News and Information from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
Notables is a monthly e-newsletter to share stories about discoveries and best practices that are opening doors and transforming lives for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects millions of children and adults and can make it difficult to focus, stay organized, or control impulses. Although medications are available to help manage symptoms, most current treatments focus on the…
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A new pilot project now being implemented through TRIAD, the autism institute at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, represents an important step toward closing long-standing gaps in how Tennessee serves its most vulnerable youth. For over 25…
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Each year, Vanderbilt University students interview individuals with disabilities and their families as part of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Tennessee Kindred Stories of Disability project. The conversations focus on topics that highlight barriers to services and…
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Since 1976, researchers have been investigating a brain system called the kappa opioid receptor system (KOR). It has been linked to how we experience stress, pain, learning, motivation, and drug use. A long‑standing belief in neuroscience…
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A new five-year project led by Elizabeth Biggs, Ph.D., assistant professor of special education and a Vanderbilt Kennedy Center member, is taking on a long-standing gap in early education for children with disabilities who are nonspeaking…
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The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center has announced the recipients of the 2025–26 Nicholas Hobbs Discovery Awards, a program that supports innovative pilot research aimed at improving the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and…
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On October 27, community members from across the greater Nashville area gathered for an event focused on addressing the pressing issue of affordable housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center,…
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and TRIAD—the autism institute at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, have developed an initiative aimed at improving hospital care for neurodivergent youth through the Behavior Analytic Consultation Service (BACS). Spearheaded by TRIAD…
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Assistive technology (AT) has the potential to transform educational experiences for students with disabilities by improving communication, access, mobility, and learning. Yet despite the availability of state-supported AT resources in Tennessee, many special education teachers remain…
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A new paper published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry outlines a multi-site randomized controlled trial led by Vanderbilt Kennedy Center investigators Julie Lounds Taylor, Ph.D., and Meghan Burke, Ph.D. Working with colleagues from…
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This is a monthly email of Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Notables published by the Communications staff of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Between issues of Notables, you can stay up to date on the latest Vanderbilt Kennedy Center news, information, and resources via the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Facebook page.