The website of TRIAD — Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center—has been redesigned with the aim of helping users easily find the TRIAD services, training, and resources they are seeking.
TRIAD’s mission is to improve assessment and treatment services for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families while advancing knowledge and training.
“TRIAD has grown rapidly over the last several years,” said Pablo Juárez, M.Ed., BCBA, TRIAD director. “We realized we needed to make it easier for educators and families and others who use our website to find quickly the information they’re seeking. And we wanted the site to be easily read on smart phones and tablets.”
The redesigned TRIAD website now has four major sections directed at specific audiences: families, educators and service providers, community organizations, and self-advocates (i.e., individuals on the autism spectrum). Each section has a visual icon associated with related programs and resources.
TRIAD website menu with tabs to frequently used features
“Tabs” at the top of the website quickly link users with frequently used features.
The “Autism Line” tab helps users access the Vanderbilt Autism Resource Line, with its local and toll-free number and email to reach the TRIAD Family Services Coordinator who staffs the line and connects families with Vanderbilt autism-related resources.
From the “Our Team” tab, users can access a directory of “All” TRIAD faculty and staff, or directories sorted by programs: Community Engagement, Early Childhood, Early Intervention, Families First, and School Age. Directories for each program in turn link individuals to their VKC “People pages” with photos and information about specific roles, education and experience.
The “Research” tab provides a brief description of the diverse range of TRIAD research and provides quick links to the VKC StudyFinder page listing all VKC autism-related studies currently seeking participants, as well as a link to the VKC Autism Spectrum Disorders Research page.
“Taking part in a research study often is a way that families can access assessments and innovative interventions, as well as having the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping to advance our knowledge of autism and its treatment,” Juárez said.
The “Resources” tab links users to an array of resources for families, educators, health care professionals, and others. These resources have been developed by faculty and staff in TRIAD and in other components of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. The resources can be downloaded, and several are available in Spanish. Currently 26 resources are available.
The “Training” tab offers two choices, “Live Training” and “Online Learning.”
“Live Training” provides information about upcoming TRIAD training in Tennessee. Throughout the year, TRIAD, in collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Education, offers a variety of workshops for parents, educators and other professionals, and community organizations. These workshops focus on specific topics related to state-of-the art behavioral and educational interventions for children with autism. The Live Training page provides a map of Tennessee’s three Grand Regions; by clicking on a region, the user can view upcoming training events in that Grand Region.
“Online Learning” links users to TRIAD’s new Learning Management System for Online Professional Developmental Opportunities for School-Age and Early Childhood Services, also through TRIAD’s collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Education (read November Notables article). Educators can access Basic Online Training Sessions, which are short, engaging, web-based modules. Participants can receive a certificate of completion for each module completed. Users also can access Live Webinars.
The “News/Events” page provides quick access to TRIAD event listings and TRIAD-related news.
“The redesigned website goes so much deeper than its improved design and navigation,” Juárez said. “We began this effort in July 2016. TRIAD faculty and staff had in-depth discussion about content and organization, keeping in mind TRIAD’s mission and activities and all those whom TRIAD serves. All content on the site was reviewed and revised. I want especially to thank Sarah Blumberg, TRIAD’s School-Age Program Coordinator, who in addition to her training responsibilities, assumed leadership for the site redesign.
“The TRIAD site redesign could not have been accomplished without the expert design skills of Kylie Muccilli, our VKC art director, and Jon Tapp, our VKC webmaster and programmer.”
TRIAD welcomes comments about its website; contact kc@vanderbilt.edu.
Jan Rosemergy is VKC deputy director and director of Communications and Dissemination.
