ph.D., director of the VanderbiltKennedy Reading Clinic, and Caresa Young, Cliniccoordinator, spoke to the group about the Clinic andwhy early reading help is so important for studentsand our community. Below are some excerpts fromtheir presentation.

READING—FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE

The Problem• 1 in 5 children has difficulty learning to read• 5-7% of the population has a reading disability• 70-80% of students with specific learning disabilities

in special education have deficits in reading• 75% of poor readers in 3rd grade remain poor

readers in 9th grade• effective instruction in K-1 leads to significantly

fewer problems in 3rd grade• 80-90% of school-age children with poor reading

skills have poor phonological processing (ability to distinguish sounds of letters and lettercombinations)

Best Practices in Teaching Reading• A National Reading Panel of experts was convened

by Congress in 1997 to determine best ways to teachchildren to read; Doug Fuchs, Ph.D., and Lynn Fuchs, Ph.D., co-directors of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Reading Clinic, were Panel members.

• Findings: five reading components are essential forreading success:

• phonemic awareness• phonics/decoding/spelling• fluency• vocabulary• comprehension

Vanderbilt Kennedy Reading Clinic Model• provides intensive, individualized, 1-to-1 tutoring• uses research-based methods to formulate initial

remediation plan• each student’s lesson plan is built around five

building blocks of reading (see above)• provides continuous evaluation using Curriculum-

Based Measurement to ensure success; CBM is aresearch-validated method for monitoring progress

The Reading Clinic’s Future • expand into community-based sites• make training in reading development and research-

based instruction available to teachers in public school systems

Contact Vanderbilt Kennedy Reading Clinic caresa.l.young@vanderbilt.edu615-936-5123

S u m m e r 2 0 0 4 D i s c o v e r y

The Honorable Andrew Shookoff speaking with Vanderbilt Kennedy Reading Clinic director Doug Fuchs.

Pat Levitt, Ph.D., director of the VanderbiltKennedy Center and professor of pharmacol-ogy, Fellow of the American Association forthe Advancement of Science, was electedMember-at-Large to the Association’s SectionCommittee on Neuroscience through 2008.

Two Vanderbilt Kennedy Center investigatorsreceived 2003 Mentor-Based Fellowshipsawarded by the National Alliance for AutismResearch (NAAR). Wendy Stone, Ph.D., profes-sor of pediatrics, received a NAAR PostdoctoralFellowship for Lynnette Henderson, Ph.D., to

develop a downward age extension of theStone’s Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds (STAT). Stone was among sevenrecipients selected internationally. JamesSutcliffe, Ph.D., assistant professor of molecularphysiology & biophysics, received a NAARPredoctoral Fellowship for Jacob McCauley toconduct a genetic analysis of serotonergic andGABA-ergic genes in autism; six predoctoralfellowships were awarded internationally.

Erik Emeric and Michael Remple, graduate

students enrolled through the integrative and

cognitive Ph.D. program, are the 2003 recipients

of the Fine Science Tools Travel AwardScholarship. Emeric, who works in the

laboratory of Jeffrey Schall, Ph.D., Ingram

professor of neuroscience, professor of

psychology, and Kennedy Center investiga-

tor, will report new findings on the

organization of the cerebral cortex. Remple,

who works in the laboratory of Jon Kaas,

Ph.D., Centennial professor of psychology,

professor of cell and developmental biology,

and Kennedy Center investigator, will report

new findings on the organization of the

cerebral cortex.

Accolades from page five

Wendy Stone, Ph.D.

Spotlight

Kennedy Center Donors

S u m m e r 2 0 0 4 D i s c o v e r y

The Nicholas Hobbs Donor Society

($1,000 and above)

Senator and Mrs. Lamar Alexander

Dr. and Mrs. Ben J. Alper

Mrs. Clare Armistead

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph N. Barker

Mr. and Mrs. E. Warner Bass

Mr. and Mrs. Harold S. Bernard

Ms. Leilani Boulware

Mr. and Mrs. Jack O. Bovender Jr.

Ms. Ashley Brooks

Mr. and Mrs. Dan Brooks

Mrs. Linda Brooks

Ms. Wendy Brooks

Mr. and Mrs. Martin S. Brown Sr.

Mr. Gary Brukardt

Dr. and Mrs. Stephen M. Camarata

Mr. and Mrs. James H. Cheek III

Dr. Joseph S. Cheng

Mr. and Mrs. Roy E. Claverie Sr.

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Danner

Drs. Elisabeth M. Dykens and

Robert M. Hodapp

Dr. Kathie Eagleson

Mrs. Molly Edmondson

Mr. Robert D. Eisenstein

Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Elman

Dr. Ronald B. Emeson

Dr. and Mrs. Irwin B. Eskind

Dr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Eskind

Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Eskind

Dr. and Mrs. Steven J. Eskind

Drs. Lynn and Doug Fuchs

Mr. and Mrs. Glenn R. Funk

Dr. and Mrs. William M. Gavigan

Mr. and Mrs. Joel C. Gordon

Dr. and Mrs. Laurence A. Grossman

Mr. Peter Grua

Mr. and Mrs. William F. Harnisch

Mr. and Mrs. J. Michael Hayes

Dr. H. Carl Haywood

Mr. and Mrs. Blake Henderson

Mr. Robert Henderson Jr.

Mrs. Carol Henderson

Mr. and Mrs. G. Daniel Hewitt

Dr. and Mrs. Elliott Himmelfarb

Mrs. Bethany Jackson and

Dr. Michael K. Cooper

Ms. Christine Karbowiak

Mr. Jonathan M. Kent

Mrs. Elsie C. Kraft

Mrs. Heloise Werthan Kuhn

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan L. Lehman

Dr. and Mrs. Pat Levitt

Mr. and Mrs. Irving Levy

Mrs. Alyne Queener Massey

Drs. BethAnn McLaughlin

and Gregg Stanwood

Mr. and Mrs. Tom McMillan

Ms. Laura Craig McNellis

Ms. M. Pat McNellis and

Mr. Wendell Tomlin

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Nesbitt Jr.

Mrs. Denise O’Leary and Mr. Kent Thiry

Mrs. Barbara Gregg Phillips and

Colonel Robert A. Phillips Jr.

Dr. Karen L. Putnam

Ms. Elizabeth M. Queener

Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Joseph Rebrovick Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Keith Resnick

Dr. and Mrs. Charles E. Roos

Drs. Jan and Dan Rosemergy

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph V. Russell

Drs. Dikkie and Phil Schoggen

Mrs. Joan Shayne

Mr. and Mrs. Sargent Shriver

Ms. Laurie Lee Sisk

Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Small

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Stafford

Ms. Dona Tapp and Dr. Robert Fox Jr.

Ms. Beth Tannenbaum

Dr. Jerome S.Tannenbaum

Dr. Patricia C. Temple and

Dr. Steven G. Gabbe

Mr. Albert Werthan

Drs. Ruth and Mark Wolery

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Honor and

Memorial Gifts

In honor of Miss Lola Florence Campagna

Dr. and Mrs. Pat Levitt

In memory of Mrs. Jane Clements McMackin

Dr. and Mrs. Pat Levitt

In memory of Paul Sternberg Sr.

Dr. and Mrs. Pat Levitt

In honor of Tabitha Tuders

Establishing Tabitha Tuders Vanderbilt

Kennedy Reading Clinic Scholarships

Ms. Rebecca S. Breeding

Ms. Melanie Bridges

Mr. and Mrs. William E. Bridges

Ms. Mary L. Carlson

Dr. Kathie Eagleson

Mrs. Barbara Lauderdale Hearn

Mrs. Barbara Hodgkins

Mr. and Mrs. Jackie Ray Johnson Jr.

Ms. Mary Denise Malone

Drs. BethAnn McLaughlin

and Gregg Stanwood

Mr. and Mrs. Tom McMillan

Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Moscardelli

Mr. Joshua P. Parlaman

Drs. Jan and Dan Rosemergy

Mr. and Mrs. Tim P. Schoettle

Mr. and Mrs. Tim Stafford

Summers Lumber & Timber Company

Tom Joy Elementary School

Mr. and Mrs. L.J. Van Mol Jr.

Ms. Julia B. Wickerham

Ms. Paula Woods

Ms. Mary B. Woolman

For information about joining the

Nicholas Hobbs Donor Society or making

Honor or Memorial gifts, contact the

Development Office at 615-322-8235.

Every effort has been made to ensure the

accuracy of this report. If an error has

been made, we offer our sincerest

apology and ask that you bring it to

our attention by contacting the

Development Office.

Committed toOutreachLUCILE HOUSEWORTH

“I had driven by the Kennedy Center a thousand times,” said Lucile

Houseworth, Vanderbilt Kennedy CenterLeadership Council member, “and neverknew what it was until my daughter Kelseyattended the Susan Gray School in 1995.”

Then two-year-old Kelsey was part ofan exchange between the VanderbiltChild Care Center and the Susan Gray School thatprovided an inclusive early education experiencefor children with and without disabilities. “Thatwas my first personal experience with the Schooland Kennedy Center, and it was very positive,”Houseworth said.

Having more people in the community knowabout the Center’s research and programs is thegoal of the Leadership Council’s new OutreachCommittee, which Houseworth and Dr. KarenPutnam are co-chairing.

Barbara Gregg Phillips, chair of the LeadershipCouncil, invited Houseworth to join the Council. Itwas an easy decision because of all the ties that cametogether. Houseworth knew and respected Gregg,

and she discovered sheknew other Councilmembers like Putnam,their family pediatrician.Houseworth andhusband MarkMagnuson have beenaffiliated with Vanderbiltfor almost two decades.He is assistant vicechancellor for research,professor of molecularphysiology andbiophysics, and professorof medicine. Their

daughter Kelsey was born at Vanderbilt Children’sHospital. Like other SunTrust executives, she hasvolunteered her time and talents in numerouscommunity activities, some of those at Vanderbilt.

“In the meantime, we discovered that ourdaughter, who’s now 11 and attends UniversitySchool of Nashville, has certain language-basedlearning differences. So I became even more person-ally interested in the research going on and in howthe Kennedy Center can be a resource to familieswith those kinds of challenges and many others.”

When volunteering, Houseworth said, “I alwaystry to choose things that are close to my heart. Iwas on the Council of the Girl Scouts ofCumberland Valley for six years, and I did that

because I had a daughter and I think that the GirlScouts is a great organization. And I feel the samepassion for the Kennedy Center.”

Houseworth likes that she’s been asked to trulycontribute, not just attend meetings. “Being reallyinvolved is the kind of role I like to have. I wasinterested in outreach because much of my careerat SunTrust has been spent in marketing. When Ilearned that Karen Putnam was the chair of theOutreach Committee, I felt that we would be agreat match. She’s our personal pediatrician, and Ihave been a fan of hers since the day Kelsey wasborn. She brings the professional experience of aphysician and the personal perspective of parent-ing a child with a disability. Combined with mycommunications and marketing experience, wemake a great team.”

The Outreach Committee is focusing on ways togenerate greater community knowledge of andinterest in the Kennedy Center.

Understanding the importance of research alsomotivates Houseworth. “Because my husband is aresearch scientist, I’ve lived with the researchenterprise on the home front for almost 20 years.Research will help us to really understandimportant issues in child development. To me it’sa matter of not just the present but the future.There’s research going on that will help so manypeople and their families, now and in theyears ahead.”

Lucile Houseworth

10

Hold the Date

New Playground“Giving to the Future” The Vanderbilt Endowment and theVanderbilt Kennedy Center

11

S u m m e r 2 0 0 4 D i s c o v e r y

One way to make a lasting contribution to theVanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on

Human Development is by making a gift toendowment. The Vanderbilt endowment is apermanent fund made up of gifts to the Universitythat are pooled and invested in a highly diversifiedportfolio. Only earnings on the investment arespent, while the original gifts are preserved asprincipal in perpetuity. Gifts to the endowmentmost often are special gifts in significant sums,made to establish or support specific programs,scholarships, or faculty chairs or professorships.

When giving to endowment, most donorsdesignate a specific use for the investment incometheir gifts generate. Approximately 80 percent ofVanderbilt’s endowment income is designated bydonors to support specific purposes.

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is embarkingupon a broadly based effort to advance research,training, outreach, and intervention activities tohelp children and adults with developmentaldisorders and their families. Director Pat Levitt,Ph.D., and his colleagues have developed anaggressive strategic plan to bring together the widearray of scientists, clinicians, educators, families,and community leaders whose efforts will becritical to realizing our vision for the VanderbiltKennedy Center. Significant philanthropic supportis required to achieve this vision.

Endowments for faculty professorships will allowthe Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and academicdepartments to recruit and retain “the best and the

brightest.” The Center’s director and departmentalchairs and search committees are recruiting facultyin areas that will allow the Center and theUniversity to make even greater scientific contribu-tions and provide opportunities to increase ournational and international prominence in the fieldof human development research. Endowed chairsfor top performing current faculty help to ensuretheir longevity at our institution. Endowment forfellowships and scholarships enables us to train themost gifted members of the next generation ofneuroscientists and specialists in the field of devel-opmental disabilities.

The pursuit of scientific knowledge withcreativity and purpose is a core value of theVanderbilt Kennedy Center. Endowments willenhance the ability of the Test and TechnologyDevelopment Center to promote the activities ofCenter faculty who are developing new basic andclinical research and assessment tools as part oftheir ongoing efforts. These new tools may be asdiverse as tests for assessing certain cognitive skillsin children to computer software for automatedobservation of behaviors. Endowments alsosupport innovative pilot studies and researchinfrastructure for the Center’s major researchprograms in Communication and Learning,Developmental Neurobiology and Plasticity, Moodand Emotion, and Family Research. These invest-ments in cutting-edge research provideopportunities for developing nationallycompetitive and funded research programs.

Translating knowledge into practice is a corevalue of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.Endowments are being sought for the VanderbiltKennedy Reading Clinic, to make state-of-the-artreading interventions available to young strugglingreaders without regard to economic barriers; forthe Vanderbilt Kennedy Behavior Analysis Clinic, toensure that challenging behaviors of children andadults are treated effectively so that they can bepart of their families, schools, and communities.By endowing Education and Training Programs,you can help equip professionals with the verylatest tools and information. This is a powerfulway of translating state of the art to state of thepractice in schools and clinics throughoutTennessee and beyond.

Endowment gifts frequently take the form ofcash or securities. In some cases gifts toendowment are planned gifts, which requireconsideration of the most appropriate giftvehicle (e.g., trusts, gift annuities, bequests),potential tax benefits, and long-term estate plans.Vanderbilt’s planned giving professionals arehappy to work with donors to determine acharitable giving strategy that meets theirfinancial goals and circumstances.

For additional information on giving oppor-tunities, contact the Vanderbilt Kennedy CenterDevelopment Office, 615-322-8235.

Jinguan Wu, 17, a student at Oak Ridge High School, is connected to a sensor set in the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center EEGlaboratory by research coordinator Susan Williams. Wu was this year’s winner of the Tennessee Brain Bee, a competition like aspelling bee that tests knowledge of brain facts. The purchase of the original equipment for the Center’s EEG laboratory wasmade possible by a private gift. Pilot studies using this technology led to federally funded research projects. Gifts that supportinnovative pilot studies and research infrastructure are vital to the future of this Center’s cutting-edge research ondevelopmental disabilities.

VanderbiltKennedy CenterLeadership DinnerOctober 21, 2004Contact Elise McMillan, 615-343-2540elise.mcmillan@vanderbilt.edu

Discovery is a quarterly publication of the Vanderbilt KennedyCenter for Research on Human Development designed to educateour friends and the community, from Nashville to the nation.

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is committed to improving thequality of life of persons with disorders of thinking, learning,perception, communication, mood and emotion caused by dis-ruption of typical development. The Center is a university-wideresearch, training, diagnosis, and treatment institute; and aNational Institute of Child Health and Human Developmentdesignated National Mental Retardation and DevelopmentalDisabilities Research Center.

ON THE WEB: kc.vanderbilt.edu615 322 8240

Pat Levitt, Ph.D., Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Director

Kendal Broadie, Ph.D., Deputy Director of DevelopmentalNeurobiology and Plasticity Research Program

Stephen Camarata, Ph.D., Deputy Director of Communicationand Learning Research Program

Elisabeth Dykens, Ph.D., Deputy Director of Mood and EmotionResearch Program

Ann Kaiser, Ph.D., Deputy Director of Families Research Program

Tim Stafford, Director of Operations

Jan Rosemergy, Ph.D., Director of Communications

Elise McMillan, J.D., Director of Community Outreach

Discovery Editor and Writer: Jan Rosemergy, Ph.D.Writers: Stephanie Comer, Traci FleischmanArt Director: Melanie Bridges, B.F.A.Photography: Melanie Bridges, Jon Kent, Tony Maupin

Discovery is supported in part by Grant No. HD 15052 fromNICHD.

Vanderbilt University is committed to principles of EqualOpportunity and Affirmative Action

© 2004 Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt Kennedy CenterPeabody Box 40230 Appleton PlaceNashville,TN 37203

Return Service Requested

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S.POSTAGE

PAIDNASHVILLE,TN

PERMIT NO.1460

Leadership Council ofVanderbilt Kennedy Center

Mrs. Barbara Gregg Phillips, ChairMrs. Honey AlexanderMrs. Madge BassMrs. Ann BernardMrs. Barbara BovenderMrs. Linda BrooksMrs. Cathy S. BrownMrs. Judy ClaverieMrs. Molly EdmondsonMrs. Annette EskindMr. Glenn FunkMrs. Mollie B. GaviganMrs. Bernice GordonMrs. Carol HendersonMr. Robert W. Henderson IIMs. Lucile HouseworthMrs. Bethany JacksonMrs. Ruth JohnsonMrs. Alyne MasseyMs. Pat McNellisMrs. Anne NesbittDr. Karen PutnamThe Honorable Andrew ShookhoffMs. Laurie Lee SiskMr. Richard and Mrs. Rhonda SmallMs. Beth Tannenbaum

Ex-Officio Members:Dr. Pat LevittMrs. Elise McMillanMr. Tim Stafford

Tribute cards featuringoriginal work by artists with

disabilities are an excellent wayto make a gift to the VanderbiltKennedy Center in memory or

honor of an individual. TheDevelopment Office willmail a card to honor/memorial recipient or donorscan complete the card.Tribute cards are available fora suggested $25 contribution.

Blank gift cards featuring this year’s selection ofart by persons with disabilities are available inpackages of eight for a suggested $10 contributionto the Center.

Contact 615-322-8235 or kc@vanderbilt.edu torequest tribute or art note cards.

S u m m e r 2 0 0 4 D i s c o v e r y

Tribute Cards andNote Cards

Community

Research

ConferencesOutreach

Arts Exhibits

Camp

Number 5 Summer 2004

JULY 5-30Explorers Unlimited CampCo-sponsored with Down SyndromeAssociation of Middle TennesseeArts education programming by the FristCenter for The Visual ArtsFor 12- to 22-year-olds with Down syndrome.Provides academic enrichment program inreading, math, and social awareness.University School of NashvilleInformation Sheila Mooredasmt@bellsouth.net 615-386-9002

AUGUST 15-SEPTEMBER 30Explorers UnlimitedCo-sponsored by Down Syndrome Associationof Middle Tennessee and Frist Center forVisual ArtsMonday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.Lobby of Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/MRLBuilding

OCTOBER 11-DECEMBER 31Arts and Disabilities ExhibitsCreative Expressions XCo-sponsored by Nashville Mayor’s AdvisoryCommittee for People with DisabilitiesMonday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.Lobby of Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/MRLBuilding

Vanderbilt Kennedy Reading ClinicFall Session begins early September, extends 12weeksRegistration accepted now, first-come, first-serve, space limitedSome scholarship assistance availablePlease contact caresa.l.young@vanderbilt.edu615-936-5123

SibshopFor siblings of children with disabilitiesTwo groups: 7-12 years, adolescentsGames, friends, discussionsMeets monthly, Saturday morningPlease contact teresa.turnbo@vanderbilt.edu615-936-5118

Ninth Annual Britt Henderson Training Seriesfor EducatorsDesigning a Positive Behavior Support Planto Better Serve All StudentsA workshop series for area public and privateelementary schoolsPlease contact teresa.turnbo@vanderbilt.edu615-936-5118

June 30Conference on Dual DiagnosisPresented by Community Inclusion Project,Vanderbilt Kennedy Behavior Analysis ClinicFor psychiatrists, agency providers, behavioranalysts, and primary care physiciansWednesday 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Room 241Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/MRL BuildingContact Melissa Rogers, 615-322-8185bac@vanderbilt.edu

TYPICALLY FIRST WEDNESDAY OF MONTHSEPTEMBER-MAYGrand RoundsPresentations by Vanderbilt Kennedy CenterresearchersCo-sponsored by Vanderbilt Center for ChildDevelopmentWednesday 8 a.m.Susan Gray School Conference Room 112Kennedy Center/MRL Building

SEPTEMBER 9Special Distinguished LectureFifty Plus Years of Psychometric Advances inthe Assessment of Cognitive AbilitiesRichard Woodcock, Ph.D., Vanderbilt KennedyCenter Visiting ScholarThursday 4 p.m.Room 241 Kennedy Center/MRL Building

DECEMBER 2Lectures on Development and DevelopmentalDisabilitiesSynaptic Formation, Growth, and PlasticityGraeme Davis, Ph.D., Associate Professor ofBiochemistry, University of California atSan FranciscoThursday 4 p.m. Room 241 VanderbiltKennedy Center/MRL Building

NOVEMBER 5-6Fired Up for Down SyndromeFall Conference of Down SyndromeAssociation of Middle TennesseeJulie R. Korenberg, M.D., Ph.D., BrawermanChair of Molecular Genetics, Cedars-SinaiMedical Center (Keynote Speaker)Please contact Down Syndrome Association ofMiddle Tennessee, 615-386-9002dsamt@bellsouth.netFriday-Saturday all-dayClear View Baptist Church, Franklin

Most Fall 2004 events are to be scheduled and will be announced in the Fall 2004 issue of Discovery. Unless otherwise noted, events are free and open to the public.Events are subject to change. Please check the calendar on our web site kc.vanderbilt.edu or call (615) 322-8240.

For disability-related training and other events statewide and nationally see www.disabilitytrainingtn.org.

July-December 2004 Calendar of Events

Take Part in Research

S u m m e r 2 0 0 3 D i s c o v e r y

Number 5 Summer 2004

AUTISM STUDIESAdult Sleep in Autism(persons with autism 18+ years)Mark Harvey, Ph.D. 615-322-8177

Early Social Development in Autism(children with autism or PDD-NOS 24-42 monthsand younger siblings of children with autism orPDD-NOS 12-24 months)Wendy Stone, Ph.D.Lynnette Henderson, Ph.D. 615-936-0265

EEG Power and Growth in Joint Attention inChildren with ASD and Their Siblings(children with autism of PDD-NOS 24-60 monthsand younger siblings of children with autism orPDD-NOS 12-18 months)Paul Yoder, Ph.D.Tina Patterson, M.Ed. 615-322-8276

Genetic Studies in Autism and Related Disorders(persons with ASD 4-22 years)James Sutcliffe, Ph.D.Genea Crockett 615-343-5855

Imitation in Autism(children with autism 24 to 47 months, must live locally)Wendy Stone, Ph.D.Amy Swanson 615-936-0265

Sleep in Children with Autism(children with autism or PDD-NOS 4-10 years)Beth Malow, M.D.Lynnette Henderson, Ph.D. 615-936-0448

Symbol Use in Young Children with Autism(children with autism 2 to 5 years)Georgene Troseth, Ph.D. 615-322-1522

COMMUNICATION STUDIESChild Language Intervention Program (CLIP)(children with language delays 18 months-6 years)Stephen Camarata, Ph.D. 615-936-5125

Childhood Stuttering(children with stuttering 3-5 years)Edward Conture, Ph.D.Judy Warren 615-936-5103

Emotion Recognition in Children with ProfoundHearing Loss(4-12 years and profound hearing loss)Anne Marie Tharpe, Ph.D. 615-936-5109

Emotion Regulation, Child Speech Disfluencies(children with stuttering, 3-5 years)Tedra Walden, Ph.D. 615-322-8141

Intervention Studies in Children with Minimal toMild Hearing Loss(6-12 years, hearing loss)Anne Marie Tharpe, Ph.D. 615-936-5109

TAG Project NEW(children ages 2-5 with specific expressive language delay)Paul Yoder, Ph.D.Elizabeth Gardner 615-343-1725

Talk, Talk, Talk: The Emergence of Language(typically developing children 12-16 months,2.5 to 4 years)Megan Saylor, Ph.D. 615-343-8721

DISABILITIES STUDIESBehavior and Development in Persons withPrader-Willi Syndrome(children and adults with PWS)Elisabeth Dykens, Ph.D.Elizabeth Roof 615-343-3330

Circadian Clock Gene Polymorphisms and Shift Work(persons with sleep problems, especially early orlate onset of sleep, and/or difficulty in adapting toshift work and/or jet lag)Douglas McMahon, Ph.D.Carl Johnson, Ph.D. 615-322-2384

Cognitive Re-Development in Adults withTraumatic Brain Injuries(adults with severe TBI that occurred at least 2years ago, no limit on time or age)H. Carl Haywood, Ph.D. 615-383-8349

Down Syndrome Project NEW(children with Down syndrome, ages 4 to 8 years-11 months, difficulty with speech intelligibility)Stephen Camarata Ph.D.Mary Camarata. M.S. 615-936-5130

Environmental and Neurobiological Causes ofAggression and Self-Injury(persons with developmental disabilities)Michael May 615-400-1303

Environmental Control of Tardive Dyskinesia(persons with developmental disabilities andatypical involuntary movements)Maria Valdovinos, Ph.D. 615-343-0686

Genetic Studies of ADHD(4-16 years with family history of ADD/ADHD)Steve Couch, M.D.Jeannie Glenn 615-343-2010

Linking Health Care and Functional BehavioralAssessments(persons with developmental disabilities 5 to 22 years)Craig Kennedy, Ph.D. 615-322-8178

Musical Interests in Persons with Williams Syndrome(children and adults with Williams syndrome)Elisabeth Dykens, Ph.D.Elizabeth Roof 615-343-3330

Sleep and Developmental Disabilities(persons with developmental disabilities 18-50 years)Mark Harvey, Ph.D. 615-322-8177

INFANT AND YOUNG CHILDREN STUDIESInfant Cognition Lab(typically developing, 3 to 12 months)Sue Hespos, Ph.D. 615-343-7973

Improving Engagement Project(preschool teachers)Robin McWilliam, Ph.D.Amy Casey 615-936-3986

Use of Symbols: Words, Pictures, Video Images(typically developing, 2 to 3.5 years)Georgene Troseth, Ph.D. 615-322-1522Megan Saylor, Ph.D. 615-322-5567

MENTAL HEALTH STUDIESCauses and Treatment of Depression(persons 18 years+ with depression or healthyindividuals with no mental health diagnosis)Ronald Salomon, M.D. 615-343-9664

Development in Children of Parents with andwithout Depression(children 7-17 years and their parents)Judy Garber, Ph.D. 615-343-8714

Mother/Daughter Communication about BreastCancer Risk(family history of breast cancer; mothers, any age,daughters ages 11 to 30)Bruce Compas, Ph.D.Kymberley Bennett, Ph.D. 615-343-4742

Prevention of Depression in At-Risk Adolescents(adolescent offspring, ages 13-17, of parents whohave had depression).Judy Garber, Ph.D. 615-343-4141 or 615-343-8714

Prevention of Recurrence in Depression withDrugs and Cognitive Therapy(persons 18 yrs and above with depression)Steven D. Hollon, Ph.D.Margaret Lovett, M.Ed. 343-9667

Studies of Perception, Memory, Creativity(relatives of patients diagnosed with biopolar orschizophrenia disorder, ages 18-55; people withschizophrenia or bipolar disorder, ages 18-55;people with no history of mental illness inthemselves or their family, ages 25-55)Sohee Park, Ph.D.Mikisha Doop 615-322-3435

Stress and Coping in Mothers and Daughters(mothers with daughters ages 10 to 14; women whohave experienced depression and women who have not)Bruce Compas, Ph.D.Kristen Reeslund 615-322-8290

Teens Achieving Mastery over Stress NEW(teens ages 13-17)Judy Garber, Ph.D. 615-343-4141

VISION STUDIESAlphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille(children ages 4-Pre-K/kindgergarten with lightperception only or no light perception, English asprimary language, potential to read Braille)Anne Corn, Ed.D. 615-322-2249