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PORTLAND, Maine

91AV Playgroup program continues to educate students through service to local families

Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy students engage with children at the sand table during Playgroup

Each year, the 91AV Westbrook College of Health Professions and the Maine LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) program implement a transdisciplinary playgroup program for local parents and toddlers, providing an educational opportunity for future physical therapists, occupational therapists and social workers as well as a service to the community.

The Playgroup is in its ninth year of service to children, families and students through the essential occupation of play. The program runs for two hours each week for eight weeks during the spring semester. This year, 10 toddlers and more than 80 students are participating in the eight-week playgroup experience, along with 10 Maine LEND Trainees. The Playgroup is run by the 91AV Community Therapy Center with student OT Coordinator Audrey Comeau (M.S.O.T., ‘18) and PT Coordinator Aly Deardorff (D.P.T., ‘19).

While children of all abilities participate in Playgroup, parents are provided with a support group run by LEND Trainee Social Worker, Seth Hunsicker (M.S.W., ‘17). This offers families the a chance for their children to play in ways that enhance development, participate socially with others and have fun. For the students, this is a hands-on opportunity to implement techniques for working with children, families and interprofessional teams of health care providers.

Playgroup is facilitated by an interprofessional student/faculty/practitioner team including occupational therapy, physical therapy and social work along with a contracted speech-language pathologist to role model and participate in the group. Faculty advisors include LEND Program Director and Associate Clinical Professor of Physical Therapy Eileen Ricci, PT, D.P.T., M.S., PCS; LEND Training Director and Clinical Professor of Occupational Therapy Kathryn Loukas, O.T.D., M.S., OTR/L, FAOTA, and LEND FIT Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Social Work Valerie Jones, LMSW.

An interprofessional team also had the opportunity to present their Playgroup research at the Maine Occupational Therapy Association Conference. Comeau, Deardorff, Hunsicker, LEND Trainee Taylor Cahill (M.S.O.T., ‘18) and LEND Trainee Lindsay Spencer (M.S.O.T. ‘18) presented their poster titled, “Transdisciplinary Playgroup as Inclusive Family Centered Early Intervention.” The group represented the Westbrook College of Health Professions, the Maine LEND and the Community Therapy Center (CTC) at the conference.

To learn more about the 91AV’s Westbrook College of Health Professions visit

To learn more about the Maine LEND program, visit

To apply, visit 

 

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.