Moody Clinic — Outreach and Development Project

Statewide Need
More than half of Texans are black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian or Native American and are less likely to receive the services and supports needed for full inclusion in their communities. Frequently, available services and supports are not culturally competent. Support groups can help people receive culturally competent services and supports so that they can be fully included in their community. These groups can also help the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities better understand how to create change so that services can be provided in ways that are a good fit with the cultural values, characteristics, and customs of the people they serve.

Project Goal
Create awareness of opportunities for Hispanic families so their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) can develop life skills to become more independent. Inform parents about how to recognize developmental milestones and potential developmental delays. Provide support to families to increase the knowledge, resources, and skills needed to raise children with IDD. Parents will be included in leadership roles by serving as volunteer advisors, speakers, and community liaisons. These parents will provide input to project staff as they partner with other groups, community centers, city government, schools and hospitals.

Project Summary
The project launched an awareness campaign for Hispanic families living in South Texas with information relating to development milestones and signs of IDD. Awareness creates opportunities for early intervention for parents and families to seek diagnosis and treatment for children who may have IDD. In order to create such awareness, the clinic’s goal was to increase knowledge, resources and skills of at-risk populations’ parents and guardians.

The clinic created a variety of promotional materials both in English and Spanish aimed primarily to Hispanic Americans. A message of anti-bullying of those with IDD also accompanied the overall message. The project created two public service announcements (PSA), one in English and one in Spanish. The PSAs were put into rotation on three news networks. With audience members of the three networks combined, more than 20,000 households were estimated to have been reached more than once with the clinic’s PSAs.

Brochures in English and Spanish were developed for use when speaking to groups, including parents and agencies. Project staff attended numerous health fairs where outreach efforts were conducted with the aid of printed materials. An “Early Intervention” page was created on the Moody Clinic website. Referral cards were distributed to more than 25 pediatricians in the community for any patient who may be helped through Moody Clinic services.

Families who participated in the project helped Moody Clinic further disseminate the message of early intervention and development, serving as ambassadors through which the clinic’s message was spread, as well as having direct input on the project.

• Impact
  
  • More than 20,000 households were reached more than once with the clinic’s PSAs
  • Families gained new-found knowledge on what to lookout for regarding development milestones to signify if early intervention and diagnosis might be needed
  • Families gained awareness of the kinds of assistance needed when children are not meeting development objectives