Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Track

APPIC Program Match Number: 150914

Number of Internship Positions: 4

The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) track offers training focused on children and adolescents either with or suspected of a neurodevelopmental disability. Training includes outpatient assessment and treatment, inpatient consultations, interdisciplinary medical clinics, traditional supervision, group supervision, problem-focused case conferences, and an ongoing professional development series with invited speakers. Interns interact with other trainees including psychology post-doctoral fellows and practicum students, speech pathology trainees, medical students, social work interns and pediatric residents and fellows.

Settings

Interns provide most of their clinical work at the Child Development Center (CDC), an interdisciplinary clinic, off-site of the main hospital. Interns also rotate through interdisciplinary medical clinics for half the year such as Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (ND) Clinic. At ND Clinic, interns work alongside a Neurologist, Speech Pathologist, and Occupational and Physical Therapists to assess the cognitive and psychosocial functioning of young children with neurodevelopmental differences. In addition, there may be opportunities to observe other medical clinics such as the Comprehensive Pediatric Feeding and Swallowing clinic. Interns also participate in hospital inpatient consultations for half of the year at the main hospital and our new Behavioral Health Pavilion (inpatient psychiatric care facility). Inpatient consultations are typically focused on behavioral difficulties or differential diagnosis of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities who are currently hospitalized. For half of the year, interns will accompany one of the IDD Psychologists to an off site, rural community to provide interdisciplinary autism assessments in our Rural Outreach Clinic along with Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics and Speech Pathology.

Assessment

Interns work as part of an interdisciplinary team (Physician/Nurse Practitioner, Speech Therapist, Nurse, psychometrician) evaluating children suspected of autism or other neurodevelopmental disability. As part of that assessment, interns complete a full psychological assessment to further document the child’s functioning and generate recommendations for services. Interns also complete traditional psychological evaluations of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Interns conduct Diagnostic Intake appointments allowing for training in rapid case conceptualization and triage to appropriate service line. Assessments are also conducted in the various clinic settings mentioned above.

Treatment

Outpatient treatment experiences are ample and typically focus on issues commonly experienced by children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as feeding problems, noncompliance, aggression, self-injury, sleep problems, and toileting issues. Treatment experiences ma also include parent training (e.g., PCIT, RUBI) and groups. CBT is used to treat depression, anxiety, and issues with emotion regulation. Emphasis is placed on use of evidence-based interventions. Treatment cases may also involve habilitative interventions for adaptive behavioral deficits, school and academic interventions, and early intensive behavioral intervention for autism.

Clinic Experiences

IDD interns provide psychological services for several hospital-based medical clinics. Typical responsibilities include brief psychological testing and behavioral consultation. Clinical opportunities for interns are available with the following clinics where the focus is on children with IDD:

  • Neurodevelopmental Clinic
  • Behavioral Health Pavilion (psychiatric inpatient care)
  • Rural Outreach Clinic

CDC Psychology also provides support for Heinzerling Community (an ICF/IDD facility), Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s International Adoption Clinic, Prader Willi Clinic, Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Fellows Clinic, Williams Syndrome Clinic, Post-Injury Clinic, Batten Disease Clinic, Comprehensive Epilepsy Clinic, Healthy Weight Clinic, Neonatal Follow-Up Program, and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Many of these medical clinics become an opportunity for our post-doctoral fellows.

Supervision

Besides traditional one-to-one supervision (of which interns are given at least 2 hours weekly), IDD interns participate in other educational activities. The first is a Clinical Case Problem Conference during which trainees present assessment cases to other trainees and faculty members. Trainees receive feedback about assessment procedures, interpretation of results, and ideas for recommendations. The interns attend and participate in all case conferences, and will be expected to present at least once during the internship year.

The second experience is the weekly Group Supervision. Group Supervision includes discussion and presentation of empirically based treatment programs and an opportunity to discuss the application of EBTs to the intern’s specific case load. Interns will also have the opportunity to present assessment cases during Group Supervision to get feedback from the group on test battery, diagnostic impressions, and recommendations. The interns will be expected to attend each Group Supervision and present a case at least monthly. Live supervision is provided at most of the interdisciplinary medical clinics. Interns receive at least 4 hours of supervision weekly.

Advocacy

Interns participate in advocacy activities including attending presentations, assisting a faculty member with a lecture, or making school visits on behalf of a client. CDC Faculty are strongly invested in advocacy efforts for their patients. Interns may incorporate different advocacy efforts into their training year.

Research Involvement

The mission of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Child Development Center Research Program is to further the understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) and their effects on individuals and families, including how we conceptualize, measure, and treat NDs and their symptoms, with intent of shaping healthcare delivery systems. Our research lab is imbedded within the Child Development Center, permitting seamless integration of clinical practice and research. Currently, we are part of several multi-site, multi-year projects funded by various sources including the Department of Defense, the Simons Foundation, and the Autism Care Network/Autism Intervention Network on Physical Health (AIR-P)/Autism Speaks. We also are actively engaged in several Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) projects. Faculty and trainees are also involved in collaborative projects with other NCH departments and interdisciplinary clinics (e.g., Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, Neonatology, Neurology, Prader Willi Syndrome Clinic, Williams Syndrome Clinic) as well as unfunded scholarship, ranging from secondary data analysis to quality improvement. Our research team has expanded to include research post-doctoral fellows, which are integrated into many of our projects. Faculty research interests range widely, and include psychometrics, psychopathology/dual diagnosis, suicidality in ASD/NDs, optimization of early intervention and targeted intervention, adaptive behavior assessment and intervention for adolescents and young adults, differential diagnosis of trauma in NDs, and anxiety in ASD.

Hours

IDD interns work five days per week. There is no “on call” coverage and interns typically work 45-55 hours per week.

Intern Clinical Experiences

Weekly Experiences (all year)

Amount

IDA

1 per week

IDA follow up

1 per week

Treatment Cases

3-4 per week

Clinical Feedback

1-2 per week

Rotating Experiences

 

Psychological Evaluations

2 per month for 6 months

Diagnostic Intakes

2 per week for 6 months

Inpatient Consults

2 half days per week for 6 months

Neurodevelopmental Clinic

2 half days per month for 6 months

Rural Outreach

2 full days per month for 6 months

12 face to face clinical hours per week

 

CDC Faculty

Most of the CDC faculty are responsible for training and supervising interns. Supervision takes different forms, including clinical supervision, mentoring, and/or didactic training.

Successful Applicants

Applicants who have been invited to interview for the IDD Track typically have the following:

  • Behavioral therapy/parent training experience
  • Psychological assessment with young children (1.5 - 6 years)
  • Prior work with intellectually and developmentally delayed children

You Might Also Be Interested In

Teen Boy Smiling in Hallway

Internship in Professional Psychology
Article

Application and Selection
Article

Pediatric Psychology Track