BEST PRACTICES
Effective Team Functioning Requires*:
- Respect for others, creativity and flexibility
- Reasonable expectations
- Patience and tolerance
- Commitment to working together for mutual problem-solving
- Ability to focus on child and families' strengths and needs
- Clear communication
- Up-to-date knowledge and skill in own discipline
- Knowledge and confidence of each other's expertise and roles
*Adapted from "Building IEPS with Maryland Families"
Collaborative Teaming
Collaborative teaming is essential for effective evaluation and assessment. During the evaluation and assessment planning process, team members should engage in explicit discussions around how the team should "best" operate in order to be most effective.
Evaluation and assessment teams operate in predominately one of three models:
A multidisciplinary team approach to evaluation and assessment involves a number of professionals from different disciplines and/or different agencies who work independently of one another with the child and family. The child and family are evaluated by measures specific to their discipline and typically separate evaluation reports are written. Professionals see themselves as specialists or experts and provide information, intervention and/or support in their particular area of expertise. Besides scheduled IFSP/IEP team meetings, coordination and consultation among team members may be minimal.
When utilizing an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary team approach to assessment, areas of development or domains are viewed as interrelated and are not evaluated in isolation of one another. In an interdisciplinary team approach, professionals maintain their role in a specific discipline to conduct independent evaluations/assessments but come together to share results. Intervention strategies are collaboratively designed but separately implemented. In this approach, teams meet regularly for review and consultation to coordinate their efforts with one another in order to maximize the benefits to the child and family.
In a transdisciplinary team approach to assessment, professionals and family members perform tasks collaboratively by sharing not only information, but roles. Team members are committed to on-going assessment, teaching, and learning across disciplines to provide a more integrated approach to service delivery for the child and family. Transdisciplinary team members accept and build upon each other’s knowledge and skills, yet areas of expertise remain in the discipline of training. The team members meet on a regular basis with the family and work together to support each other. In early intervention, the transdisciplinary team approach lends itself to the use of the Primary Service Provider or Primary Coach model. In this approach, one team member works most frequently with the family and this person is referred to as the primary service provider or coach. This professional works collaboratively with other members of the team to integrate information and deliver seamless, comprehensive services to the child and family.
Multidimensional Assessment
Multidimensional assessment includes more than one method and source of information. One aspect of the multidimentional assessment is the use of quantitative and/or qualitative methods and tools. These tools are utilized in all of the five developmental areas in early intervention and in all of the required areas and indicated domains in preschool special education.
The collaborative teaming examples below illustrate how more than one method was used to determine a child’s eligibility for services.
Think about how each scenario below reflects a collaborative approach.
 |
A NICU discharge report from a neonatologist automatically qualified a baby for the local Infants and Toddlers Program on the basis of her diagnosed condition (prematurity under 1200 grams). A physical therapist and educator from the program used natural observation and informed clinical opinion, guided by family discussion, to conduct a multidisciplinary assessment of the infant’s unique strengths and needs and family-desired supports/services. |
||
|
|
To evaluate the eligibility of a 2 year old with limited speech, a speech-language pathologist from a local Infants and Toddlers Program administered a norm-referenced tool to evaluate the toddler’s language in comparison wither peers. An educator used a criterion-referenced tool to review other developmental areas. Guided by the family’s planning discussion, they both used natural observation of the child playing and interacting with her brothers at home. |
||
|
|
A report from a private occupational therapist documenting an 18 month old toddler’s delay in physical development was augmented by an educator from a local Infants and Toddlers Program who used a criterion referenced tool and natural observation to document the child’s functioning in adaptive, communication, social/emotional and cognitive abilities. |
||
|
|
A 3 ½ year old was referred to the preschool special education assessment team to determine whether she had a disability following a screening which indicated possible delays in all areas of development. The child and her father were brought into a room with toys and materials which the child was encouraged to explore and interact with. An early childhood special educator, a speech-language pathologist, an occupational therapist, and a physical therapist took turns interacting with the child and observing her to complete their respective assessments. |
||
|
|
A four year old transitioned from an extended IFSP under early intervention services to an IEP under preschool special education services. Due to his diagnosed condition of cerebral palsy and his history of developmental delays in several areas, a team collaborated to complete the assessment process. The team consisted of the family, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, a speech-language pathologist, and an early childhood special educator. The team members with the support of the family took turns interacting with and observing the child in a play situation while completing their assessments and interviewing family members. |
