DHDD Newsletter – August 2019

A Note from the DHDD Director:

Dear colleagues –

As the sun sets on summer and we welcome the start of the new school year, we are excited to take part in CDC’s Back to School campaign this month. We recently produced a back-to-school podcast to provide parents and caregivers with information about planning for emergencies that might occur during the school day– Please take a listen! We also dove right into the ‘blogosphere’ this month with a story on AAP Voices. We are appreciative of all our partners’ efforts in helping us expand our reach through social media and getting our messages out to a wide audience!

– Dr. Georgina Peacock, Director, DHDD
dhdddirector@cdc.gov

DHDD Prepares for Back-to-School

Planning Ahead: Discuss an Emergency Plan with your Child and School

DHDD’s back-to-school podcast provides recommendations and reminders about the importance of parents knowing what emergency plans their child’s school or childcare center has in place.

Helpful Preparedness Tips – Easy as ‘A-B-C’:

“ASK” how you would be reunited with your child in an emergency or evacuation.

• Parents and caregivers are encouraged to request a copy of their child’s school or childcare center’s emergency plan.

“BRING” extra medications, special food, or supplies your child would need if you were separated overnight.

• For children with special health care needs, include in an emergency plan any medicines or assistive devices (for example, a motorized wheelchair) the child may need.

“COMPLETE” a backpack card and tuck one in your child’s backpack and your wallet.

Complete an emergency card with the help of your child that can be kept in his or her backpack.

New Publication on Emergency Preparedness

Evaluating Natural Disaster Preparedness Materials for Families

Natural disasters are becoming increasingly common, so health organizations need to be sure that families can understand and use the information available online for such emergencies.

Read more from a recent DHDD co-authored article in Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness about risk communication and how public health agencies can better ensure that the public has the information needed to prepare for emergencies.

Planning Before, During and After an Emergency

DHDD in Action

Photo: Chicago, IL skyline accessed from https://convention.apa.org/

DHDD attends APA Convention

DHDD’s Child Development Studies (CDS) team participated in the American Psychological Association (APA) Convention in Chicago, IL, from August 7-10. They took part in sessions on promoting resilience in at-risk families and on understanding the barriers that families with children who have intellectual and developmental disabilities face in getting services for their children.

Leading up to the convention, CDS leadership attended a related summit on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) hosted by APA’s Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, with the goal of discussing strategies and developing a report for ensuring the successful translation of research on ACEs into practice.

DHDD Partner Presentation

DHDD was delighted to host guest speakers from Georgia State University’s Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) and The Arc Georgia who presented on Changing Words to Represent a Changing World at a recent divisional meeting.

DHDD’S mission is to lead inclusive programs to optimize the health and development of children and adults with, or at risk for, disabilities.