The Care Team
4-Minute Read
As a related service provider, I’m naturally exposed to other professionals and what their jobs entail. I have recently realized, however, that not everyone knows what health care professionals are available, or what they do.
And as a parent, I want you to know what services are available and then be able to choose the best for your child.
So let’s break it down.
The team that works with and provides services or therapies for your child is typically referred to as the Multidisciplinary Team or the Care Team. This team includes anyone and everyone who supports your child (including you)!
Let’s start with my job title and what service I, as a speech pathologist, can provide for your child.
According to ASHA (the American Speech and Hearing Association), a Speech Language Pathologist works to prevent, assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive-communication, and swallowing disorders in children and adults.
They target:
Speech Disorders - when a person has difficulty producing speech sounds correctly or fluently, or has a problem with voice resonance
Language Disorders - when a person has trouble understanding others, or sharing thoughts, feelings, or ideas
Social Communication Disorders - when a person has trouble with the social use of verbal and nonverbal communication
Cognitive-Communication Disorders - includes problems organizing thoughts, paying attention, remembering, planning, and/or problem solving
Swallowing Disorders - includes feeding and swallowing difficulties
According to AOTA (the American Occupational Therapy Association), an Occupational Therapist uses everyday life activities (occupations) to promote health, well-being, and the ability to participate in the important activities in your life.
They target:
Activities of daily living (such as bathing, dressing, eating, and playing!)
Adaptive equipment (such as shower chairs or equipment to make daily tasks easier)
Caregiver and family training
Planning and making the most of daily routines
Returning to work, school, and leisure activities
Techniques to aid in memory, concentration, and executive functioning (e.g., planning and prioritizing, functional cognition)
Falls prevention and home safety, and accessibility
Fine and perceptual motor skills
According to the American Physical Therapy Association, a Physical Therapist is a licensed doctor who works with multiple patient populations impacted by disease, injury, and movement dysfunction. They optimize quality of life by maintaining, restoring, and improving patients' ability to move, function, and live more active lifestyles.
They:
examine patients, and develop a treatment plan to improve movement, reduce or manage pain, restore function, and prevent disability
maximize mobility
manage pain and chronic conditions
prevent future mobility issues
improve physical function and fitness
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), School Psychologists are prepared to intervene at the individual and system levels, and develop, implement and evaluate programs to promote positive learning environments for children and youth from diverse backgrounds, and to ensure equal access to effective educational and psychological services that promote health development.
They:
Conceptualize children’s development and translate scientific findings to alleviate cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional problems.
Have knowledge of federal law and regulations, case law, and state statutes and regulations for schools and psychological services.
Appreciate historical influences of educational, community, state, federal, and organizational dynamics on academic, social, and emotional functioning.
According to ABA Centers of America, Board Certified Behavioral Analysts can teach skills related to adaptive functioning, daily living skills, and independence, and are experts at implementing programs designed to lessen “challenging behaviors”.
These are only a few of the members included on your child’s Care Team. Within a school setting, individuals such as the classroom teacher, you as the parent, a school district AAC specialist, and/or various school administrators may be included on this list.
Remember, the care team for your child includes anyone and everyone who helps your child make progress and succeed from day to day.
This also includes them!
The team needs to remember who the treatment or educational plan is written for - the child - and include them in the process of altering and improving it as they get older.
It can feel overwhelming to hear so many job titles and professional terms, but you don’t need to memorize every detail. What matters most is understanding that you have a team, one that exists to support your child’s growth, independence, and well-being. And as their parent, you are an essential and irreplaceable member of that team.
~Chloe