Life Span Institute
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The Life Span Institute (Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies) was created in 1990 out of the 67-year-old Kansas Bureau of Child Research. Today it is one of the largest and most highly regarded human development and disabilities research centers in the country
The LSI brings together scientists of diverse disciplines including psychology, psychiatry, speech pathology, sociology, education, biology, pharmacology, physiology and medicine to study human development from its genetic origins through the final stages of life.
The LSI supports basic and translational research, technical assistance, direct services, consultation and training—notably, training of the next generation of scientists.
The Life Span Institute's 14 centers have more than 120 programs and projects active at any one time in Kansas as well as other states and countries. Many projects directly serve individuals, families, and communities and are located in underserved Kansas City neighborhoods and rural Kansas counties. Many projects are regional or national in scope.
Sub-communities within this community
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Beach Center on Disability [121]
Together with families and individuals affected by disability, the Beach Center on Disability strives to make a significant and sustainable difference in the quality of life of families and individuals.
Collections in this community
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Life Span Institute Scholarly Works [123]
This collection contains work by the faculty and researchers affiliated with the Life Span Institute.
Recent Submissions
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Short report: The role of oral hypersensitivity in feeding behaviors of young autistic children
(SAGE Publications, 2023-02-24)Feeding problems are common among autistic children and are linked to negative health consequences. Therefore, understanding feeding problems and factors that influence these behaviors is important for developing supports ... -
Examination of the ADOS-2 Expressive Language Score in Fragile X Syndrome
(American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 2021-04-28)The development of an expressive language score for people with autism based on the ADOS-2 was recently reported by Mazurek et al. (2019). The current study examined the construct validity of the ADOS-2 expressive language ... -
Sexual Responsivity and the Effects of Negative Mood on Sexual Arousal in Hypersexual Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)
(Oxford University Press, 2020-07-08)Background A number of studies have found that hypersexuality is associated with a high propensity for sexual excitation. In comparison, less is known about the relationship between hypersexuality and sexual arousal at ... -
Maternal well-being and family adaptation during COVID-19 in fragile X syndrome
(Frontiers Media, 2022-08-23)Mothers of children with fragile X syndrome are at increased risk of experiencing anxiety and depression due to potential genetic risk and to stress associated with parenting a child with significant behavioral, emotional, ... -
Effectiveness of Responsivity Intervention Strategies on Prelinguistic and Language Outcomes for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Group and Single Case Studies
(Springer, 2021-11-15)We conducted a systematic review to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and single case research design (SCRD) studies of children with autism spectrum disorder that evaluate the effectiveness of responsivity ... -
Feasibility and Comparative Effectiveness for the Delivery of the National Diabetes Prevention Program through Cooperative Extension in Rural Communities
(MDPI, 2022-08-11)The U.S. Cooperative Extension Service (CE) has potential to deliver the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) to rural residents with prediabetes. However, the CE remains underutilized for the delivery of NDPP. We ... -
Examining the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on community engagement for people with mobility disabilities
(Elsevier, 2022-01)Background The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent mandates upended community participation in the United States. People with disabilities were often more vulnerable to the adverse effects of the pandemic. Some areas of ... -
Effects of a consumer driven home modification intervention on community participation for people with mobility disabilities
(Elsevier, 2022-01)Background Community participation has become a key outcome measure for people with disabilities. This has resulted in a shift in researchers focus from the individual to the environment. However, research has focused ... -
A usable home: A qualitative investigation of the relationship between home usability and community participation for people with disabilities
(Elsevier, 2022-01)Background People with mobility disabilities frequently have unmet needs in their home environment, which can lead to difficulties completing daily living activities. Therefore, it is important that homes are not just ... -
Transportation challenges for persons aging with mobility disability: Qualitative insights and policy implications
(Elsevier, 2022-01)Background Persons aging with mobility disability (PAwMD) experience transportation barriers, which can hinder their ability to fully participate in society. Despite a vast infrastructure of federal laws and programs ... -
Assessing factors associated with social connectedness in adults with mobility disabilities
(Elsevier, 2022-01)Background People with mobility disabilities are likely to report limitations in community participation and social connectedness for a variety of reasons, including inaccessible physical environments, health issues, ... -
Dimensions of community participation
(Elsevier, 2022-01) -
Comparing Measures Of Functional Difficulty With Self-Identified Disability: Implications For Health Policy
(Project HOPE, 2022-10)The Affordable Care Act mandated data collection standards to identify people with disabilities in federal surveys to better understand and address health disparities within this population. Most federal surveys use six ... -
The Importance of Self-Determination to the Quality of Life of People with Intellectual Disability: A Perspective
(MDPI, 2020-09-29)There is both an intuitive and theoretical link between self-determination and quality of life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Theoretically, definitions of self-determination have framed the ... -
Cerebellar Volumes and Sensorimotor Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorder
(Frontiers Media, 2022-05-03)Background: Sensorimotor issues are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), though their neural bases are not well understood. The cerebellum is vital to sensorimotor control and reduced cerebellar volumes in ASD have ... -
Modeling individual development plans, mentoring support, and career preparedness relationships among Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) trainees in the life sciences
(F1000Research, 2021-12-17)Background: As greater career development support for doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers has been emphasized, the individual development plan (IDP) has become a recommended mentoring tool. However, little is ... -
Visuomotor brain network activation and functional connectivity among individuals with autism spectrum disorder
(Wiley Open Access, 2021-10-30)Sensorimotor abnormalities are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and predictive of functional outcomes, though their neural underpinnings remain poorly understood. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we ... -
A Reflection on Community Research and Action as an Evolving Practice
(Springer, 2021-11-12)Community research and action is an evolving field of practice with multiple influences. Its varied ways of knowing and doing reflect recombined elements from different disciplines, including behavioral science, community ... -
Developmental effects on sleep–wake patterns in infants receiving a cow’s milk-based infant formula with an added prebiotic blend: A Randomized Controlled Trial
(Springer Nature, 2020-07-02)Background Few studies have evaluated nutritive effects of prebiotics on infant behavior state, physiology, or metabolic status. Methods In this double-blind randomized study, infants (n = 161) received cow’s milk-based ... -
Weight status and associated comorbidities in children and adults with Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual and developmental disabilities
(Wiley, 2020-07-27)Background Little is known about body weight status and the association between body weight and common comorbidities in children and adults with Down syndrome (DS), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other intellectual ...