On August 29, the Thompson Center hosted the second annual TIPS for Kids Carnival! The event gave kids and families participating in the TIPS for Kids family shadowing program an opportunity to meet with the 2024-2025 cohort of TIPS trainees. The carnival featured games and activities like a dart board, can toss, temporary tattoo station, skee-ball, and more!
TIPS for Kids Program Director Dr. Rose Kaemmerer said, “the TIPS carnival was such a fun way to kick off our family shadowing program and give our trainees and families an opportunity to get to know one another in a fun and laid-back setting. Our families, trainees, and faculty all had a great time, and we hope to keep the carnival as part of our program for years to come.”
Training in Interdisciplinary Partnerships and Services (TIPS) for Kids is the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) training program in Missouri. The TIPS for Kids training consists of 300 hours of didactic lectures by industry experts for the field, interdisciplinary clinical activities, family shadowing, observations of policy meetings or advocacy events, and observations of clinical team meetings. As part of the program, the trainees shadow families to learn more about their experiences and perspectives.
“The family shadowing program has been a long-standing and integral part of the TIPS for Kids training program, and we are incredibly fortunate to have so many families welcome our trainees into their homes,” said Dr. Kaemmerer. “Every fall semester, TIPS trainees are paired with a family in the community to showcase what life is like for children with disabilities and their families outside of the clinic setting. Shadowing these families is invaluable in helping trainees understand families’ perspectives and their experiences navigating various systems.”
The goals of this program are to build leaders in various healthcare professions that serve children with autism or other special healthcare needs and to provide interdisciplinary evaluation and assessment services to children with special healthcare needs.