Texas Tech University

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Project TEDD?

Project TEDD provides training to enhance the competencies of educators in K-12 settings who work with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities who may also have co-occurring psychiatric disorders. The training curriculum focuses on best practices in identification and referral, assessment, behavior and academic best practices, crisis intervention, and working with families and outside service agencies.

Why is Project TEDD necessary?

Given the prevalence and complexities involved in providing supports for individuals with IDD and coexisting psychiatric disorders, there is a need to increase the capacity of support personnel who are trained to offer these supports. Most educators do not have the information, training, and competencies to teach children with intellectual and developmental disabilities-mental illness in K-12 settings. Before Project TEDD, training models for educators did not exist concerning IDD-MI or DD. However, services are available through various organizations/projects (e.g., National Association on Dual Diagnosis [NADD], National Association for State Directors of Developmental Disability Services, and Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (Project ECHO®) but they do not provide training models for teachers in K-12 settings.

Who can be trained through Project TEDD?

The project will directly train 400 special education teachers, 20 from each of the Education Service Center regions in Texas. Those 400 teachers will be expected to train at least 5 additional educators, related service personnel, and parents in their district after receiving the initial training. Over the course of five years, the project is expected to train at least 2,000 educators, related service personnel, and parents across the state of Texas.

How do I sign up to participate in Project TEDD?

Certified special education teachers must be nominated by their special education director. Although preference is given to special education teachers working directly with students in a classroom setting, school districts may nominate certified special education teachers working in alternative roles (e.g., behavior specialist, educational diagnostician, interventionists, etc.) Special education cooperatives and shared service arrangements (SSAs) may submit one nomination for each member school district within the cooperative or SSA. 

The nomination packet can be found under the Teacher Training Workshops tab under recruitment materials. The completed nomination packet must be submitted online or sent to the Project TEDD staff at projectTEDD.educ@ttu.edu by the deadline for the respective region. The training is limited to 20 special education teachers per ESC and one special education teacher per school district. Therefore, if more than 20 nominations are received, not all will be able to participate.

When will the training in my ESC region be offered?

Project TEDD will offer the initial training in all 20 ESC regions across five academic years. During the 2020-2021 school year, the training was piloted in ESC 17. The remaining ESCs will follow a set scheduled implementation plan:

2021-2022: ESC Regions 1-5 (Edinburg, Corpus Christi, Victoria, Houston, and Beaumont)

2022-2023: ESC Regions 6-10 (Huntsville, Kilgore, Mount Pleasant, Wichita Falls, and Richardson)

2023-2024: ESC Regions 11-15 (Fort Worth, Waco, Austin, Abilene, and San Angelo)

2024-2025: ESC Regions 16, 18, 19, & 20 (Amarillo, Midland, El Paso, and San Antonio)

How is Project TEDD funded?

This work is supported by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities through a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, D.C. 20201, with a 100% federal funding award totaling $6,121,860. Council efforts are those of the grantee and do not necessarily represent the official views of nor are endorsed by ACL, HHS, or the U.S. government.

 

Project TEDD: Training Educators in Dual Diagnosis