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 is composed of individuals from different professions. [Page 343]Other names used for MDTs include child study teams, IEP teams, appraisal teams, and placement committees. Knowing that a school team is multidisciplinary does not explain how the team members interact with one another. Collaboration, rather than a series of individual reports, is strongly recommended. Some models of team functioning involve minimizing the distinctions between professional roles, even to the extent that team members train other team members from different professions to perform some of their traditional job functions.

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act 1997 (IDEA 1997) specifies the individuals who are to be involved in making special education decisions concerning eligibility, the IEP, and placement. Parents are to be participants in each of these decisions. After evaluation data have been collected from interviews, tests, observations, and school records, the law requires that a group of qualified professionals and the parents use the data to determine whether the student meets the legal definition of a child with a disability. The team that develops the child's IEP is to include the parents, regular education teacher, special education teacher, an individual who can interpret the implications of the evaluation data for the student's instruction (e.g., a school psychologist), and a school representative who knows about the general curriculum, specialized instruction, and available school resources. Some teams also include the student, counselor, social worker, nurse, speech-language pathologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and/or persons from outside agencies. Others, including the student, may participate on the IEP team under certain circumstances. Determination of the educational placement of a child with a disability is made by a group composed of the parents and others who are knowledgeable about the child. They consider the data from the comprehensive evaluation and placement options in making decisions on behalf of the child. The three decisions—eligibility, IEP, and placement—can be made by the same MDT, or a different one; the MDT can be any of the groups defined in IDEA as responsible for these decisions. It is the responsibility of the school district to make sure the correct individuals participate in each decision.

The student's regular education teacher knows which learning and behavior strategies have helped the student and what modifications and supplements to the general education program are needed. The special education teacher has expertise in the special education methods that the student needs to succeed in school. Most students with disabilities receive their educational instruction from both regular and special education teachers. It is important that these key people in the implementation of the IEP be involved in its development.

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