Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center

Timothy Miller, MD, PhD, and Jin-Moo Lee, MD, PhD, were both elected to the Association of American Physicians. The honorary society fosters physician-led scientific discovery to improve patient care and public health.
https://bit.ly/4uVXgpw

A research study seeks participants to characterize individual differences in children’s sensory processing and understand how these differences are related to mental health in childhood.
• Participants must be 9-14 years old
• Participants must be able to communicate in English
• Participants must not have history of brain damage, seizures, or intellectual disability
Participation may include behavioral assessments via Zoom, fMRI scan, sensory games, and questionnaires. Up to $100.00 is provided.
Phone: 314-362-7220
Email: [email protected]

☀️ Summer is here and we hope that your children experienced a wonderful year! As summer routines start, being outdoors and making memories is usually at the top of the list. What better way to foster play than some time at an inclusive park? On the blog, we've compiled a list of parks throughout the greater St. Louis area.

Check it out here: https://junejessee.org/inclusiveparks/

Do you have a favorite? Share it below 👇

The WashU IDDRC was so grateful to support the inaugural WashU TBRS Natural History Study and Clinic Pilot.

Congratulations IDDRC investigator Nico Dosenbach, MD, PhD, installed as the inaugural David M. and Tracy S. Holtzman Professor of Neurology at WashU Medicine.

Nico Dosenbach, MD, PhD, was installed as the inaugural David M. and Tracy S. Holtzman Professor of Neurology at WashU Medicine. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in precision neuroimaging.
https://bit.ly/4tqBglq

Stop by for resources at our IDDRC resource table today, among the many other exhibitors at the Association on Aging with Developmental Disabilities conference in St. Charles, MO.

Shout out to our amazing exhibitors! Check out the full list in the conference brochure.
https://www.agingwithdd.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-Brochure-FINAL-1.pdf

With heartfelt best wishes this Mother’s Day for the many mothers who touch our hearts and advocate tirelessly for their children and all children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We see you, we appreciate you.

I want you to know that everything you do matters.

Many of you quietly balance the grief and joy of raising a child with a disability.

When you crawl into bed at night, aching from your temples to your toes, know that you have done enough.

Your child is safe and so loved.

There may have been no progress made with toileting, feeding therapy, or communication today and that is okay.

You may have found yourself recently in a specialist’s office or a pharmacy line, wondering how on earth you landed here: waiting on a little orange bottle that you never imagined your child would rely on to tolerate this world.

Most days are exhausting and thankless and I want you to know that your child appreciates you, they need you, and they love you beyond measure.

You need to know that.

Your child may not be able to express this, some of you may have never even heard your child call you “Mom”. But they know you are Mom.🖤

I want you to know that you are not alone.

When your patience has been depleted.

When you watch your child struggle to find their way in a world that wasn’t quite built to seamlessly include them.

Know that there are so many of us with you.

We feel the grief, too. We understand that it is NEVER about who your child is, but rather grief for their STRUGGLE.

We are in the race, too. The one against time {our own mortality} to support our child in building the most independent and fulfilling life possible.

We have felt the lows and celebrated the victories, too. We know the fear and the worry you wrestle with daily, and the immense pride you feel over the slightest progress.

Let’s bask in achievements and forget about regressions.

Even if only for one day.

Let your hope be stronger than your fears. With so many unknowns in the future, know that it’s going to get better.

I know this because we will grow stronger.

We will continue to learn, to advocate, to protect, and make certain our children know their worth and just how very much they are loved.

I am so thankful for this sisterhood of resilient mothers today and every day.

Xo, Lauren