Vol. 3, No. 2 • Spring 1999

Therapist of Children with
Disabilities Learning New
Ways to Deliver Services

CHAPEL HILL, NC � Therapists for children from birth to age eight with disabilities can receive the latest advice from experts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who are now available to conduct workshops and provide technical assistance on integrated therapy approaches.

More than 3,000 professionals around the nation will be trained in �integrated therapy� over the next three years by Project INTEGRATE, which is directed by Dr. Robin McWilliam of the Frank Porter Graham Center at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The first such workshop was held in Wilmington, NC, in late July.

McWilliam explained that integrated therapy means services take place in the child�s natural setting, such as a classroom or home instead of a separate room or a clinic. �It also means services are coordinated with everyday routines and are implemented by regular caregivers, such as classroom teachers, child care providers and parents, instead of just being given by specialists,� he said.

In addition to North Carolina, seminars and presentations are planned for Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, as well as other states. Training and technical assistance programs will be provided to early intervention and center-based programs requesting training.

Also, Project INTEGRATE has also just opened a new Internet web site at <http: www.fpg.unc.edu/~integrate/>. A series of models on delivering integrated therapy and consultative early childhood special education programs are posted on the site.

In addition, said Project Coordinator Lisa Mayhew, the program will generate seven manuals for specialized service providers, classroom teachers, administrators, and families. The first manual, which is aimed at classroom teachers, is expected this fall. Manuals and other materials will be posted on the web site as soon as they become available, she said.

The three-year grant for Project INTEGRATE was awarded by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, US Dept. of Education.

Reprinted with permission from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC. Tel: 919/966-0867.

Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for Families