"A Holistic Treatment Team for Autism: The Professional Education Benef" by Melina Healey, Kayla Finuf et al.
  •  
  •  
 
Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity

Date

2025

Abstract

This article will outline the distinct special education and related service needs of children with autism and describe a new model for a medical-legal partnership tailored to address those needs and educate the professionals who work with children with autism. We will share results supporting the use of this model from a series of Interprofessional Education (“IPE”) case studies and consultations the authors conducted through interdisciplinary coursework shared among several graduate schools within Touro University. Part I explains the legal and client-centered framework within which the medical-legal partnership operates. Part II identifies the advantages of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and occupational therapy (OT) for the complex interrelated symptoms that are associated with autism, and the importance of client-centered legal advocacy for obtaining appropriate services for youth with autism. Part III contextualizes medical-legal partnerships within the broader landscape of interprofessional education. Part IV introduces a pioneering medical legal partnership at Touro University aimed at enhancing the training of professionals and delivering more impactful legal services to children with autism. This initiative integrates expert consultants from ABA and OT into the special education legal representation provided by a law school clinic to children and youth with autism. Part V presents empirical findings illustrating the educational benefits of this model for students pursuing careers in OT, ABA, and law, along with suggestions for refining the pedagogical approach to better serve professional students. This article also shares some of the early beneficial outcomes of the partnership for the law clinic’s clients with autism.

Share

COinS