What should educators consider when working with students with autism?
Page 4: The Multidisciplinary Team
Recall that a multidisciplinary team is involved in determining a student’s initial eligibility for early intervention or special education services. After a student qualifies, this team then develops a plan to guide these services. For children from birth to three years of age, these plans are called individualized family service plans (IFSPs). Children and youth ages three through 21 receive individualized education programs (IEPs). The team reviews and revises this plan at least once per year.
individualized family service plan (IFSP)
glossary
individualized education program (IEP)
glossary
Required Multidisciplinary Team Members
Although many professionals might be involved in the development and implementation of IFSPs and IEPs, IDEA requires the participation of key team members. The tables below introduce these required team members.
| IFSP Team (for Children Birth to Age Three) | |
| Team Member | Role |
| Parent(s) | Parents can provide important information about the child’s history, strengths, and needs as well as the family’s priorities for their child and perspectives on the cultural and developmental appropriateness of goals and intervention strategies.
x
Parents Parents are defined in a number of ways and might include biological parents, stepparents, and adoptive parents. This includes anyone serving in place of a biological parent, such as other family members (e.g., grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins), guardians, foster parents, or court-appointed surrogate parents. |
| Service coordinator | This person is responsible for implementing the IFSP and coordinating between people and agencies. This can include tasks such as making referrals to providers, scheduling appointments, and organizing services, assessments, and IFSP meetings. |
| Service provider(s) | These professionals can represent different disciplines (e.g., physical therapy, speech-language therapy) and are involved in providing a broad range of direct services to meet the needs of the child and family. |
| Evaluator(s) | When a child is first found eligible for early intervention services, the IFSP team must include the professional(s) directly involved in conducting assessments and evaluations of the child and family. This team member is optional after the initial eligibility meeting. |
| IEP Team (for Students Ages 3 through 21) | |
| Team Member | Role |
| Parent(s) | Parents can provide important information about the child’s history, strengths, and needs as well as the family’s priorities for their child and perspectives on the cultural and developmental appropriateness of goals and intervention strategies. |
| General education teacher(s) | As the curriculum specialist, this educator is responsible for providing the core academic instruction and implementing required accommodations and modifications. |
| Special education teacher or special education provider | An expert in specially designed instruction, the special education teacher provides services outlined in the IEP, ensures that student performance data are collected and analyzed, and modifies instruction and intervention accordingly. |
| Representative of the local education agency (LEA) | The LEA representative must be qualified to provide or supervise the provision of specially designed instruction, knowledgeable about the general education curriculum, and authorized to allocate the LEA’s resources. This person is often a school administrator or special education director. |
| Educational professional who can interpret evaluation results | This person’s role is to interpret the assessment results and explain the instructional implications of those results to the team. This role might be filled by any of the school personnel listed above or another professional (e.g., school psychologist), as appropriate. |
| Student with a disability | IDEA encourages students to be included in their own IEP meetings whenever appropriate. The student must be invited when postsecondary goals and transition services will be discussed (beginning no later than age 16, or sooner if required by their state). |
Additional Team Members
In addition to the required team members listed above, other personnel might be involved in addressing a learner’s individualized needs. Often, children and students with autism receive related services along with early intervention or special education services. Related service providers might:
related services
glossary
- Work with family members or caregivers of infants or toddlers
- Provide direct services or therapy to an individual child or student
- Consult with other team members who are providing supports during naturally occurring activities
Because related services are individualized and responsive to the unique needs of each student with a disability, IDEA does not provide a specific list of approved related services. It is impossible to include an exhaustive list. Below, learn more about some of the related services personnel who are commonly involved in the education of autistic learners.
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work with children and students who have speech, language, hearing, or communication challenges that affect their success in classroom activities, social interactions, literacy, and learning. SLPs help learners in academic (e.g., classroom discussions), nonacademic (e.g., lunchroom interactions, socialization), and extracurricular (e.g., after-school activities, clubs) areas. Many learners with autism receive services from an SLP to address needs related to social communication.
Occupational therapists (OTs) analyze and modify tasks and environments (e.g., classroom, playground, lunchroom) so children and students with disabilities can learn and actively participate in school-based activities and routines. For a learner with autism, an OT might provide support for activities such as completing daily living tasks, coping with sensory challenges, participating in social activities, or managing transitions during the school day.
School psychologists work with children and students, their families, educators, administrators, and the community to provide various services. Primary roles for school psychologists include assessment, counseling, and consultation. School psychologists might also develop behavior plans, conduct social skills groups, and provide or recommend other specialized interventions for learners with autism.
Behavior analysts apply the core principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to systematically assess behavior, identify behavioral supports, evaluate their effectiveness, and support implementation. Behavior analysts might provide direct ABA therapy to an autistic learner or otherwise assist school teams with behavioral assessment, training, and intervention. Those who have met rigorous credentialing requirements are identified as Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs).
applied behavior analysis (ABA)
glossary
Physical therapists (PTs) work with children and students who have difficulty with mobility or gross motor skills (e.g., running, jumping, reaching, throwing) that affect their physical access to school-related environments and activities. A PT might help young children with autism learn how to use playground equipment or navigate steps into the school, or they might help arrange the classroom to ensure that an autistic student’s workspaces (e.g., desks, computer stations) are arranged to facilitate independence and success.
Social workers provide supports and services to children and their families to promote students’ social and emotional success. They can be crucial partners in helping families access wraparound services outside of school (e.g., support groups, respite care). Learners with autism might receive other services from a social worker, such as social skills training, conflict resolution training, individual counseling, or family counseling.
wraparound service
glossary
Assistive technology specialists support children and students with accessing and using assistive technology (AT) devices. These specialists can evaluate a learner’s need for AT, acquire and customize the technology, coordinate an intervention plan, and provide training and technical support. Autistic learners might benefit from using a variety of AT devices, but these services can be especially critical for ensuring access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) (e.g., picture cards, speech-generating devices).
assistive technology (AT)
glossary
augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
glossary
Vocational specialists focus on career development and preparing students for employment, independence, and integration into a postsecondary school, work, or community environment. These specialists often provide Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services to students with autism and other disabilities.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
glossary
Nutritionists develop and monitor feeding plans to address the nutritional needs of a child. When supporting autistic children, they often attend to feeding challenges such as limited food preferences, mealtime routines, and sensory issues.
In addition to educators and related service providers, paraeducators can be valuable contributors to a student’s multidisciplinary team. These professionals go by several titles that are often state or district specific, such as educational aides, instructional assistants, or one-on-ones. Paraeducators can work with autistic children and students in a variety of ways (e.g., implement behavioral plans, facilitate peer interactions, deliver interventions). Sometimes, a paraeducator might spend more time working directly with a learner than either the special education or general education teacher. Therefore, they can provide important insight into the learner’s strengths, interests, and areas of need to help build a strong educational program.
paraeducator
glossary
For Your Information
- Parents or school personnel can request that the multidisciplinary team include others who have relevant knowledge or expertise regarding the student. These additional team members can include a range of individuals, such as child and family advocates or community members (e.g., clergy, tribal elder).
- When necessary, IDEA requires the multidisciplinary team to arrange for an interpreter for parents with deafness or whose primary language is not English.
Returning to the Challenge
Each child in the Challenge previously had or currently has a multidisciplinary team composed of different members to coordinate early intervention or school supports and services to meet their unique needs. Select Rogan’s photo to take a closer look at his.
Rogan
Parent interview
Rogan
Rogan’s IEP team consists of the following members:
- Parents
- Assistant principal
- General education teacher
- Special education teacher
- Speech-language pathologist
- Occupational therapist
In this interview, Rogan’s dad, Chad, discusses the collaborative nature of Rogan’s multidisciplinary team and his IEP meetings.
Transcript: Chad, Rogan’s Dad
So myself, my wife, Meghan, we’re both there. The assistant principal will be there. His core teaching staff—right now he has two. Then his support staff are there: The SLP and the occupational therapists are currently there. It’s a real collaborative group overall. Nobody really takes a stance that I’m in charge or this is the way things need to be because of X, Y, and Z. There’s very much a sense of partnership and we’re in this together feel. It makes things a lot easier from year to year.
I approach it as we’re talking for Rogan. We’re his voice. We’re with him every day. We know what sets him off, how he operates, and we try our best to advocate for him and convey that in a meaningful way to the school so we can best support him and so they can set him up for success as well.
So we were able to list out our concerns—here’s our questions. We’re able to kind of hash out a majority of things prior to the IEP meeting, which helps make it that much more streamlined and successful and makes sure everybody stays on the same page.
