Curricula
Health U.: A Nutrition Curriculum for Teenagers with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
Developed by researchers and clinicians at UMass Medical School/E.K. Shriver Center.
The Health U. curriculum is designed to be taught by registered dietitians or educators who have had college-level courses in nutrition. It contains age-appropriate 
nutrition education materials for adolescents and young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. The goal of the Health U. program is to encourage a healthy lifestyle and includes 10 lessons, each of which provides a short discussion where new concepts are introduced, an activity that provides hands-on learning, time to engage in movement/physical activity, and a “taste test” that encourages expansion of students’ food repertoires.
Health Matters: The Exercise and Nutrition Health Education Curriculum for People with Developmental Disabilities
A research-based, field-tested program composed of 59 one-hour sessions for professionals to implement to help adults with disabilities make the best choices about health, exercise, and nutrition.
Inclusive Healthy Eating Workshops
This healthy eating workshop series includes four lessons that can be implemented as a series or as stand-alone modules. Each workshop introduces a simple nutrition message and includes a hands-on opportunity to learn how to prepare a simple recipe for a meal or snack.
Other Resources
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Healthy Weight Issue Briefs
The CDC’s issue briefs describe what people and organizations can do to help combat obesity among people with disabilities and assist them in achieving healthy weight and an improved quality of life.
National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability (NCHPAD)
NCHPAD’s mission is to effect change in health promotion/obesity management among people with disabilities through advocacy, services, and programs that reach numerous organizations and people throughout the country. NCHPAD’s primary focus is to collaborate with the nation’s leading health advocacy and disability organizations in linking them to program initiatives ongoing across the nation with the aim of building inclusion and integration into existing programs.
Center for Healthy Eating and Activity Research (CHEAR)
CHEAR’s goal is to develop a better understanding of the issues related to unhealthy eating and activity behaviors and develop new and innovative interventions to help children, adolescents, and adults develop healthier eating and activity habits. Their focus is on translating therapies and treatment modalities found to be effective in other domains and apply them to obesity, overeating, binge eating, and other unhealthy eating behaviors. By focusing on the individual and the family/environmental context, we hope to help individuals overcome and/or manage their weight-related issues throughout their lifetime.
Bright Futures
Bright Futures is a national health promotion and prevention initiative, led by the American Academy of Pediatrics and supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration. The Bright Futures Guidelines provide theory-based and evidence-driven guidance for preventative care in office and community settings. Materials developed especially for families are also available. Also available is Bright Futures: Nutrition, 3rd Edition focuses on health promotion and disease prevention for infants, children, adolescents, and families. It’s goal is to promote positive attitudes toward nutrition and offers guidance on choosing healthful foods.
Family Voices
Family Voices is a national, nonprofit, family-led organization promoting quality health care for all children and youth, particularly those with special health care needs. Working with family leaders and professional partners at the local, state, regional, and national levels since 1992, Family Voices has brought a respected family perspective to improving health care programs and policies and ensuring that health care systems include, listen to, and honor the voices of families.
Let’s Go
The Let’s Go!‘s evidence-based strategies and the 5-2-1-0 messages have been adapted in a tool kit specifically for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), which is designed to address the specific challenges children with I/DD face when it comes to healthy eating and active living.
