Multidisciplinary Teams

Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) are decision-making groups composed of individuals with expertise in differing knowledge and skill areas. MDTs are used in a variety of settings in the helping professions. In education, MDTs make decisions about whether a student will receive special education services and develop the student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Their use in the provision of special education services was first required in 1975 by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94–142). The rationale for why these teams are multidisciplinary is that decisions in complex situations are best made with input from individuals with diverse perspectives. MDTs offer the school psychologist and others the opportunity for increased communication with those who have different professional specializations.

The term multidisciplinary means that the team ...

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