The objective of this postdoctoral training program is to promote the development of the next generation of researchers who address the problems of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our goal is to support a broad, interdisciplinary perspective that integrates basic research and application. Progress in understanding and treating IDD will require a translational research effort that entails not only the flow of knowledge from basic research to the solution of clinical problems, but also the laboratory investigation of the behavioral and biological mechanisms that underlie these problems. The primary means of achieving our training goals will be the active and continuous participation of trainees in the translational research programs of mentors, and the guided development of trainees own lines of research. In addition, a seminar series that targets issues in IDD, translational-research applications, grantsmanship, and other aspects of professional development will be a critical part of the postdoctoral experience. We plan to have a total of four trainees per year. Most will have just earned the PhD, but our budget allows for several more-senior trainees over the course of the five-year program. A critical characteristic of our approach lies in the extent to which the faculty represent and integrate application and basic research. The training program brings together researchers from Cognitive Neuroscience, Behavior Analysis, Speech and Language, Pharmacology, and Special Education. Faculty research areas range from early intervention for cognitive or social development, behavioral and neurological predictors of IDD, language development, chronic aberrant behavior, pharmacology, and literacy. Mentors are highly experienced researchers with histories of collaboration, both with one another and with investigators from other universities and IDDRCs
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