Transdisciplinary Teaming
in Early Intervention/
Early Childhood Special Education

Teamwork is a central component of the larger system of services and supports for young children with disabilities and their families. Professionals and family members comprise teams that, when effective, not only recognize their discipline-specific roles in the early intervention/education system but develop close working relationships that evolve over time. Transdisciplinary teamwork, as described in this book, involves team members who perform tasks collaboratively by sharing not only information, but roles. Mutually agreed upon goals/outcomes are developed and information, knowledge, and skills are transferred across disciplinary boundaries. Although transdisciplinary teamwork can be challenging, it remains essential to ensuring that children and their families receive the best services possible.

This book is designed to provide an introduction to transdisciplinary teaming. The book begins with a description of, a transdisciplinary service delivery model in early intervention/education. What follows is a discussion of how to establish successful teams given the myriad of challenges often faced by teams as they provide services for young children with disabilities and thier families. A case study is included of the Gonzales family to illustrate the individual differences, strengths, concerns, priorities, and resources of families. Issues faced by the Gonzales family are woven throughout the remaining chapters to demonstrate how a teambased approach can be used to meet the unique needs of families.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Chapter 1: Overview of Transdisciplinary Teaming in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education
• Chapter 2: How To Establish Successful Teams
• Chapter 3: Case Study-- The Gonzales Family
• Chapter 4: What Others Should Know About Early Childhood Special Educators
• Chapter 5: What Others Should Know About General Early Childhood Educators
• Chapter 6: What Others Should Know About Communication Disorder Professionals-- Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
• Chapter 7: What Others Should Know About Occupational Therapists
• Chapter 8: What Others Should Know About Physical Therapists
• Chapter 9: What Others Should Know About Professional Nurses
• Chapter 10: What Others Should Know About English Language Learner (ELL) Professionals
• Chapter 11: Making Transdisciplinary Teaming Work-- Pulling It All Together
• Chapter 12: Transdisciplinary Teaming From a Higher Education Perspective

Jennifer L. Kilgo, Editior 2006. 80 pp. ISBN-13 978-0-87173-168-5
No. 1053 $22.00 ($17.60 ACEI members)

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