Cara+Rogerino

 The Children's Therapy Center (CTC) is a small private special education school in the suburban town of Fair Lawn, New Jersey. The CTC aims to meet educational and therapeutic needs of children with severe disabilities, from four surrounding counties, that cannot be met in public education setting. 

=//The Children's Therapy Center Mission://= The mission at the CTC is to provide a multi-sensory and holistic education that is nurturing and caring in order to enrich the lives of their students and maximize their potential while lending support to their families.

=//Purpose Of This Wiki-Page://=  The purpose of this page is to inform and assist staff and family members about Integrated Therapy. This page aims to explain what Integrated Therapy is, what the benefits are as well as share best practices for implementing the theory into the classroom and school appropriately. =//Therapy://= All students at the CTC receive Occupational Therapy (OT), Speech Therapy (ST), and Physical Therapy (PT) three times a week, for 30-minute sessions.All therapist consult with classroom staff and other team member on a regular basis as well as team meetings. **About Physical Therapy: ** Our Physical Therapists address the gross motor and sensory needs of the children in order to maximize their ability to negotiate their environment as safely and independently as possible. Treatments occur in the classroom as well as our therapeutic rooms, in both settings children have the opportunity to utilize a variety of therapeutic equipment. The Center provides specialized seating, standers and walkers, which are available to be used during the school day, if appropriate. Consultation with classroom staff and other team members occurs on a regular basis and at team meetings. http://www.thechildrenstherapycenter.org/Services.asp

**About Occupational Therapy: ** Occupational Therapy is the therapeutic use of self-care, work and play activities to increase independent function and to enhance development; and may include adaptation of tasks or the environment to enhance quality of life. Occupational Therapy addresses fine motor, self-help and sensory motor delays. The child is evaluated in a holistic manner to help improve their functional status in all aspects of their lives including school and home. A variety of modalities are used to address delays such as developmentally appropriate arts/crafts, tabletop activities, life skill activities as well as group and social interactions. Upper extremity splints as well as other basic adapted equipment can be fabricated by the OT Department in consultation with your child's physician. http://www.thechildrenstherapycenter.org/Services.asp

 **About Speech Therapy: ** Each child is thoroughly evaluated by a therapist in the areas of oral motor function, feeding skills, speech productivity and expressive and receptive language development. Our staff is very knowledgeable in alternate and augmentative communication which may include but not be limited to sign language, communication boards, picture exchange communication system(PECS), computer use and access, and the use of various electronic speech output devices to supplement speech and language development in our children. http://www.thechildrenstherapycenter.org/Services.asp =//Definitions of Integrated Therapy://= http://web.wm.edu/ttac/articles/collaboration/integrated.html Integrated therapy means a student's related service needs are planned, provided, and assessed ecologically, in natural settings, across disciplines. Skills are found and thus addressed in the clusters which serve functions in a student's real life. The Individual Education Plan (IEP) is collaboratively written and priority skills are determined for student participation, functional independence, and overall benefit from the educational program.

http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~inclusion/index.htm  Integrated therapy is more than just the issue of providing therapy in-class versus out-of-class. Providing support or therapy to a child //within the context of what the child is doing //<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in the classroom (or other natural environment) is the goal with integrated therapy. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;"> This model promotes model promotes social competence, by keeping children involved in activities together; generalization, by enabling a child to practice needed skills in the places the skills are needed; and, consistency, by having all the adults working with a child aware of why and how to provide interventions.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;"> =//The Children's Therapy Center Inservice on Integrated Therapy://= <span style="font-size: 99%; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">On May 27, 2008 the CTC's Integrated Therapy pilot-program team, consisting of Cara Rogerino (Teacher), Diane Callari (ST), Amanda Crosetto (PT), and Lori Zozzaro (OT), ran a school inservice for the professional staff. During this inservice they discussed their initial year of working as a team and integrating therapy into the classroom. They specifically addressed issues they faced such as: changes in their roles, changes in goal writing as well as reports, working with classroom staff (i.e. aides) and best practices for working as team. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">

This pilot-program was viewed as a success from Administrators, staff and parents. This team continues to work together on Integrated Therapy as well as help other class teachers and staff members with incorporating this theory into the school. =//Benefits of Integrated Therapy://=

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 60%;">http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~FX/PDFs/qn6_2728.pdf
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; display: block; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;"> __Integrated Therapy benefits many aspects of a child's education in that it__: • provides many opportunities for the child to practice new skills in naturally occurring activities or interactions. • prevents disruptions in the child’s daily routine. • prevents times when the child is removed from the presence of his or her peers. • allows teachers to observe therapists using techniques and to learn new approaches for developing and improving the child’s skills throughout the day. • allows therapists to observe the child during classroom routines which leads to developing goals that are useful and interesting to the child. • encourages collaboration among parents, classroom staff, and therapists to develop useful goals to address the child’s needs. • provides opportunities for teachers to get new ideas for inclusive activities.

=//Best Practices for Implementing Integrated Therapy://=
 * <span style="font-size: 80%; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Integrating Therapy into the Classroom: Individualizing Inclusion in Childcare; U.S. Office of Special Education Programs. <span style="line-height: 44px; font-size: 12px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~inclusion/IT.pdf

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 80%;">//Although therapy is provided in-class may be considered integrated, location is just one of several factors that determines the “integratedness” of therapy// //.// <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">//Other dimensions of therapy include (a) presence of peers, (b) context of intervention, (c) initiation, (d) functionality of skills, and (e) consultation. Manipulation of these variables determines how segregated or integrated the therapy is.// <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">


 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">The National Project INTEGRATE: Consultation Checklist. http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~inclusion/Model_Demo/Integrated_Therapy/integrated_therapy.htm

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">//<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif;">Collaborative consultation is an important piece to this component. Open and frequent communication between classroom staff, specialists, and parents is necessary if all the caregivers are to provide interventions. Collaborative consultation involves team members sharing knowledge across disciplines (role release), voluntarily engaging in shared decision making, working towards a common goal, and working as equals in assessment, implementation, and evaluation. // <span style="line-height: 18px; font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center; display: block;"> http://www.vanderbiltchildrens.com/uploads/documents/archive/ccd_consultation_checklist.pdf =//References://=
 * __York, J.; Rainforth, B. & Giangreco, M. (1990)__ //__Transdisciplinary Teamwork and Integrated Therapy: Clarifying The Misconceptions__//__. Pediatric Physical Therapy__: This article discusses educationally related therapy services as well as the common misconceptions and related clarifications for transdisciplinary and integrated therapy services specifically for students with severe disabilities.


 * ======__Barnes, S.B. & Whinnery, K.W. (2001)__ //__Effects of Functional Mobility Skills Training for Young Students with Physical Disabilities__//__. Retrieved from Questia__: 5/8/2008: This article discusses reasons both theoretically and legally for students therapeutic programs to be integrated into the classroom. The article specifically addresses the need to move away from instruction based on a developmental model to curriculum approaches emphasizing functional outcomes. This article includes a study of MOVE Curriculum a top-down, activity-based curriculum designed to link educational programs and therapy by providing functional mobility practice within typical daily activities in the natural context.======


 * ======__Kilgo, K.L.; Aldridge, J.; Denton, B. & Vogtel L. (2003)__ //__Transdisciplinary Teaming: A Vital Component of Inclusive Services__//__. Focus on Inclusive Education__: This article discusses critical components of transdisciplinary teams. It also explains the benefits of working with children in natural settings versus isolated setting which occurs during pull-out therapy.======