Researcher Spotlight: Dr. Christina McCrae

Who: Dr. Christina S. McCrae, professor in the MU Department of Psychiatry and director of the MizZzou Sleep Research Lab.

Bio: Dr. McCrae grew up in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania and earned her undergraduate degree from Penn State University before earning her masters and doctoral degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. Before working at the University of Missouri, Dr. McCrae served as a project coordinator and post-doctoral fellow at the University of Memphis and as an associate professor of clinical and health psychology at the University of Florida. She has been at Mizzou since 2015.

What are your research Interests?

“My work in the area of autism is relatively recent, but stems logically from my longstanding interest in comorbid insomnia and the impact of treatment for insomnia on co-occurring disorders. I am a licensed psychologist who is board certified in behavioral sleep and I have a background in clinical psychology with specialized training and expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and behavioral sleep medicine. In 2005, I completed the NIH/OBSS training program on the conduction of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving behavioral interventions. Since 1999, I have been involved in the conduction of multiple federally-funded RCTs involving CBT.”

How did you first get involved with autism research?

“When I moved to MU in 2015, I began collaborating with former Thompson Center researcher Dr. Micah Mazurek on adapting a cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia for typically developing children to children with autism. The treatment we adapted was one that I had developed and used while at the University of Florida.”

What is one thing do you hope to discover or understand better by the end of your career?

“The role of sleep in autism and other chronic disorders that are highly comorbid with insomnia. Perhaps even more importantly, I want to expand my research beyond the development, adaptation and initial testing phases to widespread dissemination to ‘real world’ patients and providers. Often, treatments are developed and tested and the results are published in a scientific journal….and that’s it. By the end of my career, I really want to starting moving those interventions off-the-shelf and out-of-the-journal to reach the patients that need them and train real world providers to deliver them.”

What motivates you to work so hard in this field?

“First, I have always valued the importance of sleep as a foundational health behavior. As a society, we have long recognized the importance of diet and exercise, but have only recently started paying more attention to sleep. I hope to see increased awareness of the importance of sleep and the positive effects of improving sleep on health in individuals of all ages with chronic conditions and disorders. Second, in recent years I’ve increasingly become interested in sleep in children, particularly children with autism, and the importance of establishing and maintaining good sleep early in life. As part of that work, I’m also motivated to work with families because improving the sleep of children can have important carryover effects to parents as well as other family members. Finally, while medical and pharmacological interventions are important aspects of health care, I am very motivated to develop and research non-drug, behavioral treatments and to demonstrate that those can also prompt significant and long-lasting, positive changes in the functioning of the body and the brain.”

Learn more about the Mizzou Sleep Research Lab

The Mizzou Sleep Research Lab investigates the mechanisms underlying normal and pathological sleep, the link between sleep and cognition, the daily variability inherent in sleep and sleep-related behaviors and the efficacy and effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral interventions to treat insomnia in diverse populations. Those populations include children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, overweight and obese people of all ages, senior citizens, dementia caregivers and sufferers of ailments that include pain, cardiac disease, cancer, and end-stage renal disease. As a result of these research emphases, we collaborate with a broad range of investigators that specialize in aging, autism, cardiology, cognition, immunology, neuroimaging, neurology, nursing, obesity, pain, psycho-oncology, rheumatology and sleep medicine. The Mizzou Sleep Research Lab, directed by Dr. Christina McCrae, is part of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.

Trials by Fire

Since its inception in 2005, the University of Missouri Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders has served as a national leader in autism research, advancing the field by improving diagnostic measures, identifying genetic markers that cause autism, and developing effective behavioral treatments for people on the spectrum. Now, in its 15^th year of autism discovery, treatment and training, the Thompson Center is concentrating on expanding a different phase of autism research: pharmacological clinical trials.

While the Thompson Center has long been a leader in research for behavioral autism treatment, including areas such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Social Competence Intervention (SCI), the center, its research core and its leading researchers are now well positioned to expand its examination of the efficacy of various pharmaceuticals in treatment for specific sub-types of autism.

“One of the most exciting areas of autism research is developing and testing new pharmacological interventions,” said Dr. Stephen Kanne, the executive director of the Thompson Center. “The scientific approach to truly understanding whether your treatment is making a difference is called a clinical trial. We are well positioned here, with our amazing combination of expert faculty and staff, to begin pursuit of this type of research.”

“Clinical trials are important in that they can lead to better treatments to address specific symptoms or behaviors,” said Nicole Takahashi, adminstrator of the Thompson Center research core. “It is important for the Thompson Center to be involved in cutting-edge research that has the potential to benefit a large number of patients.”

Running clinical trials can be very demanding and time consuming, Kanne says. A strong infrastructure is needed to run trials correctly. This infrastructure includes specific equipment needs, collaborations with other hospital entities and the personnel with the required expertise. Several of these requirements are met through the Thompson Center research core. This core of expert autism research staffers provides support to the lead investigators, allowing promising results from clinical trials to be achievable.

“Clinical trials require a great deal of coordination with service operations outside the Thompson Center (i.e. phlebotomy, laboratory, cardiology etc.) as well as access to medical expertise,” Takahashi said. “While most trials involve a small number of participants, they can be quite time-consuming to conduct, there is often a great deal of regulatory documentation required. The research core plays a key role in this coordination and documentation.”

Currently, the Thompson Center has three ongoing clinical trials, all led by Dr. David Beversdorf, a Thompson Center researcher and professor of radiology, neurology and psychology in the University of Missouri School of Medicine. The first clinical trial conducted at the Thompson Center is nearing its conclusion, with early results appearing promising.

This trial, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, is examining the use of propranolol, a common blood pressure drug, to help reduce anxiety and improve social functioning in children with certain types of autism. Beversdorf says that while the process of conducting this type of research is challenging, the Thompson Center and its resources are up to the task.

“Beyond the needed infrastructure, recruiting is a second challenge to clinical trials,” Beversdorf said. “The research core also is critical to this mission. The many wonderful families that visit the Thompson Center for clinical treatment are given the option to be considered for potential research opportunities, and we are able to meet the needs for recruitment into studies as a result of their support.”

Takahashi’s team manages a large database of potential research participants, providing Thompson Center researchers with access to a large autism population. Takahashi also credits the Thompson Center’s clinical staff, including physicians, a nurse practitioner and nurse clinicians, as well as clinical services made possible through the University of Missouri to support trials as well as train research core staff to perform assessments.

The second ongoing clinical trial is examining the use of minocycline, a common acne drug, as a means to improve social communication among another subset of children with autism. Beversdorf says access to the entire staff of providers at the Thompson Center makes these types of important studies possible.

“The advantages of having the involvement of our expert nursing staff and physicians, the family resource team, the psychologists, and the behavioral intervention specialists in the care of families also helps keep families engaged by providing a full range of support for their care. This also allows clinical trials to succeed as an added opportunity.”

The third clinical trial is currently in its early stages and involves the testing of a drug developed by the pharmaceutical company, Otsuka, for potential use in treating autism symptoms. Beversdorf says working with his patients on a regular basis drives his passion for investigating all avenues for potential treatments that could improve lives.

“As a physician who personally observes the needs of families with autism, I want to bring forward all possible opportunities,” Beversdorf said. “The potential to see if new therapeutic approaches are beneficial becomes a valuable option to try to help.”

“As we learn more about how autism presents, and how truly diverse a disorder it is, we are also learning that different treatments may work better than others depending on a child’s specific autism symptoms,” Kanne said.

While there are currently three ongoing clinical trials, Thompson Center researchers are working to gain funding and approval to begin others in the future. A future that promises to be filled with more and better treatments for all people with autism.

Highlighting the promise of personalized health care and the impact of interdisciplinary collaboration at the NextGen Precision Health Institute, this type of research is part of the systemwide NextGen Precision Health Initiative dedicated to solving the world’s most critical health problems. Partnering together with government and industry leaders, the NextGen Institute at Mizzou empowers bold cross-disciplinary innovation and life-changing precision health advancements targeting individual genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.

Faculty Spotlight: Meet Dr. Jennifer Weyman

For as long as she can remember, autism has always played a role in Jennifer Weyman’s life.

“Growing up in Miami, my very best friend from a young age had a brother diagnosed with autism,” Weyman said. “I spent so much time with my friend and her family, so I learned a lot about autism and how it affects the entire family.”

Weyman earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of

a picture of Dr. Jennifer Weyman — Dr. Jennifer Weyman is an Applied Behavior Analysis provider at the Thompson Center and an assistant teaching professor of special education in the MU College of Education.

Florida. During that time, she also volunteered at a school dedicated to

children with special needs, including autism. Through earning her degree and working at the school, Weyman was exposed to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and its potential for helping children with autism, for the first time.

“I was able to witness firsthand the great power that ABA can have in

helping transform the lives of children and their families,” Weyman said. “ABA can work for a number of different populations, but to see how effective it could be for children with autism and severe behavioral issues, it really called to me.”

This calling led Weyman to pursue a master’s degree in human service psychology (ABA track) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She then worked with children with severe behavioral problems at an inpatient facility at Kennedy Krieger Institute.

“Working with these children with the most severe behavioral problems, so severe that they needed to be kept in an inpatient facility during their treatment, it once again reinforced how well ABA can work for these children,” Weyman said. “To see children transform from being at risk for self-harm and harming others in just a few months was amazing.”

Weyman then moved back home to Florida where she earned a doctoral degree at the University of South Florida before receiving the call to come to the Thompson Center and Mizzou. At MU, Dr. Weyman holds a faculty position as an assistant teaching professor of special education in the MU College of Education.

“Jen has a strong background in severe problem behavior reduction including working at Kennedy Krieger Institute,” said Dr. Casey Clay, director of the Thompson Center Applied Behavior Intervention Services. “She also has incredible research experience and interest in repetitive and restrictive behavior which frequently occurs in children with ASD.”

“I was drawn to the Thompson Center and the University of Missouri because of the amazing opportunity to work with student trainees in a real-life clinical setting,” Weyman said. “The Thompson Center is unique because so many ABA training programs do not have opportunities for the professors to work side-by-side with their trainees, to truly guide their training while working with real patients.”

Dr. Weyman is also enthusiastic about the amazing opportunities the Thompson Center provides for advancing research in best practices for training ABA students on working with children with severe behavior problems.

“I’m excited to explore and evaluate different treatments for problem behavior including restricted and repetitive behavior,” Weyman said. “I’m also excited to have the opportunity to mentor the next generation of ABA providers.”

And the next generation of ABA providers, and their future patients, should be equally excited as well.

Faculty Spotlight: Meet Dr. Ben Black

From upstate New York to the heart of mid-Missouri, Dr. Ben Black has had many stops along his journey. However, his passion for children with special needs has been the constant driving force that has directed him to the Thompson Center, where he will serve as the new Thompson Center director of medical services.

Growing up in the small town of Argyle, N.Y. in northeast New York state, Ben Black had two primary interests: helping children with special needs and learning more about the brain and how it works. To pursue these

a photo of Dr. Ben Black — Dr. Ben Black is the new director of medical services at the Thompson Center.

interests, Black earned his undergraduate degree in neuroscience at the University of Rochester. During all four of his college summers, Black worked at Double H Ranch, which is a camp in upstate New York devoted to children with serious illnesses and special needs, including neurodevelopmental disorders.

“Working at the camp for four summers was an amazing experience,” Black said. “It exposed me to so many children with so many different needs, including children with autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. It really helped me define my career path.”

The next step on that path led Black to Yale University, where he worked for more than three years as a clinical research assistant. It was here that he met his wife, Nicole, who worked alongside him on clinical research trials for treatments for Alzheimer’s. This experience led Black to medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

Dr. Black continued his medical training at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, where he completed his residency in pediatrics. That’s where he was first exposed to his current sub-specialty.

“During my residency, I did a rotation with developmental and behavioral pediatrics and it really seemed to click,” Black said. “It combined something I had developed a heart for, in children, and the part of the body I was most interested in studying: the brain.”

Having it all click into place led Black to pursue a fellowship in developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City. One of the most glaring shortages in medical providers around the world is the lack of developmental and behavioral pediatricians. In fact, there are just over 600 of these highly trained physicians in the entire country. Top that off with an additional fellowship in pediatric clinical pharmacology and Black gained a truly one-of-a-kind area of expertise.

“During my training, it stood out to me that many medications are being used by physicians with limited evidence behind them as to how well they actually work,” Black said. “I wanted to learn more about how these pharmaceuticals operate in different populations of patients so I could better care for my patients and prescribe treatments that I know might actually work and work safely.”

Dr. Black’s unique expertise made him an obvious choice for the open medical director position at the Thompson Center.

“We are totally excited that Dr. Black is joining us,” said Dr. Stephen Kanne, executive director of the Thompson Center. “Dr. Black has a unique combination of skills, training and talents that will be an amazing addition to our Center. His extremely rare combination of expertise in developmental pediatrics and pediatric clinical pharmacology will enable him to best serve our families and lead our medical division.”

“The Thompson Center has tremendous momentum, which really attracted me,” Black said. “It is a relatively young center, but it has made such great progress in such a short time. It’s already a national leader in autism research and training and I am so excited to join such a fabulous team. Further, the clarity of purpose exhibited by Thompson Center leadership and its whole staff is such a draw. Everything is done with intentionality, in order to better serve patients and their families, and that is so commendable.”

a photo of the Black family, including two children. — Dr. Ben Black with his family including his wife Nicole, and two kids, Julia, 12 and Peter, 9.

As well as working at the Thompson Center, Dr. Black will also hold a faculty position at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Black is bringing his family to Columbia, including his wife Nicole, and two kids, Julia, 12 and Peter, 9. He says the whole family is excited for the move and he particularly is excited for the opportunity to advance his practice at the Thompson Center.

“Throughout my career, I’ve had the amazing fortune of seeing how far children with neurodevelopmental disabilities can come, how successful they can be when the receive the right care and support,” Black said. “It is an amazing experience to not only see that change, but to see the families experience that change as well. I can’t wait to work with the families at the Thompson Center and see that change with them.”

And Dr. Black and his family will be a change the Thompson Center is excited to see as well. Black is slated to begin treating patients at the Thompson Center in mid-January 2020.

Faculty Spotlight: Meet Dr. Lorraine Becerra

When seeking new providers to treat our patients and clients, Thompson Center leadership looks for dedicated, passionate people whose goals closely align with the missions of the Center: clinical care, research and training. When looking to expand the faculty for the Thompson Center Applied Behavioral Intervention Service (ABIS) team, Center leaders had an easy time matching our missions to the newest ABIS provider: Dr. Lorraine Becerra.

Growing up in southern California, Dr. Becerra has always been interested in understanding and teaching behavior; a passion that will follow her throughout her path to the Thompson Center. After earning a bachelor’s degree in developmental psychology from UCLA and a master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from Cal. St. Northridge, Becerra worked with children in special needs in school districts and in home to help them learn socially appropriate positive behaviors.

Throughout her studies and her work with ABA, Becerra’s conviction toward spreading ABA and its effective practices continued to grow.

“ABA can be so effective and it’s so clear and straightforward,” Becerra said. “Being able to see progress in clients, not only visually with how they improve, but also through the data we collect, it is very rewarding.”

In order to continue advance her work with ABA, Becerra chose to pursue a doctoral degree at Utah State University. While Becerra already had the skills and knowledge to implement ABA with her clients, it was during her doctoral studies that she grew her passion for research and training, thus making her a perfect fit at the Thompson Center after earning her degree.

In addition to joining the Thompson Center ABIS faculty, Becerra holds a position as an assistant teaching professor of special education in the University of Missouri College of Education.

“Dr. Becerra’s rich background in skill building programs in early intensive intervention programs for children with ASD made her an obvious addition to the Thompson Center team,” said Dr. Casey Clay, the director of the Thompson Center ABIS division. “Dr. Becerra has held leadership positions on multiple professional organizations in our field and has performed strong research with multiple publications in leading journals focused on ABA.”

“The opportunity to teach students in a real-life learning laboratory such as the Thompson Center is just fantastic,” Becerra said. “Most ABA master’s programs don’t provide the opportunity for faculty to directly observe and train students while they are implementing ABA on children with special needs, which is why the Thompson Center and Mizzou turn out some of the most prepared ABA providers each year.”

To complete the “Thompson Center trifecta,” Dr. Becerra also is passionate about pursuing research into the field of ABA. She has plans to advance her ongoing research on the best practices for implementing ABA as well as best practices for efficient training of students as well as safety strategies for keeping both practitioners and clients safe.

“I really am so excited to be at the Thompson Center and the University of Missouri,” Becerra said. “The opportunity to work with so many amazing children, specifically those with autism, truly is amazing. Growing up with family members with autism, albeit undiagnosed at the time, I was able to gain perspective on the importance of this work. Couple that with the opportunities to train students and advance ABA research and it really seems to be a perfect fit for me.”

A perfect fit the Thompson Center is proud to make.

Expanding Our Reach

For 14 years, the University of Missouri Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders has built a reputation as one of the pre-eminent autism treatment, research and training centers in the country.

Serving as a national leader in the diagnosis, treatment and research of neurodevelopmental disorders is at the core of the Thompson Center’s

mission. Throughout the years, the Center has continued to use its expertise and resources to expand its services to provide interdisciplinary care, including cerebral palsy and natal intensive care unit (NICU) follow up clinics. On November 1, the newest comprehensive care clinic was launched: the Down Syndrome Clinic.

While Thompson Center health providers have been treating individual patients with Down syndrome for years, this is the first time the Center has been able to offer a comprehensive clinic to meet the diverse and myriad health needs for children with Down syndrome. In partnership with MU Health Care, the Down Syndrome Clinic provides multidisciplinary care on the same day.

Dr. Tracey Stroud, a developmental pediatrician at the Thompson Center, hopes this new clinic will help minimize days missed from school and work for patient families.

“We were hearing from families that they had multiple appointments with different providers either in the same month are scattered throughout the year and we’re hoping to provide care that is more concise and coordinated,” Dr. Stroud said.

“This could also allow for Increased opportunities for parent-to-parent support as well as increased opportunities for families to participate in research if they are interested.”

The Down Syndrome Clinic features coordinated appointments with providers from multiple specialties all on the same morning, including:

—Ear, nose and throat

—Audiology

—Ophthalmology

—Endocrinology

—Developmental pediatrics

—Social work

—Additional specialties in the coming months

The Down Syndrome Clinic is held the first Friday of every month. Families can schedule a spot in an upcoming clinic date by calling the Thompson Center at: (573) 884-6052.

Sweating for science

MU researcher uses sweat monitors to predict behavioral issues in adolescents severely affected with autism

Oct. 10, 2019
Contact: Brian Consiglio, 573-882-9144, consigliob@missouri.edu

COLUMBIA, Mo. – When people become stressed, their bodies can respond by sweating. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri are monitoring how much adolescents severely affected by autism sweat in order to better understand when behavioral issues, such as aggression, are likely to occur.

Exclusive Inclusivity

The Thompson Center prides itself on creating an open and accessible environment for people of all abilities. No group illustrates this commitment better than Thompson Center Applied Behavior Intervention Services (ABIS) team, which was recently awarded the Lee Henson Award for Accessibility by the Mizzou Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity.

The Lee Henson Award annually honors those who respond above and beyond to a particular disability, inclusion or accessibility concern or need at Mizzou; champion universal design to make Mizzou a more inclusive place for people with disabilities; and demonstrate and model a commitment over time to improving the inclusion of people with disabilities or the accessibility of Mizzou’s campus and programs.

The Thompson Center ABIS team provides services that encourage their clients to build the skills to prepare them for inclusive environments on campus and in the community of Columbia. In addition, the team also provides training and support for community organizations regarding increasing the success of individuals with disabilities in those locations. Through individualized and group trainings, the ABIS team has prepared different locations and individuals across Columbia to better serve populations with many types of abilities.

“We are so proud of our ABIS team and the amazing services they provide to our patients on a daily basis,” said Dr. Stephen Kanne, Thompson Center executive director. “The ABIS team truly embodies the spirit of inclusion that the Thompson Center strives for daily; they change the lives of every patient and client family that comes through our doors.”

The Thompson Center ABIS team provides behavioral treatment and support to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related disabilities between the ages of 18 months and 22 years. Comprised of six Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA), ABIS is directed by Dr. Casey Clay, a BCBA and an assistant professor in the MU College of Education Department of Special Education.

“The goal of ABIS is to increase access to multiple locations for our clients by teaching them skills that will lead to independence,” Clay said. “Additionally, ABIS’s mission is to increase access to services for children with disabilities. For example, we are dedicated to decreasing wait list for services.”

Recent ABIS service expansion extended assistance to individuals who demonstrate severe problem behavior in the community, individuals who experience challenges in social situations, as well as teacher and parent education opportunities. Additionally, the team accepts generally underrepresented client populations who might not otherwise have the resources to receive these often costly and time-intensive services.

The ABIS team has helped countless individuals within the Mizzou and mid-Missouri community continue to reach their full potential by including inclusive practices in every part of their daily work. The Thompson Center continues to strive toward a more inclusive world, and the ABIS team is leading the way!

Long-Lasting Success Begins with Early Action

As autism awareness around the country continues to improve, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis rates are rapidly climbing, especially among young children. An early diagnosis of autism encourages families to access necessary resources as soon as possible. One essential benefit of an early diagnosis is the child’s opportunity to access early intervention services.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), an evidence-based intervention, helps children with autism learn important social, academic, and safety skills that they may otherwise have difficulty learning. Experts say the earlier a child with autism begins these services, the better they learn the skills.

“Language and communication skills develop faster the younger a child is,” said Emma Keicher, lead behavior analyst at the Thompson Center. “The sooner we can start teaching a child, the easier it is for them to learn appropriate social communication skills. It is equally important to receive an early diagnosis as it is to begin behavior therapy early. The sooner a child receives services, the better prepared they are to be success across all domains of their life.” Keicher also says that early intervention has the potential to prevent severe problem behaviors, such as self-injury, from occurring later in life for individuals who have an autism diagnosis.

To help children with autism develop vital social communication skills early in life, the Thompson Center offers the Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) clinic as a part of their Applied Behavioral Intervention Services. The EIBI clinic is an ABA clinic focused on the development of young children who have recently received an autism diagnosis. Children between the ages of 18 months to eight years are eligible for this intensive one-on-one service, that is individualized specifically for each child’s needs.

“The EIBI clinic specializes on building important skills, such as listening and following directions,” Keicher said. “Most typically developing children naturally learn these skills in their day-to-day interactions with others, but children with autism often require special interventions to understand and exhibit these behaviors. The earlier we can begin teaching our children with autism, the easier it is for them to learn these important skills. It prepares them to be successful in school and other social settings throughout their daily lives.”

Participation in the EIBI clinic includes a behavior assessment, the development of an individualized treatment plan, education for parents and caregivers on how to implement the treatment plan at home, communication with schools and teachers, and individualized one-on-one intervention services. A minimum of eight hours of therapy per week is required for the services to be effective, though based on a child’s needs, more time may be advised. Health insurance often covers part or most of ABA services. To learn more about the Thompson Center’s EIBI or other ABA services, call 573-884-4660 or email MannM@missouri.edu.

“Seeing” a Problem

Providing health care for children with autism can be a challenge for both families and health care providers. Not only does autism often come with comorbid health issues, such as digestive and sleep problems, but many children on the spectrum have trouble communicating even simple health needs when they arise. One such health need that sometimes goes uncommunicated and undetected is visual impairment.

“A typically developing child might be able to tell his or her parents that they have trouble reading the chalkboard at school or watching a television from across the room,” said Bridget Lolli, a nurse clinician at the Thompson Center. “However, a child with autism may not be able to communicate these issues, which can lead to problems not only behaviorally, but academically as well.”

Thanks to support from the Healthy Vision Association (HVA), Thompson Center providers have been able to offer vision screenings to patients in order to identify patients who may be at risk for visual impairment.

“Providing health care to children with autism inherently has it’s challenges,” Lolli said. “Multiply that by several times when it comes to assessing things like vision, especially for providers without special training on working with children with special needs.”

The vision screenings provided by the Thompson Center make special use of technology to make the process as quick and simple as possible. Using an iPhone app called “Go Check Kids,” Thompson Center nurses are able to take quick images of patients’ eyes. The app analyzes the shapes of the eyes and is able to determine if those shapes indicate a risk for visual impairment.

“The app is able to tell us within seconds whether or not a child may need additional care for vision issues,” Lolli said. “If it does identify a child as at-risk, we are able to immediately refer them to an MU Health Care pediatric ophthalmologist who can help address those issues.”

This service is made possible thanks to a grant from HVA. Thompson Center providers hope to expand the visual screening program in the future so even more patients can be assessed for risk of visual impairment.