Through this program, up to 15 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited DBP fellowship programs will provide post-graduate training (including fellowships), continuing education to practicing providers, and technical assistance to community agencies. Programs will prepare DBP fellows for leadership roles as teachers, researchers, and clinicians. In doing so, programs will build the workforce capacity to evaluate, diagnose or rule out developmental disabilities, including autism, as well as other behavioral health concerns; and support research and clinical care in the broad range of behavioral, psychosocial, and developmental issues through training of pediatric practitioners, residents, and medical students.

Through this award, programs will:

• Prepare DBP fellows and other long-term trainees (LTTs) for leadership roles as teachers, investigators, and clinicians.
• Build workforce capacity to evaluate for, diagnose or rule out developmental disabilities (DD), including autism, and other behavioral health concerns.
• Prepare trainees to participate in clinical care and research training across the broad range of behavioral and developmental health concerns.
• Provide pediatric practitioners, residents, and medical students with essential psychosocial knowledge and clinical expertise.
• Provide technical assistance (TA) to strengthen systems of care for children who may have autism/DD and their families. TA recipients may include state Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant agencies and community agencies.

Each recipient will accomplish this purpose through five overarching objectives:

• Objective 1: Recruit and train 10 LTTs, including 5 DBP fellows and 5 other LTTs, over the 5-year period of performance.
• Objective 2: Conduct one activity per year to address equity and improve access to DBP services.
• Objective 3: Provide training to a minimum of 200 short- and medium-term trainees per year.
• Objective 4: Train a minimum of 150 practicing providers through continuing education per year. 
• Objective 5: Provide a minimum of 10 technical assistance (TA) activities per year to strengthen systems of care for children who may have autism/DD and their families. 

• City or township governments
• County governments
• For profit organizations other than small businesses
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally funded tribal governments)
• Private institutions of higher education
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Eligibility Criteria" for clarification)
• Special district governments
• State governments

Estimated Total Program Funding: