“The Promise of Discovery” is a podcast hosted by the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) that highlights research in intellectual and developmental disabilities. The goals of the podcast are to host conversations about research in plain language and to highlight “real world” implications. The discussions cover why the research matters in the lives of people with disabilities and families, how the research impacts and enhances what we know already and/or raises additional questions in the field, and what implications the research might have for policy.

The Promise of Discovery - Season 1

The Promise of Discovery Episode 13: 

Many deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children struggle with reading and the severity of the impairment for some children increases with age. Despite this, we know very little about the brain mechanisms for successful reading in DHH children and do not know why some DHH children are good readers and other are not. The research discussed in this episode uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 10- to 15-year-old hearing children as well as in DHH children with predominant signed language, predominant oral language, or bimodal (signed and oral) language. The longitudinal approach follows children two years later and allows an investigation of how reading gains are related to brain changes over time and whether this varies with age. 

VKC Researcher: James Booth, Ph.D., Patricia & Rodes Hart Chair and Professor of Psychology & Human Development

Interviewer: Daniel Devor, project coordinator, Brain Development Lab.

Watch the video of the podcast with ASL interpretation at:
https://share.vidyard.com/watch/YwWsiMVZsLfTgnk61a4yEX?

Brain mechanisms underlying skilled reading in children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

The Promise of Discovery Episode 14: 

This episode outlines research focused on a new treatment strategy for Rett syndrome and related disorders, tests the hypothesis that there may be specific Rett syndrome populations that are most likely to respond effectively and safely to the treatment, and discusses specific biomarkers, like EEG, that might be used to test how the brain responds. 

VKC Researcher: Colleen Niswender, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor of Pharmacology; Director of Molecular Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery

Interviewer: Sheryl Anne Vermudez, Graduate Student in Pharmacology, Niswender laboratory

Drug discovery in academia: Testing a potential new therapeutic for Rett syndrome

The Promise of Discovery Season 2, Episode 1: 

The research discussed in this episode focuses on how low doses of the drug ketamine produce fast and long-term antidepressant effects and identifies the gene (MeCP2) and processes in the brain that are involved. 

VKC Researcher: Lisa Monteggia, Ph.D., Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute; Professor of Pharmacology

Interviewer: Jeffrey L. Neul, M.D., Ph.D., Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair and Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center; Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology, Pharmacology, and Special Education

Ketamine’s Antidepressant Effects

The Promise of Discovery Season 2, Episode 2:

The research in this episode focuses on an intervention for educators to use in schools to support minimally verbal students with autism (ages 5-9) to establish social and communication skills, particularly with their peers. 

VKC Researcher: Elizabeth Biggs, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Special Education
Interviewer: Emilee Spann, graduate student, Special Education

Peer network intervention to improve social communication and peer relationships

The Promise of Discovery Season 2, Episode 3:

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researchers in this episode are studying how technology (wearable sensors, new apps, and machine learning) might improve how we understand, predict, and treat problem behaviors in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They also dig into the ethical considerations of their study and of behavioral interventions more broadly. 

VKC Researchers: 
Amy Weitlauf, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics; VKC TRIAD Associate Director of Research

John Staubitz, M.Ed., BCBA, TRIAD Behavior Consultation Coordinator; Behavioral/Educational Consultant; Assistant in Pediatrics, School of Medicine

Wearable technology and identifying pre-cursors of challenging behaviors

The Promise of Discovery Season 2, Episode 4:

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researchers in this episode are studying the connection of Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease. The Trial-Ready Cohort-Down Syndrome Study will identify individuals over age 35 with Down syndrome, obtain information about how they are functioning, and evaluate their brain activity and structure. This work will identify individuals with Down syndrome who may be eligible for a future medication study with the goal of reducing their risk for the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

VKC Researcher: Paul Newhouse, M.D., Jim Turner Professor of Cognitive Disorders; Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Pharmacology, and Medicine; Director, Vanderbilt Center for Cognitive Medicine

Interviewer: Elise McMillan, J.D., Co-Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities; Director of Community Engagement and Public Policy; and Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Reducing risk of Alzheimer’s Disease in individuals with Down syndrome

The Promise of Discovery Season 2, Episode 5:

The estimated prevalence of children in the U.S. with autism spectrum disorder has increased in 2021. Principal investigators from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s TRIAD lead tracking in Tennessee through a grant from the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. The national tracking study is discussed in this episode. https://vkc.vumc.org/vkc/triad/autismdata/

VKC Researchers: 
Zachary E. Warren, Ph.D., Director, Division of Developmental Medicine, Vanderbilt Department of Pediatrics; Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, and Special Education; Executive Director, VKC TRIAD

Alison Vehorn, M.S., Clinical Research Coordinator, TRIAD

Tracking autism prevalence in Tennessee and the U.S.

The Promise of Discovery Season 2, Episode 6:

This episode features discussion of a national survey of special education teachers to assess the level of training they received in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and to collect their reflections and recommendations to support students who use AAC in their classrooms.  

VKC Researcher: 
Alexandra Da Fonte, Ph.D., associate professor of the Practice, Director of Professional Studies, Vanderbilt University

Guest Researcher:
Miriam Boesch, Ph.D., associate professor of Special Education, University of North Texas

Training for special education teachers in augmentative and alternative communication

The Promise of Discovery Season 2, Episode 7:

This episode features a discussion of the need for meaningful therapies in Rett syndrome (RTT), and highlights the Lavender™ study, a phase 3, 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of the drug trofinetide in 187 young females, ages 5 to 20, with Rett syndrome. Investigators discuss public, top-level results of the potential first-of-its-kind drug to treat the symptoms of RTT, and share the hope that this trial paves the way for other successful trials in RTT and related disorders.

VKC Researchers: 

Jeffrey L. Neul, M.D., Ph.D., Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair and Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center; Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology, Pharmacology, and Special Education

Cary Fu, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Neurology

Potential Rett syndrome drug shows promising results in phase 3 trial

The Promise of Discovery Episode 1: 
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researchers are using electronic medical record information and biological samples to better understand how Down syndrome is related to a variety of disorders and conditions. 

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Jeffrey Neul, M.D., Ph.D., Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair and Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center; Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology, Pharmacology, and Special Education

Interviewer: Elise McMillan, J.D., Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities; Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Understanding critical issues in Down syndrome

The Promise of Discovery Episode 2:
Language growth in in young children with disabilities

The Vanderbilt KidTalk project facilitates studies focused on language learning in young children with disabilities. Interventions typically focus on teaching partners (parents, siblings, peers, etc.) to support language development in children who have language delays. 

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Ann Kaiser, Ph.D., Susan Gray Chair in Education and Human Development; Professor of Special Education and Psychology

Interviewer: Elise McMillan, J.D., Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities; Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Language Growth In Young Children With Disabilities

The Promise of Discovery Episode 3:
Learning how children with autism spectrum disorders process sensory information

A multidisciplinary, 5-year project focused on understanding how the brain integrates information coming in from multiple senses, and whether we can train multisensory integration abilities in children with autism.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researchers:
Mark Wallace, Ph.D., Louise B. McGavock Endowed Chair; Professor of Hearing & Speech Sciences, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, and Psychology; Dean, Vanderbilt University Graduate School
Tiffany Woynaroski, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Hearing & Speech Sciences
Carissa Cascio, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Interviewer: Jacob Feldman, Hearing and Speech Sciences Graduate Student

Learning How Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders Process Sensory Information

The Promise of Discovery Episode 4:
Paul Yoder: A career in helping children learn to talk 

Paul Yoder, Ph.D., retired from Vanderbilt University in late 2019. A long-time Vanderbilt Kennedy Center investigator, he studied communication and language and intervention in children with language delays. In this episode, Yoder discusses what he learned over the course of his career about young children and communication.   

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Paul Yoder, Ph.D., Professor of Special Education (Retired)

Interviewer: Catherine Bush

Paul Yoder: A career in helping children learn to talk

The Promise of Discovery Episode 5:

Laurie Cutting: Understanding how brain mechanisms interact to predict academic outcomes

Cutting is among only 33 Vanderbilt researchers to have received an NIH Merit Award, and one of only 5 women. In this NIH research, she is measuring academic achievement and changes in brain structure and function. The ultimate goal is to develop brain-based causal models of academic achievement to effectively individualize instruction in a way that promotes academic success and prevents academic struggles.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Laurie Cutting, Ph.D., Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Special Education; Professor of Psychology, Radiology, and Pediatrics; Associate Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center; Director, IDDRC Translational Neuroimaging Core C; Faculty Director, VKC Reading Clinic.

Interviewer: Sissy Peters, Program Director, VKC Reading Clinic and ECHO Reading

Understanding how brain mechanisms interact to predict academic outcomes

The Promise of Discovery Episode 6:
Testing an app to help pediatricians recognize autism risk in young children

Researchers from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and partners from technology start-up Adaptive Technology Consulting discuss the evaluation of a mobile app called Autoscreen, which is currently being tested and is designed to help pediatricians recognize autism risk in young children.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Amy Weitlauf, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics and TRIAD Associate Director of Research discusses the Autoscreen app with developer Joshua Wade.

Testing an app to help pediatricians recognize autism risk in young children

The Promise of Discovery Episode 7:

Understanding how social information is processed within the reward circuit has the potential to uncover molecular targets with positive therapeutic potential. The investigators’ research efforts using a model of early immune activation aim to elucidate the molecular and circuit modifications induced by these immunological factors that ultimately contribute to alterations in reward processing. It is the vision of this research that the specificity of the approach will uncover a novel therapeutic tool to help treat social dysfunction.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Brad Grueter, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Interviewer: Erin S. Calipari, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pharmacology

Understanding how social information is processed within the reward circuit

The Promise of Discovery Episode 8: 

Sense Theatre is a unique intervention research program that brings together theatre techniques and peer actors to enhance social competence in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The program includes theatre games, character development, improvisation, singing, and the performance of an original play with themes of belonging, acceptance, and making friends. Research has demonstrated that the communication and social skills of children with autism can be significantly enhanced through participation in structured theatrical and musical experiences.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Blythe A. Corbett, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Psychology

Interviewer: Emelyne Bingham, Senior Lecturer in the Teaching of Music

Using theatre to improve social communication skills in individuals on the autism spectrum

The Promise of Discovery Episode 9: 

This episode outlines a qualitative study to explore the disability identity development of college students with disabilities. The results led to establishing a model of psychosocial identity development for individuals with disabilities. The model highlights four developmental statuses: acceptance, relationship, adoption and engagement. The model also has application as a framework for healthcare professionals and psychologists who are working with individuals with disabilities.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Anjali J. Forber-Pratt, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Human & Organizational Development

Interviewer: Bradley Minotti, undergraduate psychology major at the University of Florida

Disability identity: A model of psychosocial identity development for individuals with disabilities

The Promise of Discovery Episode 10

Equipping students with severe disabilities for the world of work has been the longstanding emphasis of transition education. Adolescence is a critical period for employment preparation, yet too many young people with disabilities do not have access to paid work during high school. This episode explores a study that is gathering perspectives on barriers to and facilitators of paid employment for youth and young adults with severe disabilities. 

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Erik Carter, Ph.D., Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair and Professor of Special Education; Co-Director, VKC University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities

Interviewer: Caitlin Bernstein, Research Analyst, Next Steps at Vanderbilt

Effects of Paid Work in High School on the Employment Outcomes of Youth with Disabilities

The Promise of Discovery Episode 11: 

ASSIST – Advocating for Supports to Improve Service Transitions – is a program that trains parents of young adults with autism on services that are available in the community and empowers them to advocate for their child to help them successfully transition to adulthood.

Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Researcher: Julie Lounds Taylor, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Interviewer: Janet Shouse, Program Coordinator, IDD Toolkit; Study Coordinator, Project ECHO Autism Adult Healthcare

Educating parents of young adults with autism on the transition to adult services

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (VKC) facilitates discoveries and best practices to improve the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. More than 200 faculty affiliated with Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center are engaged in multidisciplinary research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination. The VKC’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) works to improve assessment and treatment services for children with autism while advancing knowledge and training.