Multidisciplinary Team:* a group of people who perform tasks (e.g., educational, medical, familial) independent of one another, with individual expertise, and provide services directly to client/family/child with little coordination or consultation with each other.

ADVANTAGES

More than one person is providing input. Expertise can be tapped.

DISADVANTAGES

No communication between players can result in duplication or gaps in services.

Interdisciplinary Team: a group of people who perform tasks independent of one another, with individual expertise, but who coordinate their efforts with one another to maximize the benefits for the client/family/child and minimize the duplication of procedures/services. Coordination usually takes the form of "staffings" and/or meetings generally that include the family

DISADVANTAGES

For families with high needs, the number of team members can become overwhelming. Schedules for individual sessions/meetings, the individual goals/expectations and different treatment philosophies can burden family and child. Coordination of staffings/meetings are difficult given the number of people and need for larger meeting spaces. Communication between members typically relies on the infrequent staffing/meeting/report or family member as messenger.

*Note: A decision to use an interdisciplinary team model might be based on:

• Family/child's need for multiple direct providers from an array of disciplines
• Child's needs are limited to 1-2 unrelated areas (i.e.: speech, health)
• Family/child's needs are limited to 1-2 areas where professional expertise and agency boundaries make role-release less than effective/efficient service (i.e.: speech, child protective services)
• Child's needs are limited to few domains and staffing and scheduling are not a challenge for agencies employing the needed providers.

Transdisciplinary Team: a group of people who perform tasks collaboratively by sharing not only information, but roles. Mutually agreed upon priority goals are developed and information, knowledge, and skills are transferred across disciplinary boundaries. Periodic staffings/meetings and frequent consultations (monthly at least) provide opportunities for exchange of information and training as various members assume a primary facilitator role for addressing the goals.
All team members are considered 'active' and must be available to meet with others on the team at least monthly and to deliver service directly as needed.
Direct service by other members can continue but less frequently, if the primary facilitator(s) is/are capable of addressing those discipline-related needs.

ADVANTAGES

For families/children with many needs, the number of people providing direct service to family and child is limited and manageable for family.
For families/children with needs in only 1-2 areas, the primary need could be addressed more intensively.
Family members are viewed as capable team members and supported in their efforts to address goals. Encourages focus on priority goals only at any one time. Attention to child as whole is achieved by integrating services into functional activities and provision by fewer providers.

DISADVANTAGES

Determining "primary" provider for a family/child with more needs can be challenging.
For larger teams, establishing frequent communications for exchange of information can be challenging and require a shift away from exclusive use of face-to-face dialogue. Members must have expertise to share and know how to coach others to do as they would do. Since members may not always trust others to address what they believe is their area of expertise, gaps in service can occur.
Primary providers with limited experiences or training may feel overwhelmed and provide ineffective services.
Family needs may be a challenge for one provider who has more child expertise.

*Note: Decisions to use a transdisciplinary team model might be based on:

• Parent request/need for fewer providers or more integrated services
• Limited/restricted access to specialized providers in region (i.e.: SLP, PT, OT, Nurse) due to distance or staffing
• Slow/intermittent progress due to health status or family stressors
• Priority goal(s) for period of time necessitates intensive attention by one discipline (i.e.: PT following surgery
• Developmental delays are limited to primarily 1-2 integrated domains (i.e.: speech-cognition or movement-adaptive)
• Team members ability to meet regularly (electronic or face-to-face) to share expertise and consult

Helpful Teaming