Civitan Center Links and Information
UCEDD
Directors
Director
Alan K. Percy, M.D.
Co-director
Ellen Dossett, Ph.D.
The above link provides an overview of the Alabama University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD). This statement provides information about our UCEDD's goals and information on how consumers can contact us to become involved with UCEDD activities.
Click the link above to view an Adobe Acrobat version of the Alabama UAP brochure. (Note): We will be updating our brochure to reflect the new terminolgy and programs of the UCDDs. Click here for a link on the AUCD web site for a detailed description of the UCDD concept.
Child Health USA is the Health Resources and Services Administration's annual report on the health status and service needs of America's children. The 80-page book is available in the Adobe Acrobat format by clicking the link above. It is a compilation of secondary data for 55 health status indicators, and provides both graphical and textual summaries of data and addresses long-term trends.
Early Experience, Brain Development, and School Performance" are the focus of a series of presentation slides now available to the public on the Early Experience web site. The 58-slide presentation in the Adobe Acrobat format provides detailed sequenced graphics, suitable for printing and reproduction.
Links to Ongoing Research and Information of Interest to ConsumersThe following links are updated on a regular basis. They provide an overview of research and links to published information about some of our research, service, and education efforts.
An Overview of Research at the Civitan Center
The above link provides a list of numerous topics under study at the Civitan International Research Center and brief descriptions of the research and/or related activities. This page also provides direct links to some of our related clinical programs. Topics varying from brain tumor research to dental programs are reviewed here.Pediatric Constraint Therapy
Pediatric Constraint Therapy is an exciting new therapy to assist children with neuromotor disorders. Researchers at the UAB Civitan International Research Center and Sparks Clinics have led the way in developing this promising new therapy. The link above takes you the clinic web site which contains detailed information about the therapy and the research.Ready Projects Web Site
The Civitan International Research Center's READY Projects team is participating in several exciting evaluations and initiatives in Mississippi and Louisiana. These projects initially began in 1999 with work in Meridian, Mississippi, and have expanded throughout the State of Mississippi and into Louisiana and Arkansas. Incorporating research, data gathering, ongoing surveillance, and collaboration, these projects in the Southeastern region of the nation assist state and county agency leaders in evaluating the effectiveness of their programs and in developing strategies and recommendations for the future. This web site provides a highly detailed look at the process of collaboration between researchers, local governments and agencies involved in improving early education. The online reports on this site include many examples well prepared data analysis summaries employed in the research.Life Projects Web Site
This diverse site includes links to our Civitan AmeriCorps Project site and Meet Your Neighbor Project (a series of community awareness programs aimed at improving the understanding of and the roles persons with developmental disabilities play in our communities). Visitors to this site will find examples of products created through these programs (these may be ordered if still available). Clinical information as well as unique publications focusing on developmental disabilities are also found here.People with Developmental Disabilities in Alabama
We estimate there are about 163,000 people with DD in Alabama. The 2000 U.S. Census counted 4,447,100 people in Alabama. The 163,109 estimated by our procedures to have DD make up 3.7% of Alabamians, or 37 per 1,000. This proportion is somewhat higher than the national proportion estimates from the most scientifically sound studies. These studies report a proportion of about 2%. The difference could be due to our methods, leading to an over-estimate. It is also likely that Alabama has a somewhat higher proportion due to higher rates of poverty here than in the nation as a whole, and to the direct correlation between poverty and other socio-economic conditions and prevalence of DD. Click the title link above to go to an Adobe Acrobat document containing the full summary.UAB MRRC Web Site
The UAB Mental Retardation Research Center mission is three-fold:
(1) to increase scientific knowledge about basic brain development, particularly factors related to intellectual functioning, mental retardation (MR), and developmental disabilities (DD);
(2) to develop and test the efficacy of preventive interventions; and
(3) to ameliorate the personal, familial, and societal consequences of mental retardation and developmental disabilities through effective treatment strategies.
The link to the MRRC web site above also provides links to research publications by some 40 of the center's investigators.Project Drive Web Site
While Project Drive is no longer being actively funded, this web site is being maintained for public information purposes and to provide an "online home" to one of the key products of the project - "a state approved version of a modified version of the Alabama's Driver's Manual" designed to assist persons with mild cognitive disabilities in obtaining their Leaner's Permit. The online documents include an Adobe Acrobat version of the manual as well as a highly detailed curriculum guide and training materials to assist teachers and other persons interested in this subject.The Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic Web Site
This web site includes information of importance to parents, students, and other persons interested in pediatric neuropsychology. Detailed explanations of the evaluation process, links to publications, ongoing research, community programs, and how to pursue graduate level training are available at the link above.Coming Soon...
1. In the coming months we will be constructing a Consumer Advisory web site which will provide a home for our online Consumer Advisory Committee activities.
2. Look for updated links to publications and programs on this site including an update on Rett Syndrome research and therapy.
UAB Links and Information
You may visit the main list of UAB departmental and staff web sites by clicking here.
The UAB online telephone and email search engine is available by clicking here.