The Center for Development and Disability CDD established in 1990 is New Mexicos University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education Research and Service. These centers, authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, build the capacities of states and communities to respond to the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
The NM START Program is entering its third year as a replication model of the highly successful START model developed at the University of New Hampshire with replication sites throughout the country. The START model is a crisis intervention and prevention model for individuals with ASDIDD and mental health challenges.
The NM START Program enrolls individuals in crisis and works with both the individual and the systems surrounding that individual to support crisis prevention. Outcomes measured by the NM START Program have been positive for our participants, including decreased psychiatric hospitalizations, decreased emergency department utilization, and decreased law enforcement involvement in crisis situations.
Role of the SLP START Coordinator
The Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) START Coordinator will provide intake assessment and coordination supports for a caseload of individuals assigned to the coordinator. The SLP START Coordinator will be enrolled in the NCSS Coordinator Training Course, which will include both asynchronous and synchronous study and discussions about the intersection of ASDIDD and mental health.
As an SLP, the coordinator will ensure that the participants have sufficient communication accommodations to participate successfully in intervention strategies. The SLP START Coordinator, as a member of the overall START team, will provide expertise for all team members regarding communication supports for all participants as appropriate.
Program Values and Approach
The NM START Program utilizes a framework of positive psychology for supporting our enrollees and their families. Strength-based and solutions-focused are critical operational values for our program.
Program Requirements
Travel is required within a 2-hour radius of Albuquerque. System outreach is required, such as home visits, hospital visits, group home visits, and others.
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Positions
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