News

Thu, 09/21/2023

Study identifies grammar challenge task with potential to identify language disorder among older children

To help identify Specific Language Impairment (SLI) in children who are beyond their preschool years, researchers at the KU Life Span Institute have evaluated a new, more grammatically challenging language task to aid in diagnosis.

Mon, 09/18/2023

SOAR conference to host individuals with disabilities to promote self-advocacy

“Nothing about us without us” has been a slogan for disability rights advocates for more than 30 years. The phrase highlights the need for people with disabilities to be at the table when decisions about disability policy are being made. ...

Mon, 09/11/2023

Community health researchers support program that aims to reduce family separation

The KU Center for Community Health and Development provided support for an initiative to prevent poverty-related issues that lead to family separation in Louisiana.

Fri, 09/08/2023

Study Shows Food from Tobacco-owned brands more 'hyperpalatable' than competitors' food

Many of us know all too well the addictive nature of a big portion of food in the United States — most call it “junk food.” In fact, this kind of salty, sweet and high-fat fare makes up the lion’s share of what’s marketed to Americans. ...

Thu, 09/07/2023

Distinguished Professor's Lecture to Address Self-determination for People with Disabilities

Karrie Shogren will present her inaugural distinguished professor lecture, “Advancing Self-Determination: Building Systems of Supports with the Disability Community,” at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 14 in the Kansas Room of the Kansas Union.

Tue, 09/05/2023

Q & A with researcher Tera Fazzino: What to know about 'hyperpalatable' foods

Hyperpalatability is a way of categorizing foods we might commonly call "junk food." They were first described by Tera Fazzino, assistant professor of psychology at KU and associate director of the Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment at the KU Life Span Institute. We reached out her to...

Fri, 09/01/2023

KU researchers partner with state to better understand experiences of Kansans on disability services waitlist

The KU Life Span Institute is working the state to better understand the impact to thousands of Kansans stuck on a waitlist for disability services. Researchers are looking for solutions to the current backlog as well as how to prevent future delays for essential support services.

Wed, 08/30/2023

Study Demonstrates Adding Complex Component of Milk to Infant Formula Confers Long-Term Cognitive Benefits

Five-and-a-half-year-olds whose baby formula had included milk fat globule membranes and lactoferrin (MFGM+LF) went on to perform nearly 5 points higher on IQ tests years after they were weaned.

Fri, 08/25/2023

Partners Announced for KU Initiative to Move Toward Rightful Presence in Regular Education Classrooms

Research center at the Life Span Institute announces four state education agencies selected as partners on project directed toward creating changes in systems, policies, and practices. Each was selected for its high level of commitment to and progress toward inclusion of students with disabilities.

Fri, 08/25/2023

Intensive grant development program launches

The KU Life Span Institute has launched a nine-month intensive program focused on supporting early career investigators in their efforts to secure federal grant funding for intellectual and developmental disability research. ...

Wed, 08/23/2023

Cofrin Logan Center Clinical Director reflects on KU Medical Center career

"When I arrived at the KU Medical Center campus as a first-year faculty member almost 40 years ago, we existed in a small, visibly aging complex that needed a whole lot of love and support from the community to get back on its feet," said Bruce Liese, clinical director of Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment and professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry at KU Medical Center.

Tue, 08/22/2023

Trina Spencer named director of longtime KU research center

Trina Spencer, PhD, has been named director of the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, one of 12 research subcenters at the KU Life Span Institute.

Tue, 08/15/2023

Study identifies best ways of helping teachers support students with autism

A new study from the University of Kansas and University of Washington sheds light on the best ways to train teachers so they understand the practices and can implement them in their classrooms.

Tue, 08/01/2023

Researchers to identify key brain and behavioral changes in aging women with premtuations of the Fragile X gene, FMR1

Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome is a genetic disorder first documented in a small group of men who had grandchildren with Fragile X Syndrome. Scientists are now looking to learn more about its effect in women.

Wed, 07/26/2023

Researchers to study program aimed at improving equity in children’s health in Kansas City, Kan., communities

KU researchers have been awarded a federal grant to improve language and communication skills in underserved communities in Kansas as part of an intervention program shown to be effective in multiple settings.

Wed, 07/05/2023

KU resource for community change expands to offer online courses

An online resource based at the University of Kansas and accessed by more than 6 million people annually has expanded to offer a group of online courses focused on leadership, communication, advocacy and much more. ...

Fri, 06/16/2023

Pharmacy researcher develops intervention for metabolic diseases

Liqin Zhao, KU associate professor of pharmacology & toxicology and investigator at the Life Span Institute, has developed a treatment that could apply to heart disease, stroke and a host of other human diseases related to metabolism.

Thu, 06/15/2023

Defense Department funds KU research project on eating disorders in military

A University of Kansas researcher who developed the first screening tool for eating disorders in veterans has been awarded a four-year, $4.2 million grant by the Department of Defense to address this condition in active-duty members of the military.

Thu, 06/08/2023

Advice for Accessing the Outdoors

A physical disability shouldn't mean saying goodbye to the great outdoors. Public parks are for everyone, and increased accessibility in the Sunflower State has opened opportunities for everyone to get outside.

Thu, 06/01/2023

Tera Fazzino shares 'hyperpalatable' food research with host of nutrition science YouTube channel

KU Life Span Institute investigator Tera Fazzino’s research on “hyperpalatable” foods caught the attention of YouTuber Chris MacAskill, who on March 25 featured her on his Plant Chompers channel.

Tue, 05/09/2023

KU Experts Author Guide to Transforming Schools Based on Research in Education, Disability

When University of Kansas researchers were invited to write a book for a W. W. Norton & Company series focused on inclusive education for students with disabilities, they worked with the editors of the series to rethink the concept of “inclusion” itself. ...

Mon, 05/08/2023

5 Barriers That Impact People with Disabilities

Following National Barrier Awareness Day on May 7, we’re calling attention to several ways people with disabilities encounter obstacles in their daily lives — and why accessibility for everyone is important.

Wed, 05/03/2023

Cofrin Logan bar lab plays host to SAPEC 'Barstander' intervention training session

The Cofrin Logan Center's bar lab plays host to SAPEC 'Barstander' training session to help students identify warning signs of escalating behavior, build their confidence as bystanders and to allow them to fail safely at trying out different intervention strategies.

Mon, 05/01/2023

An overview of what the NIMH Data Archive (NDA) is and how REDCap can be customized for data sharing to the NDA

The research project you’re working on has a data sharing and archiving requirement with the NIMH Data Archive: what does that mean? ...

Fri, 04/28/2023

KU promotes the intellectual diversity in higher education during Think College Awareness Week

More than 300 universities and colleges offer programs for students with intellectual disabilities. KU is home to Transition to Postsecondary Education, the state's only inclusive postsecondary education program for people with intellectual disabilities.

Thu, 04/27/2023

Research Rising Intensive Grant Training Program Announced

Researchers affiliated with the Life Span Institute's Research Rising project, Advancing Intellectual and Developmental Disabilty Research at KU, are accepting applications for a training program focused on early career investigators studying intellectual and developmental disability research. ...

Thu, 04/27/2023

Project awarded $250K to increase inclusion in research for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

A team at the University of Kansas has been approved for a $250,000 funding award by the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The funds will support a project designed to expand inclusion in research for people with intellectual and developmental...

Wed, 04/26/2023

New federally-funded project builds on research to reduce youth violence

Jomella Watson-Thompson is leading one of only five federally-funded national centers of excellence on youth violence prevention with the Youth Violence Prevention Research Center-Kansas City (YVPC-KC).

Tue, 04/25/2023

New smartphone app helps students with eating disorders at KU

The Building Healthy Eating and Self-Esteem Together for University Students, or “BEST-U,” app has been helping students at KU living with eating disorders and soon could be expanded to other universities.

Sun, 04/23/2023

A look back at the 2023 Gatlinburg Conference

The KU Life Span Institute hosted the Gatlinburg Conference on Research and Theory in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities April 10-13, 2023. One of the premier conferences for behavioral scientists conducting research on intellectual and developmental disabilities, the conference brings together scientists from around the world to discuss research and collaborate. ...

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