Members of the Team
There are multiple critical stakeholders who work with Special Education students. Collaboration between all members of the team is crucial to providing effective services for students with disabilities, and so is being familiar with each figure and the role they play in a child's education. Anyone with pertinent information about the student may be included in the team, and each member can offer a different perspective on the student's situation. Here are a few examples of the people who may be included in a child's multidisciplinary support team.
School Counselor
The school counselor can offer direct and indirect services to students, such as teaching self-advocacy skills, and providing individual, strengths-based counseling. Along with this, they help create an inclusive school environment, advocate for accommodations to remove educational barriers, provide transition planning, career exploration, educational interventions, and other services for students with special needs. Lastly, they help connect families and schools and encourage family involvement in a child's education.
School Nurse
The school nurse is a recognized healthcare expert in the school system and qualified to evaluate the health-related needs, barriers, and accommodations of students. They work together with team members to identify, evaluate, and develop plans for students in need of educational accommodations and special education services. The school nurse may provide medical care for a student, administer medicine for a student, and offer other health-related services for students with disabilities.
Teacher
Special Education teachers and general education teachers work with students who have learning, mental, emotional or physical disabilities. They adapt general education lessons and teach various subjects to students with disabilities. They can also teach basic skills to students with severe disabilities. Teachers are integral to providing students with their education and work directly with students on a day-to-day basis.
School Psychologist
School psychologists are uniquely qualified members of school teams that support students’ ability to learn and teachers’ ability to teach. They apply expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior to help students succeed. They can help assess and monitor student progress, connect families and schools, train teachers on student needs, track academic progress, and promote a safe, inclusive school environment for students with disabilities.
Speech Language Pathologist
A speech language pathologist is a trained medical professional who can help your child with a number of oral disorders such as trouble swallowing, motor skills, oral communication issues, and other speech, language, and communication problems. Along with other members of the team, their work includes prevention, assessment, intervention, and program design efforts that are integrated within a school.
Child
Although they are not always present at team meetings, the child is at the very center of the special education process. All efforts are made in the best interest of the child, and the child is monitored and assessed accordingly. They are the one receiving services and accommodations and, with self-advocacy skills, can influence the process themselves and advocate for their own needs as well.
Parent
The main figure in a child's education. Not only do they have responsibility for the child, but they are crucial to every step of the special education process. Parents make decisions for their children, know what the child is like at home, pursue ways to improve their child's education, and collaborate with the multidisciplinary team to ensure their child is receiving the appropriate accommodations for the best education they can get.
Occupational Therapist
An occupational therapist is a trained health professional that uses purposeful, goal directed activities and task analysis to enable a child with a disability to benefit from their IEP. They may use therapeutic activities that may improve a student's overall ability to function within the school environment in the areas of self-help, work, social participation, and play.