Are you a family of an individual with special needs?
Do you need help finding disability resources?
Are you having difficulty communicating with a School or Health Care Provider?
Do you and your family need help transitioning to adult care?
Are you searching for resources to coordinate your child’s care?
The LEND Clinic can help empower you and your family
What is the LEND Clinic?
Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, the LEND Center of Pittsburgh is one of 52 Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs in 44 states and the District of Columbia. LEND programs work together to address national issues of importance to children with disabilities and their families, exchange best practices, and develop shared products. LEND is a member of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), a national network of interdisciplinary centers advancing policy and practice through research, education, leadership, and service for and with individuals with developmental disabilities, their families, and communities.
The LEND team includes faculty from the University of Pittsburgh, representatives from community agencies that provide services for individuals with developmental disabilities, civic leaders, parents of children with disabilities, and self-advocates. The mission of LEND is two-fold: 1.) to educate a new generation of leaders in the field of disabilities, and 2.) to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families.
LEND Clinic is held at the Oakland Medical Building located at:
3414 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15213
On Wednesday afternoons from October -March
What does LEND do for families?
The LEND Clinic is held two Wednesday afternoons each month during the fall and spring academic semesters. Families of children with disabilities visit the LEND Clinic along with their child to receive support through a multi-disciplinary evaluation that results in recommendations in a variety of areas, such as:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Physical Therapy
- Audiology
- Speech & Language Pathology
- Social Work
- Psychology
- Occupational Therapy
- Family & Advocacy
- & other clinical, education, or public health fields and disciplines
The leadership team for the LEND Clinic includes University of Pittsburgh faculty, pediatric residents from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, LEND trainees who are students enrolled in advanced graduate programs in health care, education, and public health, and parents of children with disabilities. A clinic team is assigned to work with the family throughout the process and, dependent on the family's concerns for their child, the team may make home, school, and/or community visits related to the child. A "case leader" continues to follow up with the family subsequent to the clinic visit to assist the family in implementing those recommendations the family wishes to pursue. The overarching objective of the team is to focus on the family's concerns and goals and to help facilitate access to resources and other recommendations.
How it works:
- Initial phone intake and setting an appointment with LEND staff
- Multidisciplinary Team Home and/or School Visit – The LEND team will meet you in your home or other location to become acquainted, review goals, and identify how to best help you.
- Family-Centered Clinic Visit – You will meet with the LEND team and clinical professionals in the LEND clinic at the Oakland Medical Building to gather information, collaborate to define target areas, and be provided with resources based on your family’s goals.
- Continuous Follow-Up – The LEND team will follow up with you to ensure the implementation of resources and recommendations are helpful to you post-clinic. This might include meetings with your school or other service providers, telephone, or email communication.
What do families do for LEND?
The LEND Clinic utilizes the principles of case-based learning to give trainees from multiple disciplines the opportunity to develop leadership skills. The LEND Clinic is a primary tool for providing direct training to a group of graduate and post-graduate students, with the goal of nurturing a new generation of leaders in the field of disabilities. These leaders are needed to respond to regional and national needs for innovative, family-centered, community-based, scientifically motivated and clinically effective services for individuals with disabilities and their families. Family participation in the LEND Clinic and the overall process is crucial to influence the training of this new generation of health care professionals who will provide care to children with disabilities in the future.
For more information, please call:
Clinic Coordinator
Amy Wetmore
412-692-6538