Intellectual and Developmental Disability News


KU Scientist Richard L. (Dick) Schiefelbusch, 1918-2020, Leaves a Legacy on Disability Research

Richard L. (Dick) Schiefelbusch, University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, longtime director of the Bureau of Child Research, and namesake of the Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies, has died at age 102. 

Researchers land $3.3M grant to test combined interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder

University of Kansas researchers, in collaboration with the University of North Carolina, have secured a new grant to test the combination of two interventions designed to help students with autism spectrum disorder boost educational achievement and improve their transition to life after school.

Study Reveals Less Connectivity Between Key Brain Regions in People with FXTAS Premutation

A new paper in the journal NeuroImage: Clinical from researchers at the University of Kansas reveals a possible early indicator of Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, or FXTAS.

Program Helps KU Prepare Students with Intellectual Disability to Thrive Among Peers

When COVID-19 prompted the closure of the University of Kansas campus, Dana Lattin had faith that students in KU Transition to Postsecondary Education, or TPE, could adapt to their new online experiences. 

Kathryn Unruh earns first Stephen and Carolyn Schroeder Young Investigator Award

Assistant Research Professor Kathryn Unruh has received the inaugural Stephen and Carolyn Schroeder Young Investigator Award for Research in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Established by the former Life Span Institute director and his wife, the $10,000 award is intended for Life Span Institute-affiliated early-career investigators, post-docs, and graduate students whose work involves biobehavioral approaches to neurodevelopment.  

KU Researchers honored for transformative research in the field of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Four University of Kansas researchers join three former presidents and four former senators of the United States as honorees among 87 recognized for transforming the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities during the past 20 years in the United States. 

KU wins grants to develop national trainings to support decion-making in individuals with disabilities

University of Kansas researchers have secured three grants to advance understanding of how to support people with disabilities to participate in the most important decisions about their lives.

Research Gauges Neurodegeneration Tied to Genetic Disorder by Measuring Motor Behavior

The neurological disorder FXTAS (pronounced “fax-tas”) stems from a genetic premutation seen in one of every 151 women and one of every 468 men, called the FMR1 premutation.

KU to Host Conference on Genetic Disorders

The Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training at the University of Kansas Life Span Institute and the Kansas Chapter of the National Fragile X Foundation will co-host a conference on FMR1 gene disorders that will bring together family members, caregivers, researchers, educators, therapists and individuals who want to learn more about this genetic disorder.