Supporting Special Children: The Importance of a Multidisciplinary Team Providing a Complete and Personalized Program of Care Dr Nadeem Ghayas

July 21, 2024

Supporting children who have disabilities is an interdisciplinary process that involves working collaboratively with professionals from various fields to deliver a total program of care that encompasses many developmental areas.
The World Health Organization (WHO, 2011) stated that children who have disabilities are best served when they have access to coordinated services that address their health, education, and social participation. On the other hand, fragmented services can lead to gaps in service delivery and poor long-term outcomes when compared to collaborative models of service.

Typically, a multidisciplinary team consists of:
• Pediatricians
• Psychologists
• Special educators
• Occupational therapists
• Speech-language pathologists
• Physiotherapists
• Specialists in behavioral issues
• Social workers
All members of a multidisciplinary team bring a unique body of knowledge to support the overall development of a child with special needs.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Multidisciplinary Team
1. Conducting a Comprehensive and Interdisciplinary Evaluation
Conducting a comprehensive and interdisciplinary evaluation is one of the major responsibilities of a multidisciplinary team.
Children who have special needs can experience difficulties in many developmental areas such as:
• Cognitive development
• Communication skills
• Motor abilities
• Regulating emotions
• Functioning socially
• Performing academically

No single professional has sufficient knowledge or experience to evaluate all these areas of need. A multidisciplinary approach to evaluation allows for the:
• Identification of medical issues
• Documentation of developmental delay(s)
• Assessment of behavioral and emotional needs
• Recording of the strengths and weaknesses of a child in terms of their academic functioning
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) published by the American Psychiatric Association (2013) recommends using a multidisciplinary evaluation as the gold standard for identifying developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Interdisciplinary evaluations allow for no area of a child’s overall wellness to be neglected.

2. Developing Customized and Individualized Interventions
Once the multidisciplinary team completes an assessment, the team will develop a plan for intervention that addresses the unique strengths and challenges of the child.
Some examples of customized and individualized interventions that may be used by a multidisciplinary team include:
• Speech and language therapy
• Occupational therapy to develop sensory and functional skills in daily living
• Physiotherapy to promote mobility and posture
• Behavioral intervention programs
• Strategies to enhance academic achievement
• Medical management
Many times, Individualized Education Programs (IEP) are developed with family input and school teams. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2022) states that early and individualized intervention is critical for enhancing developmental outcomes.
Customized and individualized interventions allow for children to receive interventions that are not generic, but rather designed to meet the specific developmental needs of the child.

3. Delivering Coordinated and Unified Care
Another significant advantage of a multidisciplinary team is coordination.
When a multidisciplinary team does not collaborate:
• Services may duplicate and/or conflict with each other
• Goals may be conflicting
• Communication may break down
When a multidisciplinary team collaborates, there is a unified goal across the disciplines; therapies compliment each other; collective progress monitoring occurs; and adjustments are made to the treatment plan based on the input of the multidisciplinary team. This unified model of care increases efficiency and enhances long-term developmental gains (WHO, 2011).

4. Supporting Families through Family-Centered Care
Families are integral to the development of their children. In addition to providing support to families in general, a multidisciplinary team provides families with:
• Guidance and education
• Emotional support
• Training for parents to use home-based strategies
• Consistent communication
Family-centered care increases parent satisfaction and ultimately the effectiveness of the intervention (King et al., 2004).

5. Continuously Monitoring Progress and Modifying Treatment Plans
As children grow and develop over time, a multidisciplinary team continuously monitors the child’s progress and makes changes to the treatment plan as necessary.
Monitoring progress, reassessing goals, modifying treatment strategies, addressing new needs, and ongoing evaluation help to ensure that the care provided to the child is relevant and effective over the course of the child’s developmental trajectory.

Advantages of a Multidisciplinary Team Approach
A multidisciplinary team provides several benefits in terms of comprehensive care for children with disabilities:
Total Development
The child’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social needs are met at the same time.
Enhanced Academic Success
Collaborative planning results in better participation in educational programs and in receiving special education services.
Early Detection and Intervention
Developmental issues are detected earlier and this enables early intervention to be implemented and this has been shown to significantly enhance long-term developmental outcomes.
Enhancing Emotional and Social Well Being
Coordinated care results in enhanced self-esteem, peer relationships, and adaptive behaviors.

Multidisciplinary Teams in School-Based Special Education Settings
Multidisciplinary teams also contribute to a variety of aspects in the school setting, including:
• Developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
• Classroom modifications
• Recommendations for assistive technology
• Development of behavioral intervention plans
• Practices of inclusive education
Collaborative teamwork ensures that the educational strategies being employed to support the child are complementary to the child’s therapeutic and medical goals, thereby creating an optimal learning environment.

Conclusion
A multidisciplinary team approach is absolutely vital to providing comprehensive, customized, and holistic care to children with special needs. Through the combined expertise of pediatricians, psychologists, therapists, special educators, etc., children receive coordinated and individually tailored support.
Additionally, the collaborative model of care supports:
• Accurate evaluation
• Tailored interventions
• Delivery of integrated care
• Involvement of families
• Continuous monitoring
Ultimately, the collaborative model of care enhances the long-term developmental success and independent functioning of children with special needs and represents best practice in contemporary special education and rehabilitation systems.

References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Developmental Disabilities and Early Intervention. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
King, G., Strachan, D., Tucker, M., Duwyn, B., Desserud, S., & Shillington, M. (2004). Application of a Transdisciplinary Model for Early Intervention Services. Infants & Young Children, 17(2), 108–122.
World Health Organization. (2011). World Report on Disability. WHO.