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| Developmental Therapy Model. A therapeutic program that offers a developmental curriculum ti severely emotionally disturbed or autistic children, their parents, and teachers. |
Description The Developmental Therapy Model is a therapeutic curriculum for social and emotional growth which can be used in a variety of settings or as originally designed, in a special classroom setting with groups of four to eight individuals. On the assumption that children with disabilities go through the same stages of development that normal youngsters do, but at a different pace, the curriculum guides treatment and measures progress by focusing on the normal developmental milestones that all children must master. It is composed of four curriculum areas (behavior, communication, socialization, and preacademics/cognition) arranged in five developmental stages, each requiring different emphasis and techniques. Special services to parents are an integral part of the approach. Developmental Therapy also emphasizes concurrent placement with children without disabilities. This mainstreaming aspect of the Model requires that regular school experiences mesh smoothly with intensive Developmental Therapy experiences. Resources are available that emphasize how to plan, implement, and evaluate an Individualized Education Program (IEP) using the developmental approach. The Developmental Therapy Model offers four types of technical assistance (information dissemination, program planning and design, training, and program evaluation). Program staff provide assessment of training needs, design an inservice instructional sequence, and implement the training program at the agency site with periodic visits. The Developmental Therapy Model, through enhancing social-emotional growth and self-esteem, addresses directly the National Goals for Education 1, 2, 3, and 6.
Developmental Funding: USOE BEH.
JDRP No. 75-63 (9/3/75)
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[Early Recognition Intervention Network (ERIN)]