Interdisciplinary Collaboration: How Does it Work?

A Panel Presentation

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Meeting

2016 San Diego, CA

Presentation Agenda

• Introduction of Panelists

• Why Interdisciplinary Collaboration?

• Who are the Collaborators?

• What Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions are Critical?

• What are Some Challenges to Collaboration?

• What Strategies Promote Effective Collaboration

• Comments and Questions from Participants

• Jodee Crace, Parent, Developmental Specialist and Adjunct Professor, Indianapolis, IN

• Nicole Hutchinson, Teacher of the Deaf/EI-ECE, The River School, Washington, DC

• Susan Lenihan, Professional Preparation (ToD, EI, SLP), Fontbonne University, St. Louis, MO

• Paula Pittman, SKI-HI Director, Utah Schools for the Deaf, Logan, UT

• Rachel St. John, Pediatrician, Program Director, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas

• Angela Shoup, Audiologist, Associate Professor, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

• Arlene Stredler Brown, CCC-SLP, ToD, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

• Amy Szarkowski, Psychologist, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Adjunct Professor, Boston, MA

• Marilyn Sass-Lehrer, Co-Director, ITF Program Gallaudet University, Washington, DC

Panelists

What is Interdisciplinary Collaboration?

• Interactive relationships between adults such as family members and professionals who work together to achieve mutually agreed upon

outcomes/goals (DEC, 2014).

• Collaboration requires a team of representatives from multiple disciplines and the family who join forces or combine efforts in response to the service

setting, unique needs, and desired outcomes of the child and family. (DEC, 2014)

Best Practices & Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Recommended practices highlight the importance of relationships, communication, and collective wisdom for problem-solving when working with young children and their

families.

Today’s practitioners are expected to use a team-based approach that integrates the expertise of team members across disciplines and services to achieve child and

family outcomes (Bruder & Dunst, 2005).

Guillen, C. & Winton, P. (2015). Teaming and Collaboration:Thinking about how well as well as what. In DEC Recommended Practices: Enhancing services for young children with disabilities and their families, p.100-101. Los Angeles, CA: Division for Early Childhood.

Best PracticeDEC Recommended

Practices 2014

JCIH, 2007; 2013

Why Interdisciplinary Collaboration?

Evidence

Supports

Benefits

It’s It’s It’s It’s the the the the

Law!Law!Law!Law!

IDEA Part C

IDEA and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Who Constitutes the Interdisciplinary Team?

Hospitals Deaf Communities

Educational & Health

Agencies

EI Providers

AudiologistsFamilies

What Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions are Critical to Interdisciplinary Collaboration?

What are Some Challenges You Have Faced? What Strategies Promote Effective

Collaboration?

Steps in Problem Solving

• Analyze the Problem-Solving Context

• Identify the Problem

• Generate Solutions

• Evaluate the Potential Solutions

• Implement the Solutions(s)

• Evaluate the Outcomes

Friend, M. & Cook, L. (2010). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. 6th

edition. NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Open Discussion

What have been your experiences with interdisciplinary collaboration?

What are some strategies you have found to be effective?

What questions do you have for the panelists?

JCIH 2013 SupplementKnowledge, Skills and DispositionsAppendix 1H Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Models and Practices

1. Recognize roles and responsibilities of families and other

individuals with expertise in deafness

2. Support consultation across disciplines and collaborate with

families

3. Recognize the roles and the importance of service

coordination and medical homes

4. Promote collaboration with community programs and

resources to support families and children

5. Recognize intra/interpersonal variables that influence the

development of collaborative relationships with parents and

professionals

6. Apply principles and strategies to support family members and professionals

7. Implement collaborative strategies for communicating, decision making, and resolving conflict

8. Provide for a continuum of service delivery models to meet the needs of the individual child and family (eg, direct service, collaborative consultation, playgroup based)

9. Assume a leadership roles affecting collaboration, including self-evaluating, mentoring, networking, and advocating for families and organizations

Supplement to the JCIH 2007 Position Statement: Principles and Guidelines for Early Intervention After Confirmation That a Child is Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

e1344 FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS Downloaded on February 24, 2016

Suggested Readings and Resources

Bruder, M.B. & Dunst, C. (2005). Personnel preparation in recommended early intervention practices: Degree of emphasis across disciplines. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education 25(1), 25-33.

DEC (2015). DEC recommended practices: Enhancing services for young children with disabilities and their families. Los Angeles, CA: DEC.

Dinnebell, L. & Hale, L. (1999). Early intervention program practices that support collaboration. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 19 (4), 225-235.

Espe-Sherwindt, M. (2008). Family-centered practice: Collaboration, competency and evidence. Support for Learning, 23, 3, 136-143.

Friend, M. & Cook, L. (2010). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals. (6th ed.). NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

JCIH (2013). Supplement to the JCIH 2007 position statement: Principles and guidelines for early intervention after the confirmation that a child is deaf or hard of hearing. Pediatrics, 131(4), e1324-1349.

Lenihan, S. (2010). Trends and challenges in teacher preparation in deaf education. The Volta Review, 110(2), 117-128.

Luckner, J. & Rudolph, S. (2009). Teach well, live well: Strategies for success. CA: Corwin.

Rice, G. & Lenihan, S. (2010). Fontbonne University: Collaboration in speech-language pathology and early intervention in deaf education. The Volta Review, 110(2), 117-128.

Sass-Lehrer, M. (Ed.) 2016. Early intervention for deaf and hard-of-hearing infants, toddlers and their families: Interdisciplinary Perspectives: New York: Oxford University Press.