It’s National Nutrition Month and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month! So, during this special month, I thought I’d share my experience as a LEND Dietetic trainee.
As a Vanderbilt Consortium Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) trainee, I serve those with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities (NDRDs). The LEND program prepares future health professionals to assume leadership roles, develop inter-professional communication skills, and advanced clinical and research skills to serve those with NDRDs. I am a graduate student working to obtain my Master’s in Clinical Nutrition and my goal is to become an RDN. Through my own passion and interest in nutrition I utilize this individualized approached with each person we serve.
The LEND program prepares future health professionals to assume leadership roles, develop interprofessional communication skills, and advanced clinical and research skills to serve those with NDRDs.
LEND has provided me with an immense amount of insight into the importance of nutrition for those with NDRDs. LEND allows me to provide my own expertise, along with other professionals through case-based approaches. Most recently, through a year-long group project, my team and I developed and presented an interprofessional seminar session about an individual with Down Syndrome to 40 students and faculty. Using a case-based approach, we discussed the roles of professions included in the care of a child with Down Syndrome including audiology, physical therapy, speech language pathology, occupational therapy, special education, social work, and nutrition. I was able to focus on the nutritional implications that are common for a child who has Down Syndrome. These nutritional implications included barriers to feeding, challenges, and comorbidities associated with Down Syndrome such as diabetes, metabolic disease, and potential heart complications.
Additionally, through my Master’s program at East Tennessee State University, I have had the opportunity to research and teach others about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). LEND has provided me valuable resources, and I have been able to provide a unique insight about ASD to my fellow classmates and dietetics practitioners. This has been a great opportunity to highlight the importance of nutrition, and advocate for our role as an integral part of the interprofessional team.