Projects

Our Research and Evaluation team is involved in several ongoing projects, including:

Equality State Research Network

The Equality State Research Network is a community and practice-based research network that brings healthcare communities from around the state together to identify important community health and education challenges and to develop innovative research that addresses those challenges.

If you are interested in becoming involved with ESRN, please contact Eric Moody.

ESRN Pilot Awards - Summer Funding Recipients:

• Examining the Feasibility of Using an iPad App for Improved Communication Between Pharmacists and Patients with Hearing-Impairment
  

The purpose of this project is to: (1) evaluate the use of a communication app for patients who are hard of hearing or have hearing impairment and its usefulness in interactions with a pharmacist, (2) identify barriers to using an app for communication in healthcare settings, and (3) assess changes in confidence levels for pharmacists and patients when using assistive technology (iPad app) to communicate.

 

• Rural College/University Experiences of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Supports and Challenges

The number of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in colleges and universities is increasing (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Yet, there is a dearth of empirical literature regarding their college experiences making it difficult for higher education administrators to develop large-scale, evidence-based interventions for college students with ASD. This qualitative study begins to fill-in these knowledge gaps by (1) explicating salient challenges affecting college success for students with ASD in a rural state and (2) describing support systems that promote college success for students with ASD. The study is open to students attending a post-secondary institution (e.g. university or community college) in a rural state who meet the following requirements: Adult (age 18+), with a formal ASD diagnosis (including Asperger’s Syndrome, and PDD-NOS).

• Support Needs and Adaptive Behavior Surveys: How Do They Relate and Predict Support Services?
  

Prior studies have indicated the SIS (Supports Intensity Scale) more accurately describes needs of individuals with disabilities than the ICAP (Inventory for Client and Agency Planning) and thus, it may more accurately determine appropriate budgets for these individuals. Currently, the ICAP is used by the Wyoming Department of Health to determine these budgets. My project would describe the relationship between the ICAP and the SIS and would provide recommendations of how to use the SIS to more appropriately and accurately calculate the budgets of the individuals with developmental disabilities.

 

Project ECHO

UW ECHO Networks provide ongoing support for educators, healthcare providers, and families in a rural state where specialized knowledge is not always locally available. By removing these barriers to specialized knowledge, outcomes for students, patients, and families are improved. The Research and Evaluation Team measures outcomes of ECHO networks such as knowledge, skills, intentions to implement, and connections with the professional network.

SCOPE-NTI

The purpose of this national initiative is to train interdisciplinary teams in targeted states on emerging knowledge and evidence-based practices in screening, monitoring and interdisciplinary care for children impacted by Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), trauma, or related exposure.
The Research and Evaluation Team measures outcomes for SCOPE such as knowledge, confidence, skills, intentions to implement, and connections with the professional network.

If you are interested in becoming involved with SCOPE-NTI, please contact Eric Moody.

IES for Autism

The goal of this project is to evaluate the outcomes of the ECHO model as a method of professional development to:

• increase capacity of general educators in rural areas to support students with autism spectrum disorder and related behavioral challenges

• improve educational outcomes of students by empowering general educators with skills and knowledge that will allow them to be more effective

• improve general educator effectiveness and reduce burnout among rural educators.

If you are interested in becoming involved with IES for Autism, please contact Eric Moody.

Faith-Based Supports for Individuals with Disabilities in Wyoming

This project seeks to understand what types of supports (programs, services, inclusion opportunities) faith-based organizations in Wyoming have available for individuals with disabilities.
If you are interested in becoming involved, please contact Eric Moody.

Differential Item Functioning of the SRS & SCQ Autism Screening Tools

Working with the SEED (Study to Explore Early Development) database, this project seeks to understand the psychometric properties of two of the most widely used Autism screening tools: The Social Responsiveness Scale and the Social Communication Questionnaire.
If you are interested in this project, please contact Eric Moody.