Push-In Therapy

SINAI Schools offers many therapies as part of our unique Push-in Therapy Program. In “push-in” therapy, therapy takes place within the setting in which skills are used: the classroom, lunchroom, playground, etc., with the teachers present to learn from the session and incorporate the therapy into the rest of the child’s day. SINAI’s “push-in” therapy model integrates these “push-in” therapies with traditional “pull-out” therapies, providing a cohesive and unified therapy plan for each student.

Most of our “push-in” therapies take place in the classroom setting, with skills incorporated into class lessons. However “push-in” therapies also take place throughout the day in many different settings. For example, our school psychologist spends time at recess, coaching the students within the context of a real-life social setting and helping teachers reinforce this coaching more effectively. Similarly, our speech therapist regularly attends lunch and helps to facilitate students’ social interaction by teaching them needed skills in the settings in which they are used.  

SINAI students benefit from the “push-in” therapies in many ways:

1. Because students are not pulled out of class for therapy, they do not miss precious instruction time in class. They receive therapy, but while the class is in session, incorporated into the lesson.
2. Because they are presented and practiced in a more natural environment, the skills targeted by the “push-in” therapies are more accessible to our students.
3. Because the skills targeted by the “push-in” therapies are presented and practiced in a “real-life” setting, our students are better able to apply these skills to other, similar “real-life” situations.
4. Because our teachers are actively engaged in the therapies alongside the therapists, they are able to continue using these therapeutic methods even after the therapist leaves. By watching and learning from the therapists, the teachers are able to apply these methods throughout the school day, reinforcing their students’ targeted skills. This, in turn, results in our students more quickly generalizing those skills at a higher level.  
5. Because the targeted skills are taught in various settings throughout the day, those skills are constantly reinforced, and the students interact with one another using these skills.  
6. Because the “push-in” therapies are integrated with traditional, “pull-out,” one-on-one therapies, our therapists are able to work on targeted skills in a variety of settings, improving the students’ ability to apply their skills in different contexts.  

We have found that our Push-in Therapy Program results in a qualitatively superior therapeutic experience for our children, particularly as our “push-in” sessions are integrated with the “pull-out” therapy that the students also receive.