Community

At PTS, we know the integral roles schools play in our communities because we’ve seen and experienced it firsthand. The school-based clinicians who we work alongside are deeply connected to the communities we serve—and they live in them too. Our goal is to support, strengthen, and enhance our partnering schools and surrounding communities from within.

About Us Field Work Placements

How We Act Nationally & Locally

To that end, what we do goes far beyond the classrooms in the school districts we partner with and across the country.

Our National Affiliations

We’re affiliated with national organizations, including the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), and the Behavior Analysts Certification Board (BACB).

Our Regional Partners

To foster a culture of respect and support for children with disabilities, we also partner with professionals and organizations to create opportunities for children to be active, contributing members of their communities. Our partnerships include the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania, as well as various educational foundations at public schools throughout the Delaware Valley region and beyond.

How We Think Globally

Though she is now retired, Pam Hackett, MPT, one of the co-founders of PTS, brought our proven approach to the international stage. During her incredible career, she provided training for teachers in more than 17 countries through Edify, a network of private schools in developing countries.

She also traveled to the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Belize to conduct in-person teacher conferences about how to best support students with special needs.

Beautiful Gates Special School in Mysore India

Along with that, Pam made several visits to the Beautiful Gates Special School (BGSS) for children with disabilities in Mysore, India. In 2008, BGSS had 20 students with multiple disabilities or autism. Though the school had students with overwhelming needs, there were no therapists available to address these mounting challenges.

During her visits, Pam sought to maximize improvements by finding ways to provide “therapy without a therapist.” To begin, she focused on incorporated hand-strengthening activities at the classroom level. Then, while accounting for budgetary and resource constraints, the PTS team developed training programs and resources for the teachers.

PTS continues to partner with and provide BGSS with both clinical resources and financial support.