This webinar will review the newly updated fact sheet- Collaboration for Student Access and Success: APE & SBPT Under IDEA, endorsed by APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, SHAPE America and the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities. We will discuss how adapted physical education (APE) and school-based physical therapy (SBPT) professionals work together to promote meaningful access, participation, and progress for students with disabilities. Participants will explore the distinct yet complementary roles of APE teachers and school-based physical therapy practitioners within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), including areas of shared responsibility, referral and evaluation considerations, service-delivery decision making, and strategies for collaborative planning.

The source fact sheet specifically addresses the respective roles of APE and SBPT under IDEA, their overlap and differences, and the value of collaboration in supporting students with disabilities. The webinar will highlight student-centered, participation-focused teamwork to connect each profession’s expertise with physical education programming. Participants will share practical methods for communicating across disciplines, clarifying roles on the IEP team, aligning goals and supports, and reducing duplication or fragmentation of services.

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the primary roles, responsibilities, and educational purposes of adapted physical education and school-based physical therapy for students with disabilities under IDEA.
2. Differentiate between APE and SBPT services by analyzing their disciplinary expertise, eligibility considerations, assessment focus, and contributions to a student’s educational program.
3. Identify any limits on collaboration or role; delineating which expertise can contribute which data, service, recommendation, etc.
4. List practical strategies for communication, developing collaborative teams, procedures, and programs.
5. Develop one feasible action step for strengthening APE–SBPT collaboration in the participant’s own school district, program, or practice setting.

Laurie Ray, PT, PhD has over 25 years of experience in school-based physical therapy practice in North Carolina. Dr. Ray has served North Carolina as the Physical Therapy Consultant for NC Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) since 2005, Medicaid Consultant from 2006-2026 and also serves as Adapted Physical Education Liaison. The NC School-based PT website offers many helpful resources and is utilized by school-based practitioners across the state, nation and internationally.

She is an Associate Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy at UNC-Chapel Hill, teaching in the DPT program and Pediatric Residency. Laurie was a founding officer of the APTA NC Pediatric SIG and served as Communication Chair. For the APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, she served as Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Leadership Coordinator, Coordinator of the Innovations in School-based PT Annual Conference (10 yrs), Region V Representative, Chair of the School SIG (6 yrs) and on the Policy, Payment and Advocacy Committee.

Dr. Ray previously served on the NC Vocational Rehabilitation Council and currently is the Education-at-Large Representative for the National Alliance of Medicaid in Education. Laurie co-founded www.seekfreaks.com, a web-based resource that reaches across the US and internationally to support best practice for related services, evidence-based practice, and knowledge translation. Dr. Ray’s expertise on school and pediatric practice of physical therapy, Medicaid cost recovery for public schools, anti-discrimination law, ethics, adapted physical education, and related topics, is highly sought across the US. She is a reviewer for Pediatric Physical Therapy, Journal of Allied Health, and on the editorial board for Pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapy.      

Melissa Bittner, Ph.D., CAPE is an Associate Professor of Adapted Physical Education at California State University, Long Beach. Her research focuses on the physical education of students with disabilities. She has co-authored more than 50 publications and secured more than $4 million in grant funding. She serves as chair of the National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID) Policy and Advocacy Committee and as the university chair for California State Council on Adapted Physical Education. She has also co-authored two Human Kinetics textbooks: Principles and Methods of Adapted Physical Education: An Evidence-Based Pedagogical Approach and Recreation and Paraeducators in Physical Education.

Are you a student or new professional (SNP) interested in building community and learning more about Early Intervention? If so, we welcome you to join our next Early Intervention SNP Collaborative meeting hosted by EI SIG SNP liaison Natalie Tiffany, PT, DPT, PCS. Dr. Kaitlin Porter, PT, DPT, will be presenting on the FAB (flexible, activity based, burst of supports) model. The FAB model is an early intervention scheduling method designed to support child and caregiver participation during early intervention visits and improve carryover between visits by focusing on real life activities during therapy sessions. FAB scheduling builds upon coaching and natural learning environment practices to improve child outcomes in early intervention. Join to learn more!

Please join us for a journal club meeting to review the article, Finding the Balance: Transforming How We Think About the Body's Response to Stress in Early Childhood, on October 29, 2026 at 7:30PM ET. One CEU will be awarded for participation.

The APTA Pediatrics Residency and Fellowship Consortium is an 11-month didactic program designed to advance the pediatric resident’s knowledge and application of examination and treatment of pediatric patients in a variety of areas. The Consortium will offer 32 modules over the 2026-2027 academic year. Twenty seven modules this year include asynchronous content and a virtual synchronous meeting, a resident assignment, and a knowledge translation reflection activity. The remaining five modules will not include a synchronous virtual meeting, but will include all other module components. Materials will be posted and will remain accessible to participants from August 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. 

More specific information about registration and the components of each module is provided below. 

Who Can Participate?: Registrants must be current residents/fellows of a pediatric residency or fellowship program. Residency/fellowship program faculty members who would like to participate fully in the consortium for the purposes of their own learning are also welcome to register. 

Cost of Registration: The fees described below include access to the asynchronous and synchronous content of all modules.
• $250 per person for APTA Pediatrics MEMBERS. 
• $310 per person for NON-MEMBERS of APTA Pediatrics. 

Registration Window: Registration will be open July 2026, and will remain open for the entire academic year.  
Confidentiality Agreement:  All registered participants are required to sign a confidentiality agreement, which protects the intellectual property of the instructors. Participants agree to not distribute course material.  
Asynchronous Content: All modules will include a narrated video presentation and a handout of the slides presented. Participants should view the narrated lecture and review the handout prior to the virtual synchronous meeting. 
Resident Assignment & Resources: All modules will include a case-based written assignment as well as required readings (journal articles). Some modules may also provide additional recommended readings or other resources. Participants should complete the resident assignments and read any required articles prior to the virtual synchronous.

Synchronous Virtual Meeting: MOST modules will include a virtual synchronous Zoom meeting. Virtual meetings are 2-3 hours long and are held on Sunday afternoon/evenings or on a weeknight. The course instructor(s) will discuss important points about the asynchronous content, answer any questions the participants have, and facilitate discussion about the case-based assignment. Breakout rooms may be used for small group discussion, and groups will be invited to share when all participants are brought back together as a large group. Participants are expected to have their cameras on and to be active participants in the discussion. The virtual meetings will be recorded and posted for any registered participant to view. It is important to note however, that individual break out room discussions cannot be recorded. Therefore, residents/faculty who do not attend the live synchronous session will not have the opportunity to participate in or hear discussions that occurred in the breakout rooms, or to ask questions. The consortium committee encourages participants to attend the virtual meetings in real-time to take full advantage of the learning opportunities offered there. 

Knowledge Translation Reflection: All modules will include a knowledge translation (KT) reflection worksheet. Participants should complete the KT reflection after the synchronous session. Residents are encouraged to share it with their program directors or mentors and to develop a plan for further learning and opportunities for application to clinical practice.

Module Evaluations: Each participant will be asked to complete a course evaluation for each module. The feedback provided will help the consortium committee better understand the needs of the participants and will guide changes in the content for subsequent years. 
Attendance: The consortium committee and the course instructors will not be taking attendance during the virtual meetings. Additionally, resident assignments will not be collected or graded by the consortium consortium committee. It is up to individual program directors to monitor their residents’ participation in each aspect of the modules. 

Exam Questions: Instructors for each module have developed exam questions pertinent to the content they have provided. The exam questions will be sent to residency/fellowship program directors who have residents/fellows registered in the consortium. Directors may choose whether or not to utilize the questions in their written examinations.

Questions about the Consortium may be directed to Elena Bradley at [email protected].

Course Authors: Jay Grissom, PT, DPT; Monica Krogmann, PT, DPT; Tanya Liu, PT, DPT, PhD; Cornelia Lieb-Lundell, PT, DPT; Kelli Reyes, PT, DPT

Article Title: Routine Screening Demonstrates Pediatric Delirium Hospital-wide 
Article Authors: Margaret Scholla, PT, L. David Wittkowerb, PHD, Caroline Andy, MSc, Chani Traubed, MD

Objectives:
Participants will be able to:

• Describe the implications of a positive Cornell Assessment of Pediatric Delirium (CAPD) screening.
• Identify pediatric populations at high risk for delirium in the hospital setting, including the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and non-critical care units.
• Consider the role of pediatric physical therapists in identifying and treating pediatric delirium.
• Identify neuroprotective and neuro-promotive strategies used to mitigate the occurrence and severity of delirium.

This webinar will describe the key members of the early intervention team and the important role that each member plays. The session will present strategies for clear communication in team meetings and will analyze factors that contribute to successful collaboration during early intervention visits. Strategies for effective shared treatment sessions and a coaching approach will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key members of the early intervention team
• Develop strategies for clear communication in team meetings
• Analyze factors that contribute to successful collaboration during early intervention visits
• Discuss strategies for shared treatment sessions in early intervention

This session will provide participants with a comprehensive overview of planning for successful transitions across the early childhood continuum—from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to Early Intervention (Part C), and ultimately to school-based (Part B) services. Presenters will describe key processes that promote continuity of care, interdisciplinary collaboration, and proactive transition planning at each stage. The session will emphasize the importance of recognizing and incorporating family priorities and feedback to ensure that transitions are responsive, family-centered, and developmentally appropriate.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the process of planning for a “successful” transition from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to early intervention (EI)/Part C to school based/Part B services 
• Reference evidence-based resources to assist NICU, EI and school-based teams with developing a plan of care before, during and after transitions
• Recognize family priorities and feedback regarding the transition process.

This webinar will present an overview of the assessment and IFSP development process with a focus on consideration of the impact of teleintervention, teaming, and natural environments. Learners will gain knowledge about how to apply family-centered practices to perform strengths-based assessments in support of IFSP development. The process of creating child and family outcomes that emphasize strengths and promote caregiver engagement will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Consider the impact of teleintervention, teaming, and natural environments on assessment of infants and young children.
• Apply family-centered practices to perform strengths-based assessments in support of IFSP development.
• Create child and family outcomes that emphasize strengths and promote caregiver engagement in the early intervention process.

This session will describe components of natural learning environment practices with a focus on the impact of family-centered practices on child learning and development. The presentation will help attendees learn to develop strategies for supporting children and families in a variety of contexts and situations. The session will also provide discussion of the application of principles of natural learning environment practices to clinical practice.

Learning Objectives:

• List components of natural learning environment practices
• Discuss the impact of family-centered practices on child learning and development
• Develop strategies for supporting children and families in a variety of contexts and situations
• Apply principles of natural learning environment practices and relational helpgiving to clinical practice

This webinar will summarize precursor legislation to IDEA and describe components of IDEA Part C and their impact on physical therapy. The presentation will review how eligibility is determined for IDEA Part C and provide a brief overview of the IFSP process. Finally, the presentation will provide an introduction to physical therapy services are provided for children and families under Part C of IDEA.

Learning Objectives:

• Summarize the legislation and the laws that were precursors to IDEA. 
• Describe the components of IDEA Part C and their impact on physical therapy. 
• Explain how eligibility is determined under IDEA Part C.
• Describe the IFSP process and its importance for delivery of family centered care under IDEA Part C.
• Describe how physical therapy services are provided under Part C of IDEA.