UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
EDUCATIONAL, school & Counseling psychology
Ruble Receives NIMH Funding to Study
Services for Transition Age Youth
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has
awarded a $693,000 grant to UK College of Education
professor Lisa Ruble and a cross-disciplinary team of coinvestigators to study strategies to prevent lapses in services
for youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In addition
to Ruble, the UK research team includes co-investigators
Harold Kleinert (Human Development Institute), Claire
Snell-Rood (College of Medicine), and Michael Toland
(College of Education). John McGrew, of Indiana
University-Purdue University Indianapolis, is also part of
the research team. The study is among 12 research grants
awarded by NIMH, totaling $7.9 million in initial year
funding. Each project addresses issues particular to one of
three age groups.
“This funding will allow us to find ways to help reduce
or eliminate the disconnect from needed services that often
occurs when students complete school,” Ruble says.
According to the NIMH, the transition period between
high school and adulthood can be especially difficult for
young people with ASD. Once they graduate, these young
people may not qualify for or get immediately connected to
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adult services, supports or age-relevant activities. Research
suggests they are less likely to continue their education or be
employed, even in comparison with young adults with other
types of disabilities.
Ruble’s work will respond to the
need for developing and testing
a model for transition to adult
supports and services for individuals
with ASD. She will further her
work with an intervention called
the “Collaborative Model for
Promoting Competence and
Success” (COMPASS) for young
children with ASD. COMPASS is a
parent-teacher consultation model
Lisa Ruble
that has been shown to empower
teachers, families, and above all,
students by improving educational
outcomes.
While Ruble’s work with COMPASS has been successful
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COE COMMUNICATOR | SEPTEMBER 2014