The Multidiciplinary Team for Assessment of Children with

Special Needs

What is Multidisciplinary Team?

Is responsible for the assessment of children with special needs.

A Mulidisciplinary team approach,including the integration of values,perspective, and ideas gives an accurate decision-making process in identifying the academic,social,and vocational needs of the child to develop an individualized educational program that will meet the needs of the student with disability.The team functions to support students in the Special Education and related services.Members would share responsibility and have to maintain an open communication in the form of collaboration.

In assessing a child with special needs,the major functions of the team are:

1.To determine if the student has a disability and would require special Education services.2.To plan and evaluate educational experiences of students who have been diagnosed to be in need of Special Education services ;and3.To develop an action plan that would meet the needs of the child with disability bin terms of education ,social,and vocation, in the inclusion process which indicates that the child with disability will not placed in Special Needs to develop and individualized educational program to address the needs

The Basic multidisciplinary team activities includes1.Evaluating student who are experiencing difficulty in the regular class upon referrral or student who are in need of Special Education upon entering the educational system;2.Developing strategies that may used as intervention in the regular class for those students who will benefit most from regular education while providing modifications to suit their needs;3.Initiating the process of assessment for students who are suspected to have disability;4.Reviewing existing information and student assessment data that will be used as the bases for developing an individualized educational programs for the students;5.Deciding on the appropriate placement for the student,educationally,socially,and vocationally;and6.Acting as asupport system for educators who will be serving students with disabilities.

Members of the Multidisciplinary Assessment Team

1.AdministratorsWhether it is the administrators,principal,or assisstant principal,each one is an essential member of the team.The administrators should have the know-how of specific reources and the expertise within the school.Furthermore,administrators are qualified to supervise the programs and can commit necessary resources.

Specific responsibilities of administrators in the assessment process are:a. Conducting administrative arrangement for team meetings.This includes scheduling the date,time,and place of meetings;b. Organizig an agenda for the meeting with the assessment team;c. Identifying experts and appropriate personnel and inviting them to the meeting;d. Inviting th parents of both the child with special needs and regular students to the meeting;e. Acting as the chair during the meetings or appointing qualified personnel;f. Ensuring that each person has the knowlege on what action the team recommends, the person responsible for implementation, and the resources needed to support implementation effectively;g. Ensuring administrative supports of the team to all members of the school community;h. Promoting resources to secure the needed technical assistance;i. Identifying the needed topics for in-service and developmental training

2.Regular Education Teachers

The Regular Education teacher and the special Education teacher should have equal responsibility to all children in the classroom,whether the child is regular or diagnosed under certain condition.The Regular Education teachers role concerns the presentation of subject matter in the classroom and is primarily in a charge of instruction in the classroom.

In assessing children with special needs,it is the general role of the Regular Education teacher to accomplish the followinga.Maintain appropriate communication between the schools and home.The teacher should keep parents informed about their child’s educational achievement,grades,and educational programs;b.Help develop,review,and revise the Individualized Educational Program(IEP)of the child;c.Determine appropriate behavioral interventions and strategies considered positive for the students;d.Assess determined supplementary aids and services and program modifications for the students;ande.Identify supports that school personnel need to help the student progress in the general curriculum

3.Special Educational Teachers

The roles of the Special Education teachers are to individualized,diagnose,and modify curriculum.A typical Special Education teacher would teach students with disabilities in self-contained classess.

To be effective,the roles of the Special Education teacher in schools include the following

a.Provides assessment and instructional planning for the student with disability;b.Conducts tutorial instruction and remedial classes among students with sub-par performance;c.Provides consultation to the Regular Class teacher as part of team teaching;d.Participates as a members in the school’s assessment and eligibility committee;e.Examines ways nof integrating students in Special Education to all aspects of the school’s program which includes extracurricular activities;and f.Offers suggestions for modifying instruction,consults with the regular Education teacher, and identifies resources,alternative learning materials, and assisstive devices that will be of benefit to the child with disability(as part of the multidisciplinary).

Both the Special Education teachers can help parents in the following ways:

a.Learn useful information about the student from the parents;b.Explain the process and terms of the disability and the IEPc.Help the parents during IEP process,ensuring that their ideas ideas,concerns,and views are adequately expressed and heard;d.Furnish parents with narrative reports and suggestions on how to effectively work with their child at home;e.Help the student and the parents in planning the students’s/future after leaving the school;andf.Advocate through representation of interest,preferences,and rights of the student or parents

4.Students

Students are encouraged to be active participants in their own IEP process.Priority is set in teaching self-determination skills and how to set their own life gals and objectivess.

5.School PsychologistThe school psychologist may assume the following responsibilities:a.Complete thorough assessment to determine if the child is suited for special programs and servicesb.Provide interpretation and analysis of assessment data for parents and other team members;c.Participate inthe identification of curricula modification and instructional intervention which are deemed appropriate to the identified needs of the pupils;andd.Conduct follow-up observations to extablish the success of modifications and interventions

6.Related Service Personnel

Related Support people will assist the Regular Education and Special Education teachers include:a.Speech/Language Therapists

The speech/language therapist plays a critical role in assessing ,and treating patients who have speech,language,and communication disordersb.Occupational Therapist

After physical assessment,an occupational therapist assists a child with disability in developing and regaining skills important to functions independently and develop health and well being.The occupational therapist aims toimprove or maintain the abilityof the child.

C.Physical TherapistA physical therapist assesses each individual and devices a plan using different treatment techniques to promote the ability to move,reduce pain,restore functions, and prevent further disability.d.Vision Specialists

A vision specialist or usually termed as teacher of the visually impaired,is a teacher who hold a special credential.A vision specialist is trained to work with visually impaired students from preschool through latter grades.

D.Dieticians

After the result of assessment, a dietician plans nutrition programs and food programs for the child with disability. He helps prevent other diseases and obesity problems because they educate their clients about the role of food in their diet. He usually promotes healthy diet through education and education programs.

E.Guidance Counselors

The main role of a guidance counselor is to aid clients with their adjustment to some circumstances in their life, utilizing counselling techniques in personal, educational, and vocational counselling.