Life Span Institute Connections
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025

Director Letter  |  Expanding TPE |  Screening tools in literacy |
LSI people in the media  | Scholarly publications |  University updates | Events and opportunities 

Have a news story, publication, event or staff highlight for us? Submit it by 5 p.m. Nov. 19 here.

Leadership Reorganization Continues: As you all are likely aware, our Provost has stepped down and an internal search is underway to fill the position. Provost Bichelmeyer will continue to serve in the position until the search is completed, which is projected to be for the start of the Spring 2026 semester. The position has been redefined as a chief academic officer (e.g., typically a vice provost for academic affairs) rather than a true provost, although the position will theoretically oversee academics at both Lawrence and the KU Medical Center campuses (see more about the “One KU” initiative below). Three members of the search committee (Perry Alexander, Misty Heggeness, and KUCD’s Karrie Shogren) are from KU research centers, although research will no longer directly fall under this individual. Research will continue to report to Matthias Salathe at KUMC, with centers/departments in Lawrence and the Medical Center reporting up through Shelley Hooks. 

KU Office of Research Survey: Last week, the KU Office of Research sent out a survey to all PIs asking for evaluation of services. This survey is being administered in part due to an initiative pushed by Donna Ginther and myself (note that the survey looks very much like the one we created to evaluate LSI during our last 5-year review). If you’re a PI and you haven’t yet completed this, I’d encourage you to do so as soon as possible.  The data will be compiled and analyzed independently, so you should be as honest and forthright as possible.

The mythology of One KU: The word “myth” is often used to refer to a story of tradition or custom. A myth is not necessarily false, but often it reflects a narrative that represents some symbolic significance to a tribe or clan of people, rather than a verifiable phenomenon or series of events.

And so, here at KU, we find ourselves once again faced with an initiative that has, in a very real sense, become almost customary or traditional -- an initiative under the signature of “One KU” that seeks to unify the Lawrence and Medical Center campuses. Substantial effort has been put into promoting this initiative and organizing institutional structure around it; the Chancellor’s newsletter (“3, 2, One KU”) has been renamed around it; KU’s division of Analytics, Institutional Research, and Effectivenes has been informally designated as a “One KU” office; and the initiative figures heavily in the position description for the newly vacant Provost position (see above).  Beyond some vague notions about the initiative (e.g., “One KU is a mindset”), communication about what exactly One KU seeks to accomplish has not been particularly transparent.

I’ve been told that the unification is in part about merging administrative systems and software across both campuses, and there is certainly merit in looking for potential savings in leveraging economy of scale in that realm, provided that those systems meet the different needs, structures, and functions of the two campuses involved. And, therein lies the rub. The unification of Lawrence and KUMC in more substantive ways means that one (or both) entities will need to embrace and commit to drastic changes. Indeed, as chair of the IRB from 1993-2012, I was part of two distinct attempts to unite human subjects protections across KUMC and Lawrence. Although remnants still remain from these attempts (e.g., one no longer has to go through both committees, as was once a requirement for cross-campus research), both attempts ultimately failed because operations were so different in the two places. The establishment of single research and academic officers that oversee activity across both campuses would imply the creation of common policies and functions, but based on my experience working across both campuses over the last 25 years, the two institutions are so fundamentally different and work so differently that this seems highly unlikely to occur. 

I have also been told that one goal of One KU is to have more cross-campus collaboration for faculty. If the idea is that administrative organization is the primary obstacle to these two campuses, I am not sure I’d agree.  Again, I have worked in laboratories and centers that spanned the two campuses for a quarter century, and while there are certainly some difficulties working across two systems, such barriers are far from insurmountable. In reality, if the complaint is that there isn’t that enough collaboration across KUMC and Lawrence, it’s far more likely due to the fact that the two campuses hire very different kinds of faculty, again, for very different reasons.

From numerous informal conversations that I’ve had, not many really see how this will actually work, and I was not surprised to hear that there is significant resistance to it, especially on the KUMC side. However, leadership insists that this time will be different, and maybe that’s the case. I guess we’ll see.

-John

John Colombo, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Director, Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies

KU researchers have secured a grant to expand postsecondary education opportunities for Kansans with intellectual disability. The funding will support professional development for Kansas educators, increase outreach to families across the state and facilitate expansion of the Transition to Postsecondary Education program on the KU Lawrence campus.

Moreover, the funding will support the development of similar comprehensive transition programs at Wichita State University Tech and Benedictine College in Atchison.

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education awarded the research team, based out of the KU Center on Disabilities, a five-year, $1.9 million grant. The project will be led by Dana Lattin, research project director of KU TPE; Karrie Shogren, Ross and Mariana Beach Distinguished Professor of Special Education and director of the KU Center on Disabilities; and Lauren Bruno and Ashley Taconet, assistant research professors in the KU Center on Disabilities.

The grant comes 10 years after the establishment of the KU Transition to Postsecondary Education, known as KU TPE program, at KU’s Lawrence campus.

👉 Read more about the grant and plans to expand TPE.

A tool that University of Kansas researcher Nancy Brady and colleagues pioneered over a decade ago to measure the growth of infants’ pre-speech communication skills has been translated into several languages and referenced in more than 100 research papers, including a new one published in the Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.

Brady, a professor in the University of Kansas Department of Speech-Language-Hearing: Sciences & Disorders, and her former graduate student Olivia Boorom were among the co-authors of a new paper titled “Prelinguistic Communication Complexity of Children With Neurogenetic Syndromes.” 

For the first time, Brady said, researchers used the tool to compare communication complexity among infants with three different syndromes — Down, Angelman and Fragile X — as well as a low-risk control group.

👉 Read more about Brady's research

If you’ve ever struggled to understand an academic article or a piece of literary prose, you’ve struggled with language comprehension. You can read the words on the page but struggle to understand their meaning.

Understanding words alone is just one piece of the puzzle, according to Trina Spencer, director of Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, and children with literacy challenges related to language comprehension can be overlooked by screening that only looks at word recognition problems. 

To address this challenge, Spencer and colleague Doug Petersen co-founded Language Dynamics Group, which disseminates their assessment and intervention tools for children, preschool through eighth grade. Their assessment tools are unique in that both word recognition and language comprehension are adequately addressed, and their instructional program—Story Champs—fills the gaps in reading instruction by helping teachers explicitly and systematically promote language comprehension alongside word recognition.

Spencer cites research that their newest assessment instrument—DYMOND—helps educators diagnose both dyslexia and developmental language disorder in about 20 minutes, saving valuable educator time. 

“In a dynamic assessment, you acknowledge that everybody coming to your assessment has a different learning history,” Spencer explained. 

A dynamic assessment reveals the child’s ability to learn, measuring the difference in knowledge before and after teaching occurs. This results in a score that is unrelated to their learning history.

👉 Read more about these tools and research.

In the spring of 2024, Gretchen Scheibel, assistant research professor at Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, and colleague Sarah Wilkinson from the University of Southern Maine, created the School Behavior Support Survey to survey educators and examine statewide trends in behavior management. The findings from the study revealed that educators across professional roles in Maine are managing exceptionally high rates of student behavior challenges and spending an estimated 13–20% of their contract time addressing these issues. This time represents 6-12% of annual salaries for education staff.

The researchers used the data to present a report (PDF) to the Maine legislature earlier this year that highlighted the growing impact of behavior management demands on instructional time and educator well-being. Since then, SBSS data have been featured on various policy and advocacy websites and on the state and local news in Maine. More recently, Scheibel and Wilkinson met with Senator Angus King (I-ME) to discuss the recent layoffs at the Office of Special Education Programs and implications for special education funding. During this meeting, Senator King requested permission to use the findings from the SBSS study and policy report in his discussions surrounding the government shutdown and its impact on special education services.

Scheibel plans to expand the assessment beyond Maine in the year ahead.  

The KU Office of Research featured Deanna Hanson-Abromeit, professor of music therapy and a Life Span Institute investigator, in an “I am Striving” interview and video for KU Discoveries.

VoyageKC, a Kansas City-based lifestyle publication, interviewed Linda Heitzman-Powell, professor of pediatrics at the KU Medical Center, about her career and Integrated Behavioral Technologies, Inc., that she founded in 2002.

The Office of the Chancellor announced that Karrie Shogren, director of the KU Center on Disabilities, is one of 16 faculty, staff and students chosen to serve on the search committee for the next KU Provost/Chief Academic Officer, a position currently held by Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer.

Assistant Research Professor Maggie Mosher, who collaborates with Life Span Institute investigators Amber Rowland and Sean Smith on projects such as iKNOW and VOISS, was interviewed by the national education publication Chalkbeat for an article about a New York charter school focused on autistic students that is using virtual reality in the classroom. 

The American Evaluation Association published a column from Christina Holt, assistant director of the Center for Community Health and Development, about evaluation tips from her experience supporting primary prevention of sexual violence efforts across Kansas.

News Medical and MSN.com published news about the research of Life Span Institute investigator Nancy Brady on using the Communications Complexity Scale to compare communication complexity among infants with three different syndromes -- Down, Angelman and Fragile X (see related news article, above).

KKFI 90.1’s program She Talk Wha? featured “Why Policy Matters — Poverty, Violence, and the Power of Systems,” a conversation with Christina Holt, assistant director at the KU Center for Community Health and Development; Zach Newby, prevention specialist at the Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center; and Bre Kirkhart, director of housing and economic justice at the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, and hosted and produced by Christina Knott, communications specialist at the Life Span Institute.

The KU Center on Disabilities and Juniper Gardens Children’s Project hosted dozens of people for the KUCD open house and the Juniper Gardens Garden Party, both held in October. The events included opportunities to talk with researchers and staff from across centers’ projects. View photos from the KUCD event (via KUCD social media).

Jean Hall was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Disability Section of the American Public Health Association at the APHA annual meeting held in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. Hall (pictured center) is the former director of the Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies.

Jeffrey Girard, associate professor of psychology, was one of two recipients of the 2025 Shulenburger Award for Innovation & Advocacy in Scholarly Communication from KU Libraries. 

Lisa Didion, a Life Span Institute investigator at KU Center for Disabilities and KU assistant professor, received the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) 2026 Outstanding Student Chapter Advisor Award.

Bryan Cisler (pictured far left, with spouse Lindsay Cisler) was named an employee of the month for October 2025 for his dedication to developing accessible and innovative technology that improves outcomes for young children.

Since joining KU in 2018 as a research informatics developer, Cisler has supported the technology needs of research teams at Juniper Gardens Children’s Project. He has been instrumental in conceptualizing, developing and maintaining tools that educators, students, early childhood education providers and caregivers use to support child development, particularly for children with disabilities and complex needs. Read more about his work on the KU employee recognition page.

Beuoy, A., Hall, J., & Kurth, N., & Goddard, K. (2025). The moderating effects of perceived transportation access on health and social connectedness for people with disabilities. Journal of Transport & Health, 44, 102165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2025.102165

Bress, K. S., Quinde-Zilbut, J., Zoltowski, A. R., Convery, C. A., Lewis, B., Rogers, B. P., Vandekar, S., Travers, B., & Cascio, C. J. (2025). A sensorimotor basis for facial expressivity differences in autism. Imaging Neuroscience, 3, IMAG.a.981. https://doi.org/10.1162/IMAG.a.981

Chapa, D. A. N., Thomeczek, M. L., Richson, B. N., et al. (2025). Greater body dissatisfaction at admission is associated with lower BMI at discharge in anorexia nervosa: Predictive validity of the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24560

Christensen, D., Shin, Y. S., & Wang, J. (2025). Subcortical brain volume variations in autistic individuals across the lifespan. Molecular Autism, 16, 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-025-00673-1

Christensen Pacella, K. A., Bottera, A. R., Forbush, K. T., Isquith, J., & De Young, K. (2025). Feasibility and acceptability of brief behavioral treatment for insomnia after eating disorder treatment: The TIRED study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24540

Colombo, J., Shaddy, D. J., Mathis, N., et al. (2025). Effects of prenatal DHA dose on infant visual attention. Developmental Psychobiology, 67(5), e70072. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.70072

Golden, A., McLachlan, K., & Amlung, M. (2025). Some today, more tomorrow: A pilot study on delay discounting in adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-025-00467-9

Goldman, S. R., Carreon, A., & Smith, S. J. (2025). Teaching students with learning disabilities to be prompt engineers. Intervention in School and Clinic, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10534512251387080

Hamrick, L.R., Boorom, O., Estrada, K., Brady, N., Kelleher, B. Prelinguistic Communication Complexity of Children With Neurogenetic Syndromes. (2025). J Speech Lang Hear Res. 68(8): 3938-3955. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_JSLHR-24-00477

Hart, E. J., Toste, J. R., Shogren, K. A., Didion, L., & Hardeman, E. (2025). Self-determination to accelerate response to reading intervention for elementary-aged students: First, we set a goal! TEACHING Exceptional Children, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00400599251352784

Kurnellas, R., Sutton, C. A., Jun, D., Taylor, H., Smith, A. P., Foxx, R., Yurasek, A. M., & Yi, R. (2025). Current and projected cannabis demand predict future consumption in young adults who use cannabis. Cannabis: A Publication of the Research Society on Marijuana. https://doi.org/10.26828/cannabis/2025/000324

Loyless, R., Zagona, A. L., & Kurth, J. A. (2025). Adapting English language arts text for students with complex support needs: What’s next in adapted text. Inclusive Practices, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/27324745251360730

Malone, E. J., White, B. L., & Aavatsmark, F. W. (2025). Upholding anti-ableism in applied behavior analysis: A strengths-based approach to goal writing and direct service. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-025-01085-6

Mazzotti, V. L., Shogren, K. A., Kwiatek, S. M., Fredrick, D., Hatz, J. R., Hicks, T. A., Raley, S. K., & Kutscher, E. L. (2025). A mixed-method investigation of teachers’ knowledge, skills, and use of the Goal Setting Challenge App. Teacher Education and Special Education, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/08884064251376324

McGatlin, K., Shafer, R. L., Unruh, K. E., Stevens, C. J., Peterson, S. G., Dubinsky, R. M., Lee, A. P., Tassone, F., Hagerman, R. J., Bailey, H., & Mosconi, M. W. (2025). Reduced sensorimotor, working memory, and episodic memory abilities in aging female FMR1 premutation carriers with and without fragile X–associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). Genes, 16(11), 1331. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes16111331

Moreira, C., Simões, C., Oliveira, A., Shogren, K., Haiwara, M., Pereira, A., Rosário, P., Gomes, R., Gomes, F., & Santos, S. (2025). Exploring the interplay between adaptive behavior, support needs, quality of life, and self-determination with persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 166, 105126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2025.105126

Powers, J. M., Ferguson, E., Miller, C. H., Hitsman, B., Rini, C. A scoping review of pain and tobacco use among cancer survivors (2025). Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 59(1), kaaf075. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaaf075

Raley, S., Dysart, M., Brickel, N., Hall, A., Strickler, J., LeBlanc, N., Ullman, S., Havercamp, S., & Shogren, K. (2025). Recommendations of the consent and decision-making strand from the National Goals 2024 Conference. Inclusion, 13(3), 190–202. https://doi.org/10.1352/2326-6988-13.3.190

Scheibel, G.,  Grasley-Boy, N.m., Wills, H. P., & Zimmerman, K. N. (2025). Pilot survey of usability perceptions of a self-monitoring intervention among in-service implementors. Exceptionality, 0(0).  https://doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2025.2566674

Sharma, A. R., Bottera, A. R., Joo, S., Chen, Y., Like, E. E., & Forbush, K. T. (2025). Evidence that the DSM-5-TR eating disorder criteria perform differently across cisgender and transgender or gender diverse individuals using the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale. International Journal of Eating Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24554

Research Achievement Awards: There is still time to nominate individuals for the 2026 research achievement awards. The Life Span Institute has had strong representation in these awards in the past few years. Awardees are honored at a banquet held in the spring at the Jayhawk Welcome Center attended by colleagues from across the university. Categories include the Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Awards, the Steven F. Warren Research Achievement Award, and the KU Research Achievement Awards for unclassified professional staff and postdoctoral researchers. Nominations can be made until Dec.1 through the new Funding & Award Opportunities portal, kumc.infoready4.com (KU login required).Additionally, the University Scholarly Achievement Awards nominations process has opened; this $10,000 award recognizes a significant scholarly or research contribution or creative work and covers all fields of scholarship at KU. Deadline is Dec. 15. Visit the University Scholarly Achievement Awards webpage for details.

Required training: This the final week for staff to complete required annual training assigned in MyTalent. By Nov. 14, all employees are to complete IT security module, "Information Security and Acceptable Use," and the module established by the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX. Designated Campus Security Authorities will also be assigned the Clery Act Training for CSAs. An optional, recommended course, "Fostering Respect and Belonging," is also available.

Memo roundup from Chancellor Girod: In this week's "3, 2, One KU" memo, Chancellor Girod amplified a a message distributed on behalf of Shelley Hooks and Matthias Salathe about a new One KU Research website. Girod, who was recently elected chair of the board of directors of the Association of American Universities, also reiterated in the message that the organization's members are continuing to advocate adoption of the Financial Accountability in Research (FAIR) model.

The Office of Civil Rights & Title IX will offer the next Belonging @ KU series event,  "Exploring Disability & Identities," featuring Stephanie Ruppen, Sean Swindler, and Jean Hall (pictured above), 1-2:15 p.m. Wednesday, November 19 on Zoom. The panel of KU experts will explore disability identity and the intersection of disability with other identities, accessibility, and more. Register here.

Join Lisa Hallberg of the Life Span Institute Research Design and Analysis group for the next REDCap user group monthly meeting: 12 noon Thursday, Nov. 13, on Zoom (code: 2025). The topic for November is a demonstration of the eConsent module, and its utility for tracking consent documents research participants have signed.

Science Communication Workshop: The Center for Digital Inclusion, the Institute for Policy & Social Research and the Life Span Institute are co-hosting a science communication workshop designed to strengthen how researchers share their work with the public, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Malott Room of the Kansas Union. Lunch will be provided. Register for the workshop here.

AI research tool training for graduate students (or anyone): The KU Libraries will offer Consensus AI Training 3-4 pm November 21, featuring Daniel D'souza of Consensus and the KU Graduate Student Body President Fredrick Wamai Karanja. With 200M+ peer-reviewed papers, researchers can ask questions and receive topical studies ranked by relevance, summarized key findings, and linked directly to the literature. Learn pro-tips, bring your AI questions, and pick up free Consensus giveaways at this hybrid event held in Watson Library room 55, and on Zoom.

Upcoming GAIN training opportunities: ADOS-2 Introductory Training offered Nov. 12-13 online (see details and registration) and GAIN ADOS-2 Calibration: Module 3, offered next on Nov. 21 (see details and registration). 

Professional headshots: If you need an updated or new professional headshot, email Drew Rosdahl to inquire about the next available scheduled time or to set up an individual appointment.

Save the date for the next Life Span Institute Collaboratory, to be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 at the Jayhawk Welcome Center. This annual event welcomes all Life Span Institute researchers, staff, postdocs and graduate students for a day of presentations, learning and networking. 

Connections is produced by strategic communications staff at the Life Span Institute for affiliated researchers, staff and students. 

Writing and editing by Jen Humphrey, Christina Knott and Rick Hellman (KU News)
Image credits: Christina Knott, Dana Lattin, Rick Hellman, Adobe, KU Marketing, Jean Hall.

Please submit news, kudos, achievements and other items for consideration here.

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).

The University of Kansas is a public institution governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.