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The Center for Development & Disability, at the University of New Mexico Health Science Center, School of Medicine was awarded a three-year grant from the Department of Education, Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services to develop, demonstrate and evaluate a unique in-service training model. The DISCUSS model trained teams responsible for development of individualized programs for students with disabilities using a case based facilitated dialogue. Several innovative and unique features of this training model demonstrate effective practice that improves learner outcomes. The Center for Development and Disability partnered with three diverse school districts across the state of New Mexico. These partnerships included large urban, and large rural districts and a smaller centralized district. The DISCUSS staff at the Center for Development and Disability contracted with each district for release time of an identified project liaison. The development team included these project liaisons as well as the Center for Development and Disability team. DISCUSS liaisons were an integral part of the development team from the onset. The inclusion and collaboration of these project liaisons was an important part of the DISCUSS model development and insured that content focused on real life questions, concerns and issues of individual school districts. Project liaisons were also responsible for replication of the DISCUSS model in their respective district. A member of Center for Development and Disability team mentored each liaison in the facilitation of the DISCUSS model with an interdisciplinary team from the district. Project liaisons were involved in the training of new facilitators within their districts, thus insuring the continuation of this DISCUSS model by the districts and building each district capacity to deliver professional development. The teaching methodology of The DISCUSS model is a learner-centered approach called problem-based learning. Problem based learning (PBL) is used to deliver the DISCUSS model to interdisciplinary teams of professionals and parents. PBL is a method of learning, used by the UNM School of Medicine, which begins when a problem is encountered and continues as participants follow systematic reasoning and inquiry strategy in order to work toward a resolution or understanding of the problem. Given the content of the DISCUSS training model, individualizing for students with disabilities, and the diversity of students with disabilities, reasoning and inquiry strategies are appropriate skills to teach and hone. Cases that present profiles of a variety of students with disabilities provide the foundation for problem based learning within The DISCUSS model. Participants are assigned to interdisciplinary groups/teams. Teams of participants are kept small to ensure the flow of discussion and problem solving. To the extent possible, each team mirrors an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team. Each team consists of the following:
Individuals within the team may be at various levels of knowledge about the content; however, all are encouraged to share from their unique perspectives. As teams work together to solve problems and analyze solutions, the importance of the team approach in program planning for all children becomes apparent. Participants bring different expertise and perspectives to the process. Family members bring life-long commitment to the child and knowledge of his/her interests, preferences and strengths. General education teachers bring knowledge of district curriculum and content standards/benchmarks that are applicable to all children. Special educators bring knowledge of modifications to curriculum and supports for students who have unique learning needs. Educational assistants bring practical, day-to-day experience of working with children with disabilities in classrooms. Therapists bring a variety of expertise to the discussions and utilize specific knowledge of communication, child development, and sensory processing needs. Mutual respect and trust is essential for effective parent-professional teaming and collaboration. Prior experiences in which these elements were not present may color an individual’s participation. For instance, a parent might distrust a therapist in the group because of a previous experience with a different therapist who violated confidentiality or was intimidating. Likewise, a professional member of the group may be hesitant to participate with a parent because of past experiences with a parent who was defensive or appeared apathetic. One of the roles of the facilitator is to become aware of these potential barriers and use the feedback process to identify attitudes that may inhibit effective teamwork within the group. The core values, which drove development of the DISCUSS model, are articulated for the participants. The DISCUSS model encourages and supports the following core values which are essential to working with individuals with disabilities and their families:
A variety of core topics and skill areas with related objectives are emphasized within cases. These topics and skill areas are as follows:
Four cases are presented to develop these skills, and to reflect the core values described above. Cases are organized to encourage discussions related to objectives. Knowledge gained is cumulative from case to case. All cases provide information about the characteristics of the disability as well as family collaboration. The complexity of the cases increases as participants gain greater experience in understanding the diagnosis and possible challenges of programming for individual children introduced in the cases. After teams have completed the four developed cases, the practicum provides an opportunity to develop a functional education plan for the child of the parent in the group. In essence, this child becomes the fifth case. The team begins to develop the plan based upon expressed parental outcomes for their child. Child, family and school profiles are developed to assist in this process. This enables the group to continue to work together as a team and to use problem-solving skills developed during the simulated cases. Participants continue to learn about the disability and ways to individualize for students with disabilities and also use an effective reasoning process, which is valuable in developing a program for any child. This process fosters self-directed learning skills, increases motivation for further learning and improves interpersonal communication skills. Each case is designed to be discussed over two weeks in a three-hour time block. The final activity, the functional education plan, is typically completed over three to five days. The amount of time participants spend in the course averages about fifty hours. Participants have been very positive about The DISCUSS model. Of the participants who responded to the question, "Taking everything into account, how would you rate the training program", the majority of participants (96%) rated the entire course as "very good" or "good". Typical written comments included the following:
Participants gave high marks to the program for increasing their knowledge and understanding of the sixteen core topics covered. The highest ranked topic was "how to design and structure teaching environments based on modifications, objectives and supports contained in the IEP that best accommodates the needs of students with disabilities in natural settings". Written comments included:
Participants were extremely positive about the impact they believed the program would have on their professional lives. The highest-ranking topic in terms of impact was "how to better respect families’ knowledge of their child". Written comments included:
About the Model
For web site information contact roseh@unm.edu
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Parents of a child with a disability
