Resources

Iowa 1st Five Initiative

Healthy Mental Development

The 1st Five Healthy Mental Development Initiative is a public-private partnership bridging primary care and public health services in Iowa. The 1st Five model supports health care providers in the early detection of social-emotional and developmental delays and family risk-related factors in children birth to age 5, and coordinates referrals, interventions and follow-up.

Visit the 1st Five website to find links to resources for professionals and parents, program materials and videos, and links to related information.

CDC Early Brain Development and Health Resources

A Healthy Start for the Brain

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains information and resources on Early Brain Development and Health, which is essential to the health and well being of children. The website includes links to resources to help support early childhood experiences. Also included is a link to CDC Grand Rounds: Addressing Health Disparities in Early Childhood to the health and well-being of children.

AAP Bright Futures

Bright Futures Guidelines

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Bright Futures is a national health promotion and prevention initiative, led by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). AAP's Bright Futures Guidelines provide theory-based and evidence-driven guidance for all preventive care screenings and well-child visits for infants, children, adolescents and their families.

AAP PediaLink

Online Learning Center

PediaLink: the AAP Online Learning Center provides a continuing education course online, “Promoting Early Brain and Child Development (EBCD): Building Brains, Forging Futures.” The course focuses on child development as the foundation for community and economic development, and includes lectures and learning objectives from the 2013 Peds21 Symposium.

Center on the Developing Child

Harvard University

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University offers an online resource website has brief videos, lectures on video and written briefs which cover the areas of pediatric brain development and the science of children’s social, emotional and behavioral development. Special attention is given to the interaction between the environment in which a child develops and the impact on the developing brain.

Medical Home Portal

The Medical Home Portal is a unique source of reliable information about children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), offering a “one-stop shop” for their:

• Families
• Physicians and Medical Home teams
• Other Professionals and Caregivers

Resources for Special Needs Populations in the Medical Home

Adoption

• CDC International Adoption
• AAP International Adoption - Suggested Reading
• University of Minnesota - Adoption Medicine Clinic

Immigrant Screening

• AAP Immigrant Child Health Toolkit
• CDC: Screening of Newly Arrived Immigrants & Refugees

Genetic Disorders

General

• Medical Home Portal: Quick information about a variety of genetic conditions
• GeneReviews: Good resource for a variety of genetic disorders
• Rare Chromosome & Gene Disorder Guides: Information about some of the more rare genetic disorders
• GEMSS for Schools: Help for school professionals who work with children with certain medical problems

Specific Genetic Conditions

• Down syndrome
• Turner syndrome
• Fragile X

Other Disorders

• Spina bifida
• Cerebral Palsy
• Autism spectrum disorders
  • AAP Toolkit for Clinicians
  • CDC Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • Learn the Signs. Act Early.

The University of Iowa Center for Disabilities and Development worked with the UI College of Public Health to create PrepKids, a preparedness training for parents and custodians of children with disabilities who live in rural areas. Families can access the PrepKids 2017 presentation to help them develop emergency preparedness plans for their children.

The presentation, Personal and Family Emergency Preparedness, is available for free on YouTube. It features the national message, “be ready to take care of yourself for 3 days,” and includes a discussion of the 7 steps to preparedness from the PrepKids Booklet.

Billing & Coding

This website provides information about billing and coding for:

• Comprehensive EPSDT preventive medicine exams
• Developmental testing
• Autism screening
• Adolescent depression screening
• Alcohol and drug use screening
• Emotional/behavioral screening
• Diagnosis

Visit our Billing & Coding page to find more information.

Caring for LGBTQ Kids

Gender-Affirmative Care

Children and teenagers can begin to identify at young ages as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer or questioning (LGBTQ), or otherwise gender nonconforming. Healthcare encounters can be difficult for these children and young adults, knowing how to work with youth who are GLBTQ can promote both their physical and mental health. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published “Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children and Adolescents,” in its October 2018 issue of Pediatrics to provide information on epidemiology, mental health implications, developmental considerations, and a gender-affirmative care model for those who care for LGBTQ kids. Link to the AAP article.

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has an LGBTQ Clinic to serve both pediatric and adults who identify as GLBTQ. Clinic staff have had LGBTQ-specific cultural humility training to assure a welcoming and supportive environment for all patients. Link to the UIHC clinic webpage.

Resources for Transition Planning

The Academy of Pediatrics recommends that transitioning to adult health care begin at 12 years of age. Find more about the transition from adolescent to adult health care from the AAP's Transition Resources.

Got Transition?

The Got Transition website is an excellent resource for professionals, teens and families. It covers all aspects of transition planning.