ProjectINTERACT
Project INTERACT has concluded.
What was ProjectINTERACT?
Western Carolina University was proud to host the Project INTERACT grant! This innovative 1-year training opportunity provided Western Carolina graduate students in Communication Sciences & Disorders, Special Education, and Psychology the opportunity to learn about implementing interprofessional care models with students on the autism spectrum.
Project INTERACT (INTERprofessional Autism Collaborative Training) was a 5-year, Department of Education–funded Personnel Preparation grant designed to increase the number and quality of personnel serving children with high-intensity needs, specifically Autism and moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. This program trained 12 graduate students each year, four from each of the participating WCU disciplines (Psychology, Special Education, and Speech-Language Pathology).
Online Course Sequence (15 total credits)
- Seminar 1 (Spring) – Interprofessional Teaming and Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Seminar 2 (May Mini-mester) – Service Delivery Models for Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Seminar 3 (Summer I) – Interprofessional Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Seminar 4 (Summer II) – Interprofessional Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Seminar 5 (Fall) – Interprofessional Topics in Autism Spectrum Disorder Capstone
- SCS Student Completion Seminar (1 time class, 1 year post program completion)
SCHOLAR BENEFITS
ProjectINTERACT was a fully immersive interprofessional experience. ProjectINTERACT Scholars worked alongside nationally recognized experts in Autism and Intellectual Disabilities; had one year of graduate school paid for at an in-state rate; had access to a travel fund for continuing education; participated in online meeting times to facilitate team building and interactive learning; received a certificate of training upon completion.
PROGRAM IMPACT
We are committed to sharing research, publications and presentations related to our grant. Families and children from surrounding communities have access to evidence-based interprofessional consultation, assessment, and treatment. Scholars work in settings serving IDEA eligible children during two of the five years following grant completion.
Hear from one of our own!
“I want you all to know that I have used my training through Project INTERACT basically every single day in my work since graduating, and feel so, so much more prepared to do the work I do, having been trained and led by you all. Not only the didactic work, but the ‘hands-on,’ people-first experiences we received (the boards with autistic individuals, working with families), have helped me be both a more knowledgeable and more empathetic clinician. I also realized that I approach each interaction with children and families with a deeply-held strengths-based perspective without even thinking about it, and I imagine that I owe much of that to what you all instilled in us.”
Anna Johnson, M.A. Project INTERACT 2021 Cohort Project ELEVATE Advisory Board
Learn more about ProjectINTERACT
BY CLICKING THE IMAGES BELOW:
Meet The Team
Scholar Testimonies
The contents of this website were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #H325K1990050. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Anita Vermeer.