The PIPs Project
The Preparing Interdisciplinary Providers (PIPs) project trains highly qualified professionals to work with young children with complex needs and their families. PIPs scholars receive interdisciplinary training through a variety of opportunities and experiences both on and off campus. Opportunities include joint coursework, an interdisciplinary practicum, a capstone project, and an intensive summer institute with physical therapy and occupational therapy students.
Graduates will be eligible for certification in speech language pathology or early childhood special education and will be prepared for positions serving children with disabilities eligible for Part C or Part B preschool services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
The inaugural group of PIPs scholars will graduate in May 2020 and the second cohort will begin their program in June 2020.
If you have questions about this project, feel free to contact us:
Meet the Team
Meet the Advisory Council
Parent representative
Assistant clinical professor
Early childhood coordinator, Georgia Sensory Assistance Project
Coordinator, Georgia Sensory Assistance Project
Assistant professor, Brenau University School of Occupational Therapy
INSITE/VIISA coordinator, Georgia PINES
Associate professor and director of physical therapy research, Department of Physical Therapy College of Health Professions, Mercer University
Technical assistance specialist, Georgia Sensory Assistance Project
Associate professor emeritus of physical therapy and adjunct faculty of developmental-behavioral pediatrics, University of South Alabama’s Strada Patient Care Center
Video: Why PIPs?
Learn about the Preparing Interdisciplinary Providers grant through the lens of current scholars.
Meet the Scholars
Meet the 2018-2020 Scholars
PIPs News
April 2022: On April 13, 2022, the PIPs Project hosted a virtual presentation by Naomi Rahn titled, “It Takes a Team! Embedding Learning Opportunities in Preschool Classrooms.” Rahn, an assistant professor of special education at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, highlighted how teaming and collaboration can be used to embed intervention strategies into typical preschool activities and routines. Rahn’s presentation also provided practical tips on how to collaborate with colleagues to embed learning opportunities and promote positive outcomes for young children with disabilities.
November 2021: On November 8, 2021, the PIPs Project hosted a virtual presentation with Anna Sletten, M.A., CCC-SLP, titled “Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Implementation: Teaming to Support Students with Complex Communication Needs.” Sletten, a complex communication needs specialist for Minneapolis Public Schools, discussed AAC implementation and the importance of teaming and collaboration. Sletten emphasized that every student communicates and has the right to participate in high-quality instruction during their school day.
June 2021: The second PIPs Summer Institute was held virtually from June 11-13, 2021. UGA PIPs scholars and other birth-kindergarten and special education graduate students collaborated with physical therapy graduate students from Texas Woman’s University and occupational therapy graduate students from Brenau University. Interdisciplinary faculty and family representatives presented topics of culturally responsive assessment and intervention practices, transitioning from the NICU, the family perspective, feeding, mobility and positioning, and alternative and augmentative communication. Seven interdisciplinary teams applied this content to case studies featuring a young child with complex needs and her family and presented cases for discussion on the final day of the institute. Faculty and family representatives included: Deborah Chen, PhD, California State University, Northridge; Laura Carpenter, PhD, Brenau University; Alyssa Fiss, PhD, Texas Woman’s University; Elise Kennedy, PhD, University of South Alabama; Rebecca Lieberman-Betz, PhD; Cynthia Vail, PhD; Jennifer Brown, PhD; Laura Nichols, EdS; Sarah Wiegand, MEd; Emily Adams, MDE; Catherine Citta, LMSW, University of Georgia; and Angie Dudley and Harper Calhoun, family representatives.
November 2020: On November 18, 2020, the PIPs Project hosted a virtual, interdisciplinary panel titled, “Providing Telehealth Services to Children with Complex Needs and Their Families.” The scholars heard from a behavior analyst, a physical therapist, and a speech language pathologist who shared their experiences switching to telehealth services during the pandemic to continue serving infants, toddlers, young children, and their families. The panelists spoke about the benefits and challenges of telehealth and provided insight on how to collaborate, build rapport, and coach families remotely.
August 2020: The second cohort of PIPs scholars started in June. The scholars, members of the advisory team, and PIPs faculty met virtually for introductions and fellowship. The scholars completed an online Infants and Toddlers Methods course this summer, which emphasized collaborative and interdisciplinary services for infants and toddlers with high-intensity needs and their families.
April 2020: Our PIPs scholars virtually presented their capstone projects, demonstrating their collaborative skills, knowledge, and flexibility. The scholars worked hard to create products, such as a welcome packet for parents whose children are transitioning from preschool to kindergarten, a curriculum for a play group of children ages birth-4 with disabilities, a child-centered communication portfolio for a child transitioning from early intervention to preschool, and literacy activities and handouts for parents and professionals of preschoolers with disabilities. The projects incorporated evidence-based practices for working with young children with disabilities and emphasized family-centeredness and team collaboration. We are so proud of the work they have done over the past two years!
October 2019: Key personnel from the PIPs program participated in an Office of Special Education Programs presentation at the Council for Exceptional Children-Division for Early Childhood’s International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families. The presentation highlighted the planning year, scholar coursework, practicum experiences, the Summer Institute, and lessons learned.
September 2019: Jennifer Grisham-Brown, professor and program chair in the interdisciplinary early childhood education program and director of the Early Childhood Laboratory School at the University of Kentucky, delivered a presentation entitled, “Practices to Promote Positive Transitions for Young Children.” Her talk focused on person-centered planning and how to engage families and children in assessment and intervention. Grisham-Brown’s presentation was sponsored by grants from the PIPs Project and the Georgia Sensory Assistance Project (GSAP).
June 2019: The PIPs project’s inaugural Summer Institute was held in Dawsonville, Georgia, May 31–June 2. Over the course of two days, UGA PIPs scholars worked with Mercer University physical therapy students and Brenau University occupational therapy students, building interdisciplinary collaboration skills to support young children with complex needs and their families using evidence-based practices. Six interdisciplinary student teams engaged in case-based learning through the application of new content presented by interdisciplinary faculty and family representatives, who facilitated students’ learning and engagement throughout the weekend. Faculty and family representatives included: Philippa Campbell, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University; M. Irma Alvarado, PhD, and Laura Carpenter, PhD, Brenau University; Alyssa Fiss, PhD, Mercer University; Elizabeth ‘Elisa’ Kennedy, PhD, University of South Alabama; Rebecca Lieberman-Betz, PhD, Cynthia Vail, PhD, Jennifer Brown, PhD, Laura Nichols, EdS, Sarah Wiegand, MEd, and Emily Adams, MDE, UGA; Angie Dudley; and Harper Calhoun.
March 2019: All 12 PIPs scholars were enrolled in a one-credit interdisciplinary practicum, where they worked together in teams of two to three to plan and implement interventions for young children with complex needs and their families with guidance from a professional mentor in home, classroom, and community settings. Each team will present their projects for discussion with PIPs scholars and faculty in April.
September 2018: Linda Hagood, a speech language pathologist with experience working with students who have visual impairment and additional disabilities, including autism, deaf-blindness, and intellectual disability visited the University of Georgia on Thursday, Sept. 20, for a breakfast with PIPs scholars. Her evening seminar entitled, “It Takes a Village: Working Together to Support Students with Complex Needs,” was a collaboration between the PIPs grant and the Georgia Sensory Assistance Project (GSAP; Vail, project director).
June 2018: The inaugural group of PIPs scholars has started their program with an Infants and Toddlers Methods course, a course emphasizing collaborative and interdisciplinary services for infants toddlers with high-intensity needs and their families.
May 2018: The PIPs Advisory Council had their first meeting to discuss program goals, next year’s Summer Institute, and course syllabi.
