Vanderbilt Kennedy Center

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are seeking children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 16 years old who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability to participate in a research study examining the effect of theatre on children with ASD and ID. Read More

Peabody College Special Education research assistant professor and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center member Ben Schwartzman recently received funding from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation to create a peer mentorship program between job-seeking and employed adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, The Arc Tennessee and Able Voices are in search of volunteer interview subjects for the next issue of Kindred Stories of Disability. The topic of the 2024 issue is 'Mental Health and Youth.' Chosen stories and experiences will educate Tennessee legislators and policymakers about the barriers that children and youth with disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions face as they seek access to services. Read More

This May 18 Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Research Ethics Grand Rounds panel discussion will focus on what “nothing about us without us” can look like within a research setting. How can community involvement - namely, participation of disability self-advocates and their family members - be incorporated in the planning stages of clinical research and/or intervention? What might some challenges be? What are some of the advantages? Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Lectures on Development and Developmental Disabilities will host 'Empathy and Morality Should Not Be Conflated,' a lecture that integrates evolutionary theory, neuroscience, psychology and behavioral economics to demonstrate how various social and situational factors unconsciously and rapidly modulate empathy. The lecture will take place on Thursday, May 4, from noon - 1 p.m.; a limited number of boxed lunches (first come, first served) will be provided - please register to attend. Read More

The front entrance and sidewalk to One Magnolia Circle will be closed for 12 weeks beginning Monday, March 20, for upgrades to the sidewalk and front ramp.   Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center welcomes Trenesha Hill, Ph.D., to present her VKC Special Lecture “Anxiety in Autism Spectrum Disorder” on Thursday, April 6, from 12-1 p.m. CT. This lecture will be held in-person in Room 241 of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, with the option to view online. Read More

The 2023 Augmentative & Alternative Communication workshop will be held in-person on Friday, March 31, from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. CT, in Room 241 of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. This annual workshop, designed for speech-language pathologists, special educators, students, parents and family members, will discuss various forms of AAC devices and how to get the most effective use from each. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Conversation Series on Research in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities is designed to share research in plain, accessible language with the community while fielding questions from the audience. The next Conversation will cover “Mental Health in Individuals with IDD” on Thursday, March 30, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. CT. Read More

This annual series of workshops provides training for school teams that include both general and special educators. Workshops focus on innovative evidence-based practices to improve the quality of education for students with diverse learning needs. Read More

The staff at Transition Tennessee have created a survey to understand the needs of career and technical education teachers, and they are looking for participants. Read More

The Vanderbilt University Auditory Development Laboratory is conducting a pediatric research study on the effects of remote microphone system use in home environments of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is seeking adult participants, ages 18–30, for a research study investigating the effects of different noise conditions on brain activity during the Attentional Network Task. Read More

Is your daughter enrolled in a public high school (grades 9–12) and in inclusion for at least 80 percent of the school day? If so, we are seeking the perspective of both you and your daughter on how and why autism characteristics are masked in school via an interview and questionnaire. Read More

"Centering Autistic Perspectives in Applied Behavior Analysis" will be on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. CT. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center will host a special lecture, "Designing Multi-user Collaboration and Learning Technology for Neurodiverse Groups," on Monday, Sept. 19, from 4:10 to 5:10 p.m. at One Magnolia Circle, Room 241, and online. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center will host a special lecture on community engagement on Tuesday, Sept. 6. “Community Engagement as a Valuable Tool in Shaping Socially Valid Practice” will be from noon to 1 p.m. CT. Read More

A Vanderbilt Kennedy Center special lecture, "A New Concept: Neurodevelopmental Etiology of Huntington’s Disease," will be on Friday, Aug. 19, from noon to 1 p.m. at One Magnolia Circle, Room 241. The talk also will be available online via Zoom. Read More

Registration is now open for the fall 2022 semester of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Reading Clinic. The fall term will occur Sept. 12 through Nov. 18. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center recently introduced two brand-new educational resources created by the VKC’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) and the Vanderbilt Consortium LEND Training Program. Read More