Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Training at Children’s National (LEND-CN)

Clinical services to children with DD and/or ASD and their families are best provided within an interdisciplinary team model. Each LEND-CN trainee will serve on a variety of interdisciplinary clinical teams at Children’s National, individualized to their interests. Each trainee will serve on two teams per semester. At least one team per year will be specific to the identification or diagnosis of children with ASD.

Within Children’s National, we offer a wide range of interdisciplinary clinics to the trainees. A sample of our clinic opportunities is listed below:

• Autism Behavioral Consult Team
• Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (CASD): Diagnostic and Neuropsychological Evaluation Clinics; Evidenced-Based Treatment Groups
• Cerebral Palsy Clinic
• Cochlear Implant
• Complex Movement Disorder Clinic
• Craniofacial Clinic
• Dentistry
• Fragile X Clinic
• High Risk Neonatal Follow-up Clinic
• Multidisciplinary Brain Tumor Clinic
• Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Clinic
• Neurofibromatosis Clinic
• Neurogenetics Clinic
• NICU Follow-up Clinic
• Primary Care: Embedded ASD Clinics
• Smith Magenis Clinic
• Turner Syndrome Clinic

Each trainee will participate in engagement activities designed to enhance learning and leadership development in the areas of developmental disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder. These include:

• Participating in panels of providers, government agencies and families
• Observations of community-based vocational training programs and/or intervention to children and young adults with DD/ASD
• Attendance at community-based advocacy group meetings such as the DC-Autism Collaborative (DC-AC)
• Involvement in discussions of interdisciplinary team evaluations and research meetings
• Observation of ASD education and behavioral training in private, specialized schools
• Ongoing collaborations with Kennedy Krieger Institute and Georgetown University LEND programs.

These applied experiences can also become the focus of the scholarly/research activities of the trainees. 

Completion of a scholarly project is a required component for long-term trainees and an optional opportunity for medium-term trainees with an interest in scholarship. Trainees are paired with a mentor based on their discipline and areas of interest to complete a research or quality improvement project. Mentors provide guidance throughout the process, and prior research experience is not required, as program faculty and staff offer support as needed.

The culmination of the project is a poster presentation at the annual Children’s National Research, Education & Innovation Week in April. Project activities are developed collaboratively with the trainee’s mentor, with expectations tailored to the trainee’s level of experience, expertise, career goals and interests. Opportunities include applied research, qualitative research, program development, quality improvement and product development activities.

LEND trainees can come from any graduate level professional discipline that works with children with DD and/or ASD and their families, including medicine and its subspecialties, education, health administration, law, nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, pastoral counseling, physical therapy, psychology, public health, rehabilitation counseling, social work, speech language therapy/audiology, child life, creative arts, parents and lay people working towards leadership roles in child and maternal health. Trainees can be in a graduate school program or have graduated from such a program and are now in community practice.

Clinical trainees must express an interest in acquiring knowledge and skills required to evaluate, diagnose or rule out, develop and provide evidence-based interventions to individuals with DD and/or ASD, and work in an interdisciplinary, family-centered and culturally competent manner to achieve these skills.

LEND recognizes the important contributions of trainees with personal or family experience navigating systems of care for individuals with DD and/or ASD. These perspectives enhance interdisciplinary learning by strengthening trainees’ understanding of family-centered care, service coordination and real-world implementation of clinical and policy practices. We encourage individuals with DD/ASD or family members with real life experience to apply for admission to the program.

LEND trainees will demonstrate critical thinking and excellent communication skills, reflective skills including recognizing their own strengths and challenges, and a commitment to leadership and improving the system of care for people with DD and ASD.

Long-Term Trainees are required to complete 300+ hours of LEND-CN training, which includes leadership and didactic training, a capstone project, clinical and experiential observation, conference attendance and active program engagement. These requirements are designed to be completed over a 9 month period and generally involve a commitment of approximately 8–10 hours per week from September through May.

A stipend of $8,000 is provided at this level of training. Proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status is required for trainees receiving a stipend.

Each long-term trainee completes a scholarly capstone project under the guidance of a faculty mentor, culminating in a poster presentation at the annual Children’s National Research, Education & Innovation Week Long-term trainees receive a certificate that documents their level of LEND participation and total hours completed at the end of the training year.

The program requires legal right to practice profession (if applicable), such as certification of licensure as required by the professional discipline seeking professional advanced training.

Medium- and Short-Term Trainees have access to all program components, including observations, projects, and experiential learning opportunities; however, participation in these components is optional and not required at these training levels.

Medium-term trainees complete 40–149 hours of training, which includes focused didactics and experiential practicum experiences tailored to their career interests.

Short-term trainees complete up to 40 hours of training, primarily through participation in LEND didactic sessions. There are no stipends for medium and short term trainees. However, a medium- or short- term trainee may apply for a second year of training to qualify for long-term status and stipend support.

The application process is abbreviated for individuals applying as medium- or short-term LEND trainees.

Medium- and short-term trainees receive a certificate of completion at the end of the academic year that documents the total number of training hours completed.

• LEND-CN fellowship application form
• Two letters of reference (considerations will be made for self-advocate and/or family member candidates)
• Essay describing your interest in the LEND-CN fellowship. Please include a discussion of how LEND-CN fits in to your personal and/or professional goals as part of your statement (500-word limit)
• Copy of academic transcript(s) (Not required for self-advocate and/or family member candidates)
• Curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
• Intensive applicants will be invited to participate in a virtual interview with LEND leadership

Applications can be completed online. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning in January 2026 and closing July 31, 2026. 

Following acceptance, all trainees must complete the Special Category onboarding process through Children’s National. This time-sensitive process includes background checks, drug screening, and medical history review and should be completed promptly to ensure readiness for the September orientation.

Questions regarding this process can be emailed to our LEND-CN fellowship program assistant.

Our current trainees represent medical and behavioral health disciplines, as well as family members of children with DD and/or ASD, from within Children's National and across various partners in the Washington, D.C., area including:

• American University
• Catholic University
• Gallaudet University
• George Washington University
• Georgetown University
• Howard University
• National Institutes of Health
• University of the District of Columbia
• University of Maryland

The LEND Program at Children’s National has prepared trainees from a wide variety of professional disciplines to assume leadership roles and ensure high levels of interdisciplinary competence in the following specialties:

• Audiology
• Dentistry
• Genetic Counseling
• Health Administration
• Lived Experience of Self and Family Advocates
• Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
• Nursing
• Nutrition
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Psychiatry
• Psychology (Behavioral, Clinical, and Neuropsychology)
• Social Work
• Special Education
• Speech Language Pathology

For information and questions about LEND-CN, please contact us at:

LEND-CN
Children’s National Hospital
Division of Neurogenetics and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
Suite M3848
111 Michigan Ave NW 
Washington, DC 20010

Email