All Babies and Children Thrive (ABC Thrive) has awarded seed grants of up to $40,000 to four interdisciplinary teams of Duke faculty, including one co-led by Richard Chung, MD, associate professor of pediatrics in primary care and Scott Kollins, PhD, professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences. The teams will explore new interventions to support positive early childhood development ranging from tools for earlier identification of children at risk for neurodevelopmental challenges, to methods for teaching young children prosocial behaviors, to improving outcomes for black children and families through early care interventions and new teaching methods.
At the end of a successful pilot project, these teams will be eligible to compete for a larger award of up to $300,000 over two years.
From Data Science to Clinical Care: Optimizing Predictive Models to Improve Child Neurodevelopment
Faculty leaders: Richard Chung, Pediatrics, School of Medicine; Scott Kollins, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine
Faculty/staff contributors: Armando Bedoyam, Medicine, School of Medicine; Stephen Blackwelder, Duke University Health System; Geraldine Dawson, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine; Kenneth Dodge, Sanford School of Public Policy; Matthew Engelhard, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine; Elsa Friis, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine; Monica Lemmon, Pediatrics, School of Medicine; Gary Maslow, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine; Eliana Perrin, Pediatrics, School of Medicine; Ryan Shaw, School of Nursing
Early identification and intervention for neurodevelopment disorders, like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), can significantly improve outcomes. However, screening for ASD and ADHD is not currently well integrated into routine pediatric primary care, limiting opportunities for early and effective intervention.
This project seeks to use predictive data models to identify risk for neurodevelopmental challenges earlier and more efficiently, effectively communicate this risk to relevant stakeholders, and develop scalable interventions to reduce risk. If successful, this study has the potential to reduce risk and burden related to neurodevelopmental disorders across the population, including children of color who are at particular risk for late diagnosis and delayed intervention.