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THE MODEL:
A team of experts works with
children and family
The Early Intervention Programme is performed on
the 52-acre grounds of the Theotokos Foundation in
Ilion, located in the north-western suburbs of Athens.
The programme takes place in a dedicated building
with the capacity to host four groups, while individual
sessions are held in separate rooms for speech thera-
py, occupational therapy, and psychology support.
The children participating in the programme come
mostly from the surrounding suburbs, and access
the site using the Foundation’s bus service or by their
parents’ private transportation. The site is situated
close to local shops, a park, and a cinema-shop-
ping complex, making community excursions easily
accessible.
Within the framework of a bio-psycho-social model,
individualised programmes are created based on a
child-centred approach. The rooms are structured
based on a kindergarten simulation along with
supportive play and educational materials to foster
development in a natural environment. Throughout
the day, all children attend individual sessions with
the occupational therapist, speech therapist, special
educationalist, and psychologist. All disciplines are in
close collaboration with the group teacher. Goals and
progress are recorded daily in the child’s Individual
Education Programme.
The transfer of skills is an important part of the pro-
gramme – both among staff and among the children
– and this is accomplished through regular co-teach-
ing programmes at which two staff members are
present in the group. For example, the co-teaching
programmes and staff address the following topics:
• Communication skills (teacher and speech
therapist)
• Play skills (teacher and speech therapist/occupa-
tional therapist/psychologist)
• Sherborne Developmental Movement (occupational
therapist and speech therapist)
• Phonological awareness (teacher and speech
therapist)
• Alternative augmentative communication systems
(e.g., photos, Picture Exchange Communication
System, Makaton). These are introduced in the
classroom with the occupational therapist and
speech therapist.
• Autism Programme (in the classroom with the
speech therapist, occupational therapist, or psy-
chologist).
The above co-teaching programmes involve sharing
the planning, organization, delivery, and assessment
of the programmes. Planning includes the short-term
goal(s) of the day’s programme as well as the long-
term goals. Goals may include group goals referring
to a common expectation of achievement and individ-
ual goals according to the level of each child.
The delivery of the programme varies according to
the experience of the teacher and the type of pro-
gramme. For example, the therapist takes on the lead
role in the first few sessions acting as a model for the
teacher. The teacher gradually increases the involve-
ment of the children (e.g., giving instructions, prompts,
cues, correcting). In some cases, the goal is for the
teacher to be able to deliver the programme on his/
her own. In other cases, the therapists’ methods
and techniques act as models for the teacher to use
throughout the day.
Step by step integration
Parents attend a meeting with the interdisciplinary
team at which the strengths and needs of the child
are discussed, as well as the structure and function-
ing of the service. When the interdisciplinary team,
which regularly assesses the students’ developmental
level, decides that a particular child has reached the
developmental milestones required for mainstream
inclusion, a meeting with the parents is arranged.
The process of inclusion is explained as well as the
expectations (the child’s strengths and weaknesses)
regarding the inclusion process.
In the beginning, the child attends the kindergarten
usually for only two days, and during the rest of the
week he/she continues to attend the programme. This
arrangement is performed for two reasons:
• To avoid side-effects of a sudden and stressful
change in the child’s daily routine.
• To allow discussion – with the child’s support
person and kindergarten teacher – of possible
difficulties the child might face, and to work on
them systematically during the days he/she is still
attending the programme.
The children participating in the
programme come mostly from the
surrounding suburbs of Illion, and
access the site using the Foundation’s
bus service or by their parents’
private transportation