New York University Physical Therapy Program Commits to Educating Students About Working with Patients with IDD
New York University (NYU) partnered up with Special Olympics NY and Special Olympics International to bring education and awareness regarding treating people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to their Physical Therapy students.
On Tuesday, October 8th, the NYU Physical Therapy Program held an Inclusive Health training for third-year students. Special Olympics NY Director of Health Programs, Taylor Mead-Patterson, and Special Olympics NY Health Messenger and Athlete Leader, Billy Seide, spoke to students about the health disparities that people with IDD face, and how Special Olympics Inclusive Health initiatives aim to change health outcomes through offerings like Healthy Athletes and fitness programming.
Special Olympics NY FUNFitness Clinical Director and NYU Physical Therapy Alumni Board Member, Dr. Donna Cantrell, DPT, spoke about her experience as a young PT working with children with disabilities, as well as her journey of finding early intervention opportunities for her own child on the autism spectrum.
To better explain Healthy Athletes, the free health screenings offered by Special Olympics, Dr. Cantrell demonstrated some of the screening stations that make up the Physiotherapy focused screening, FUNFitness. Dr. Cantrell was assisted by Billy, who acted as the athlete participant, and used his personal experiences to show how students can interact and learn from Special Olympics athletes, as well as help them with their health. Students left the presentation with a knowledge of how they can help the underserved IDD population, and an invitation to volunteer and get hands-on experience at a FUNFitness screening on December 7th.
Dr. Wen Ling, PhD, Chair and Associate Professor of Physical Therapy for NYU, shared an additional training opportunity with the students after the presentation, the Special Olympics International Inclusive Health Fundamentals. This curriculum is an interprofessional and evidence-based program that introduces the concept of providing high quality, inclusive care to people with IDD for healthcare students and professionals. Delivered through five easily accessible, asynchronous virtual learning activities, each requiring less than one hour to complete, this curriculum is a comprehensive introduction for busy healthcare students and professionals looking to deepen their understanding of neurodiversity. A team of subject matter experts from various fields and countries developed the curriculum, which is based on professional competencies and evidence-based practices identified in the literature. Students that complete the modules will receive a certificate – The training provides them with a wealth of information regarding treating patients with IDD to take with them as they enter their professional careers.
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