Abstract Submission

The abstract submission website will open early December 2024.

Deadline for abstract submissions is Friday, January 31, 2025 at 11:59pm ET.

 

AACPDM Annual Meeting Policy Reminders:

• Authors are strongly encouraged to be an AACPDM Member.
• Abstracts may not be submitted if they have been published as a full research paper at the time of submission.
• Abstracts accepted for the 79th Annual Meeting must be unbiased and free of conflicts of interest. Abstracts will be non-promotional in nature and without commercial bias. Papers that are written in a manner that promotes a company, service, or product will not be considered.
• All presenters of accepted abstracts are required to register for the Annual Meeting. Fees are not reduced or waived for presenters. The second author should be prepared to attend if an emergency prevents the primary author from attending. 
• Withdrawal of an accepted abstract after the final program has been finalized will result in the lead author being barred from submitting work to the next Annual Meeting.

 

Additional Information:

The Scientific Program Committee is currently inviting abstract submissions in the following presentation formats:

• Scientific Presentations – Podium Presentations and Scientific Posters
• Demonstration Posters
• Clinical Observation or Single Case Study Posters
• Morning Seminars (60 minute)
• Mini Symposia (120 minute)
• Pre-Conference Sessions (240 minute)

The committee will look favorably on submissions that support the meeting theme “Translating Discovery” in the following high priority topics:

• Technology and care delivery innovation
• Patient prioritized outcomes & shared decision making
• Integration of scientific evidence into practice (implementation science)
• Health equity (diversity, equity, inclusion)

**IMPORTANT**: Make sure to follow abstract formatting criteria for your desired presentation type. For example, there is a significant difference between “Scientific Poster” and “Demonstration Poster” (see below). Selecting the incorrect presentation category for your submission can result in abstract rejection. Please review ALL of the instructions below before selecting your presentation category.

  

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PRESENTATION TYPES

Scientific Presentations

The Scientific Program Committee determines the presentation format of Scientific Presentations after review and selection. Scientific Presentations can be selected as either a free paper or poster. All accepted Scientific Presentations will be published in a Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology Supplement. 

Please note: Individuals may be the presenting author on a maximum of two oral (Free Paper) presentations (although they may be a secondary author on more than two).

Free Paper (podium presentation): A short oral presentation held during one of the concurrent “Free Paper” sessions during the Annual Meeting.

Scientific Poster: If accepted, Scientific Poster presenters must submit their poster in two formats: A traditional mountable poster and an ePoster. An ePoster is an electronic version of the traditional paper poster in PowerPoint and PDF format. It will be included in online meeting content posted on the AACPDM website after the Annual Meeting. ePosters might also be included in the Annual Meeting app. The dual display methods will increase exposure to the work and allow for more flexible access. Details will be sent to accepted presenters and posted on the AACPDM website.

The AACPDM Scientific Program Committee members will review the abstracts, blinded to the authors' names and institutions affiliated with the submission. Presentations will be selected based on their research question or hypothesis, study design/methodology/conclusions, impact/relevance, and importance.

Student status will not affect your abstract submission type or the grading of your abstract.

To make fair comparisons of the quality of submitted abstracts across a wide spectrum of disciplines, the following structured abstract format must be followed:

There is a strict 3000-character count, including spaces, which will be imposed on the length of the body of the abstract.

Background and Objective(s): Provide a brief statement about the problem or question/s of interest followed by the specific objective/s of the study.

Study Participants & Setting: Describe participants and relevant information about the setting(s) in which the research was conducted so that generalizability of the results can be determined. The inclusion/exclusion criteria, number who participated out of the number eligible and pertinent socio-demographic information may be described.

Some terms used to describe participant selection processes include: random sampling, consecutive series, convenience sampling, purposeful (or purposive) sampling. Examples of relevant settings include primary care, tertiary or referral center, institutional setting, community, etc.

Materials/Methods: Describe the methods used to conduct the study. Where applicable, identify the primary (and important secondary) outcomes and what statistical methods (where applicable) were used to conduct the analyses. For qualitative studies, describe the methodology used and briefly summarize data collection methods and data analysis processes.

Results: Scientific abstracts must contain results from the completed study. Statistical analyses must be appropriate for the study design and level of data. Standard deviations or 95% confidence intervals and the level of statistical significance are to be reported, when applicable. Results of qualitative studies must include brief summary of themes or theoretical model, as appropriate.

Conclusions/Significance: Only those conclusions that can be supported by the data presented in the study should be stated. The significance or implications of the findings may be described.

Demonstration Posters

The purpose of a Demonstration Poster is to showcase emerging ideas, generate discussion regarding new and innovative service delivery models, highlight novel techniques and technologies, and/or advocacy efforts pertaining to the care of people with childhood-onset disabilities. Demonstration Posters can be used to highlight an upcoming funded clinical study or a program or service evaluation, but abstracts that include scientific data, analyses, and results WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR THE DEMONSTRATION POSTER CATEGORY and are more appropriate for submission as a Scientific Presentation.

The Demonstration Posters will be fully recognized in the program; however, please note that these abstracts will not be published in the Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (DMCN) supplement.

If accepted, Poster Presenters will be required to submit their poster as a traditional poster and as an ePoster. Details will be sent to accepted presenters and posted on the AACPDM website.

The following criteria will be used to judge Demonstration Poster abstracts:

• Innovation
• Potential to impact research and/or clinical practice in childhood-onset disability
• Freedom from commercial bias
• Safety
• Scientific abstracts of hypothesis driven research or other abstracts that would qualify for submission as a Scientific Presentation will not be considered for Demonstration Posters

There is a strict 3000-character count, including spaces, which will be imposed on the length of the body of the abstract. The abstract should be structured as follows:

Background/Objectives: Provide a brief introductory statement about the issue at hand followed by the specific objectives of the Demonstration Poster.

Description: Provide a description of the information to be presented in the poster.

Significance: Briefly explain the significance or importance of the information being presented, highlighting novel and innovative aspects.  Where appropriate, suggest future research that might help establish, validate or strengthen these new ideas.

Clinical Observation or Single Case Study Posters

These posters will provide the opportunity to share observations and single case studies that illustrate important or novel findings, treatment outcomes, or lines of scientific inquiry. The goal is to serve as a forum for interesting observations that may not meet the robust standards of scientific evidence needed for a scientific poster but are compelling to our attendees and inspire idea generation about potential new directions for clinical consideration and scientific inquiry.

Please note: Abstracts that include scientific data, analyses and results WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR THE CLINICAL OBSERVATION OR SINGLE CASE STUDY POSTER CATEGORY and are more appropriate for submission as a Scientific Presentation.

The Clinical Observation or Single Case Study Posters will be fully recognized in the program; however, please note that these abstracts will not be published in the Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (DMCN) supplement.

If accepted, Poster presenters will be required to submit their poster as an ePoster. An ePoster is an electronic version of the traditional mountable poster in PDF format.  It will be displayed on computer monitors at the Annual Meeting and posted on the AACPDM website after the Annual Meeting. The dual display methods will increase exposure to the work and allow people to view posters at their convenience. Details will be sent to presenters and posted on the AACPDM website.

The following criteria will be used to judge Clinical Observation and Case Study Poster abstracts:

• Innovation
• Potential to inform research and/or clinical practice in childhood-onset disability
• Freedom from commercial bias
• Safety

There is a strict 3000-character count, including spaces, which will be imposed on the length of the body of the abstract. The abstract should be structured as follows:

Background/Objectives: Provide a brief introductory statement about the observation or case study and objectives of the poster.

Description: Provide a description of the information to be presented in the poster.

Significance: Briefly explain the significance or importance of the information being presented, highlighting novel and innovative aspects. Where appropriate, suggest future research that might help establish, validate or strengthen these new ideas and/or novel clinical implications.

Morning Seminars

This 60-minute interactive session should include approximately 40 minutes for presentation of material and at least 20 minutes of interactive discussion with attendees.  Attendance is limited in order to encourage audience participation.

• There can be a maximum of 4 presenters.
• There is a strict 3000-character count, including spaces, which will be imposed on the length of the body of the abstract.
• Content should be current, evidence based, practical, applicable, and provide a balanced perspective.
• A plan for audience participation should be included in the schedule. We encourage you to prepare questions or activities to engage participants in the interactive portion of your session.

Prepared background materials (handouts, references) are required and should be made available prior to or at the meeting. Handouts submitted electronically prior to the meeting will be included on the AACPDM website. Prior permission must be obtained to duplicate copyrighted materials. Instructions on submitting handouts will be sent to presenters and posted on the AACPDM website.

Mini-Symposia

Mini-Symposia are 120 minutes in length and include up to 90 minutes of presentation and at least 30 minutes for active discussion with the audience, providing formal in-depth instruction for continuing professional education combined with audience participation and interaction.

Mini-Symposia are an important component of the Academy meeting. We recommend that authors structure their course abstract according to the following guidelines:

• There is a strict 3000-character count, including spaces, which will be imposed on the length of the body of the abstract.
• Content should be current, evidence based, practical, applicable to the AACPDM audience and provide a balanced perspective. Each mini-symposium should include experts representing multiple centers speaking along a certain theme. We highly encourage the inclusion of those with lived experience with childhood onset disability (including family members) as co-presenters.
• A plan for audience participation should be included in the schedule. We encourage you to prepare questions or activities to engage participants in the interactive portion of your session.
• There is a maximum of 8 presenters, including the author.
• Handouts are required for any accepted abstract for Mini-Symposia.  Handouts submitted electronically prior to the meeting will be included on the AACPDM website. Prior permission must be obtained to duplicate copyrighted materials. Additional instructions for submitting handouts will be sent to presenters and posted on the AACPDM website prior to the annual meeting.
• Please note: Individuals may only present in a maximum of two Mini-Symposia.

For Morning Seminars, Mini-Symposia, and Pre-Courses, prepared background materials (slides, handouts, references) are required and should be made available prior to meeting, as these materials may be included in the Annual Meeting app. Handouts submitted electronically prior to the meeting will be included on the AACPDM meeting website. Prior permission must be obtained to duplicate copyrighted materials. Instructions on submitting handouts will be sent to accepted presenters and posted on the AACPDM website.

Pre-Conference Sessions

Pre-Meeting Instructional Courses are 4 hour (240 minute) in-depth tutorials held on Wednesday October 23, 2024 (also known as “Pre-Courses”).  These dynamic courses will include content experts from multiple institutions providing evidence based instruction on up-to-date topics that are of high interest to Academy members.  Because we anticipate accepting a limited number of Instructional Courses, we encourage active collaboration between members prior to submission. 

• There is a strict 3000-character count, including spaces, which will be imposed on the length of the body of the abstract.
• There is a maximum of 10 presenters, including the author.
• A plan for audience participation should be included in the schedule.
• Indicate whether the Pre-Course is co-sponsored with another participating professional society.        

For Morning Seminars, Mini-Symposia, and Pre-Courses, prepared background materials (slides, handouts, references) are required and should be made available prior to meeting, as these materials may be included in the Annual Meeting app. Handouts submitted electronically prior to the meeting will be included on the AACPDM meeting website. Prior permission must be obtained to duplicate copyrighted materials. Instructions on submitting handouts will be sent to accepted presenters and posted on the AACPDM website.

Abstracts can be submitted online via the AACPDM Annual Meeting Abstract Submission website.

 

Please contact AACPDM staff at meetings@aacpdm.org with any questions.