Why Therapies Belong at the Core of Education

If you’ve ever been told that your child will “get speech twice a week” or “see the OT for 30 minutes on Tuesdays,” you probably know the uneasy feeling that follows. Parents want to believe those sessions will make a difference, but too often, they’re separate  from the rest of the school day. What happens in therapy doesn’t always carry over to math, reading, or even the lunch table.

At Project Infinity, we’ve seen firsthand how that separation holds kids back. And we’ve built our school around a simple but powerful belief: therapies shouldn’t be side services. They belong at the very core of education.

The Problem with Separation

In traditional schools, therapies are often “pull-out” sessions. A student leaves class, works on a skill in isolation, then returns to a classroom that isn’t set up to reinforce it. The speech therapist may not know what the teacher is working on. The OT may never connect with the behavior analyst. The result? Students practice skills in fragments, without the consistency and generalization to other settings.

For children with autism or other neurodiverse learning differences, that gap is especially costly. A child might learn how to request a break in speech therapy but melt down in the classroom because no one else is modeling or reinforcing that same strategy. Another might practice handwriting  skills in OT but avoid writing assignments in class because supports aren’t built into daily lessons.

When therapies are disconnected, growth stalls, and students may be unfairly labeled as “incapable.”

The Infinity Model: Integration Every Day

At Project Infinity, therapies don’t live in separate rooms. They’re interwoven into the academic day. Our teachers, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and BCBAs collaborate constantly. Goals are shared. Strategies are aligned. And most importantly, students see and feel that consistency across every environment.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Speech + Classroom Crossover: If a student is working on expressive language, those strategies are echoed in the classroom. For instance, if the student is using a low-tech device to support their language, the teacher will model the answers on their device to help them engage and communicate at their level.

• OT + Classroom Crossover: An OT may recommend alternative ways to participate in class. If handwriting is difficult, typing may be introduced, or fine motor practice may be built into math manipulatives, art, or music.

• ABA + Classroom Success: Behavior plans aren’t hidden in a folder, they guide instruction. Teachers and therapists use ABA strategies to break down skills into manageable steps.  Additionally, ClassDojo is used to maintain motivation school wide and classroom structure is created by having designated work time and break times as a class which individual reinforcement schedules are woven into.

Carly Weinberg, our founder, puts it simply: “Therapies are at the forefront of everything we do. They aren’t extras, they’re the foundation.”

What Families See

The impact of integration goes beyond the classroom. Families tell us they notice changes at home, too. A child who once struggled to communicate needs at school begins generalizing those skills at the dinner table.

Parents often share that before coming to Project Infinity, they felt stuck, like their child’s potential was capped. Here, they see something different: their child thriving because therapies and academics are finally working hand-in-hand.

Why It Matters

When therapies and academics move together, students don’t just practice skills, they live them.

Integration builds:

• Confidence – Children feel understood and supported in real time, not only during therapy hours.

• Consistency – Skills aren’t lost in transition; they’re reinforced across all subjects.

• Independence – Students learn strategies they can use in everyday life, not just in a therapy room.

Most importantly, it helps every child be seen for what they can do, not limited by what they can’t.

A Better Path Forward

Parents shouldn’t have to choose between academics and therapies. The truth is, children deserve both, working together. That’s why Project Infinity was built: to create a school where therapies are the core, not the afterthought.

If you’ve felt the frustration of disconnected services, or if you’ve wondered whether your child could make more progress in a school that truly integrates therapy and learning, we’d love to show you what’s possible.

Schedule a tour and see why families call Project Infinity the place where therapies and education come together to unlock every child’s potential.