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Names: Orelove, Fred P., 1951- editor. | Sobsey, Richard, editor. | Gilles, Donna L., editor
Title: Educating students with severe and multiple disabilities : a collaborative approach / edited by Fred P. Orelove, Dick Sobsey, Donna L. Gilles;
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Description: Fifth edition. | Baltimore, Maryland : Brookes Publishing, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN
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Version 1.0
4
Contents
Index
5
About the Online Companion Materials
Purchasers of this book will find PowerPoints for Chapters 1–13 for course or professional development use at
brookespublishing.com/orelove.
BLANK FORMS
Purchasers of this book may download, print, and/or photocopy the following blank forms for educational or
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materials are included with the print book and are also available at brookespublishing.com/orelove for both print
and e-book buyers.
6
About the Editors
Fred P. Orelove, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Special Education and Disability Policy, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia
Dr. Orelove founded and served as director of the teacher preparation program in severe disabilities at Virginia
Commonwealth University from 1981 to 2011. He also served for 20 years as Executive Director of the
Partnership for People with Disabilities, Virginia’s university center for excellence in developmental disabilities.
Since the 1970s, Dr. Orelove has taught children and has directed numerous training and demonstration projects
related to individuals with disabilities. In addition to this book, he has co-authored two books on teamwork and
one on inclusive education. In his retirement, Dr. Orelove is engaged in nonprofit work in Richmond, Virginia,
including working for an inclusive performing arts program and volunteering with children who have been
traumatized.
Dick Sobsey, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus, Educational Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
Dr. Sobsey has worked with children and adults with severe and multiple disabilities since 1968 as a nurse,
teacher, and researcher. He taught courses on teaching students with severe disabilities and inclusive education at
the University of Alberta from 1982 to 2005. He also served as Director of the J.P. Das Centre on Developmental
and Learning Disabilities from 1994–2008 and the John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre from 2006 to 2011. He is
the father of an adult son with severe and multiple disabilities due to MECP2 (methyl CpG binding protein 2)
duplication syndrome.
Donna L. Gilles, Ed.D., Associate Professor, Special Education and Disability Policy, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia
Dr. Gilles is Executive Director of the Partnership for People with Disabilities (Virginia’s UCEDD). She taught
students with significant disabilities in Maryland public schools for 6 years while earning a master’s degree in
educating students with severe disabilities. After earning her doctorate, Dr. Gilles directed a variety of teacher
preparation, professional development, and technical assistance projects at the University of Maryland and the
University of Florida, focusing on students with severe and multiple disabilities, autism, and sensory disabilities.
She served on the Executive Board of TASH for 7 years, including 3 years as board president. Dr. Gilles currently
directs the severe disabilities teacher preparation program at Virginia Commonwealth University.
7
About the Contributors
Katherine Ahlgren Bouchard, Ph.D., is currently a Content Specialist in Special Education at the Madison
Metropolitan School District. Dr. Bouchard received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in
Special Education. In addition to facilitating professional development experiences for educators seeking to
universally design instruction for all students, she also supports schools in developing infrastructure necessary to
support inclusive environments.
Rachel Brady, PT, DPT, M.S., is a physical therapist and research assistant professor at the Georgetown
University Center for Child and Human Development. She coordinates and provides professional development
for early childhood intervention and special education providers around best practices for program planning and
providing services.
Julie Causton, Ph.D., is Professor in the Inclusive and Special Education Program in the Department of
Teaching and Leadership at Syracuse University. Her teaching, research, and consulting are guided by a passion
for inclusive education. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses focused on including students with
disabilities, supporting behavior, differentiation, special education law, lesson design, and adaptation.
Deborah Chen, Ph.D., is a Professor of the Department of Special Education at California State University,
Northridge, where she coordinates the early childhood special education program. Her research and publications
focus on collaborating with families of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, supporting the learning and
development of young children with multiple disabilities and sensory impairments, and promoting caregiver–child
interactions.
Chigee J. Cloninger, Ph.D., has been a teacher of children and adults with and without disabilities for many
years. Even in leadership or research positions, teaching—in the sense of bringing about change—has been a key
component of her work. Her interests in creative problem-solving approaches, communication, and learning
processes are integral to her work in individualized education and leadership. Dr. Cloninger is Professor Emerita
from The University of Vermont, having been a faculty member and executive director of The Center on
Disability and Community Inclusion.
Julie A. Durando, Ed.D., directs the Virginia Project for Children and Young Adults with Deaf-Blindness at the
Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University. She served children with multiple
disabilities and sensory impairments, including deafblindness, for 8 years as both a classroom and itinerant teacher
in central Florida. She completed her doctorate in special education from the University of Northern Colorado as
a National Center for Leadership in Visual Impairment Fellow. Dr. Durando’s research and writing focus on early
braille literacy experiences and instruction for children with sensory impairments and multiple disabilities.
June E. Downing, Ph.D. (1950-2011), was named Professor Emerita of Special Education at California State
University, Northridge, and served as an Associate Professor in Special Education at the University of Arizona. Dr.
Downing was a national leader in the field of special education, a model advocate for individuals with severe and
multiple disabilities, and a champion of inclusive education. Having begun her special education career as a
teacher of students with visual impairments and multiple disabilities, including deafblindness, she focused on
ensuring that teachers could understand and implement best practice in the inclusive classroom, and that students
with severe and multiple disabilities experienced positive outcomes from social, communication, and academic
instruction. We made a conscious decision to carry her legacy forward by maintaining her presence in this edition,
and we thank Dr. Pat Mirenda for supporting us in this endeavor.
Kathleen Gee, Ph.D., is a professor in the Departments of Teacher Credentialing and Graduate and Professional
Studies in the College of Education at California State University, Sacramento. She has been a teacher and a
teacher educator. Dr. Gee also has directed numerous demonstration and research projects in authentic school
settings focused on the inclusion of students with the most intensive support needs. She is a frequent consultant
8
and inservice training provider related to quality services for children and youth with the most intensive support
needs.
Kiel Harell, Ph.D., is an instructor in elementary and secondary education at the University of Minnesota,
Morris. He teaches classes on foundations of education and inclusive teaching practice. He is currently a doctoral
candidate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Kathryn Wolff Heller, Ph.D., RN, is Professor Emerita at Georgia State University. Dr. Heller currently draws
from her nursing and special education careers to conduct research and provide instruction to teachers and nurses
on children and adults with physical and health impairments. One of her primary interests is on providing
effective educational instruction and health care for children with physical and health impairments.
Carole K. Ivey, Ph.D., OTR/L, is an assistant professor with the Department of Occupational Therapy, School
of Allied Health Professions, and is the LEND faculty advisor for occupational therapy (OT) at Virginia
Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in OT and her
Ph.D. in special education and disability policy at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has worked as an
occupational therapist in public and private schools, early intervention, outpatient therapy, and private practice.
Recognizing the collaborative care needed to work with children with developmental disabilities, much of her
teaching and research areas of interest centers on collaboration and teamwork.
Jacqueline F. Kearns, Ed.D., is Project Director/Principal Investigator at University of Kentucky. Dr. Kearns has
worked in the area of moderate, severe, and multiple disabilities for over 33 years. First as a teacher of middle and
high school age students and then as a technical consultant for inclusive education and neighborhood schools, she
pioneered alternate assessments. Most recently, she led the professional development team on the National
Centers and State Collaborative Alternate Assessment. Currently, she directs projects related to the
implementation of communication for students with complex needs.
Harold L. Kleinert, Ed.D., is formerly Executive Director of the Human Development Institute—University
Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service at the University of
Kentucky, and Professor Emeritus, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health Sciences.
In his 45 years in the field of developmental disabilities, he has taught students with moderate and severe
intellectual disabilities in settings ranging from state institutions to regular classrooms with typical peers. He was
lead author of the first text published in alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities:
Alternate Assessment: Measuring Outcomes and Supports for Students with Disabilities, as well as a second text on
alternate assessment and access to the general curriculum: Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant
Cognitive Disabilities: An Educator’s Guide.
Dianne Koontz Lowman, Ed.D., is Director of Counseling and Advocacy at Safe Harbor, a center that serves
survivors of sexual violence, domestic violence, and human trafficking. In addition to outpatient counseling, she
facilitates support groups for female survivors who are incarcerated, and equine assisted groups for male and
female survivors of sexual violence and groups for veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder.
Toby M. Long, Ph.D., PT, FAPTA, is Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University and
Director of Professional Development for the Center for Child and Human Development, a University Center for
Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Long is Director of the Graduate Certificate Program in Early
Intervention offered by Georgetown University and teaches Children with Disabilities within the undergraduate
minor in education, inquiry and justice. Dr. Long is an internationally known speaker and consultant on service
delivery to children with disabilities and special health care needs. The recipient of a variety of awards, Dr. Long
was recently named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow from the American Physical Therapy Association.
Kate M. MacLeod, M.S.Ed., is a doctoral student in the special education and disability studies programs at
Syracuse University and works as an instructor and graduate assistant within the teaching and leadership
department. She is a former high school special education teacher and has focused her career on bringing inclusive
opportunities to all. She works with districts and schools to create inclusive special education practices and serves
as an educational consultant to families who wish to see their children included in general education settings. Her
research and professional interests include inclusive education reform, inclusive teacher training, and best practices
for the inclusion of students with extensive support needs.
Pat Mirenda, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is Professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology and
9
Special Education, and Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration in Autism
(CIRCA) at the University of British Columbia. She teaches courses on augmentative and alternative
communication, autism spectrum disorder, inclusive education, instructional techniques for students with
significant learning challenges, and positive behavior support. The fourth edition of her co-authored book
Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Supporting Children and Adults and Complex Communication Needs
was published in 2013; and another co-edited book, Autism Spectrum Disorders and AAC, was published in
December, 2009. She has published numerous research articles and chapters and presents frequently at
international, national, and regional conferences.
Mary E. Morningstar, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Kansas.
She coordinates the teacher endorsement program for low incidence disabilities as well as the masters program in
secondary/transition. Her interests lie in the intersection of inclusive education in secondary schools and the
transition to inclusive adult lives for youth with severe disabilities.
Jerry G. Petroff, Ph.D., is Professor at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) School of Education in the
Department of Special Education, Language and Literacy. In addition, he is Executive Director of TCNJ’s Center
for Sensory & Complex Disabilities and the Faculty Director of the TCNJ Career and Community Studies
Program. Dr. Petroff has over 35 years of experience working on behalf of students, youth and adults with
developmental disabilities with a focus on those who are deafblind. Holding a doctorate in psychological studies in
special education, he is an expert in inclusive education, assistive technology (augmentative and alternative
communication), behavior support, and the transition of students with disabilities from school to adult life for
youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities.
Alice Udvari-Solner, Ph.D., is a national consultant in education and holds a faculty appointment at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. The graduate and
undergraduate courses she teaches on the topic of accommodating diverse learners in inclusive settings are integral
to the elementary, secondary, and special education teacher certification programs. Universal design,
differentiation, active learning strategies, collaborative teamwork among educators and paraprofessionals, and
systems change toward inclusive education are areas that are central to her research and teaching.
10
Foreword
It is not often that a textbook in special education causes us to eschew the usual response – commentary tied
closely to the text itself—and instead elicits a response that, while referencing the text, offers an entirely different
understanding of the book. This is such a book, for, as we argue below, it asks you to think of your role in
educating children with severe and multiple disabilities as a pursuit of three outcomes.
11
• capacity building and accountability for results (those chapters and also chapters 11 and 12);
• collaboration and cooperation within schools and across disciplines and sites (chapters 1, 10, and 13);
• inclusion and full participation in school and thereafter (chapters 10 and 13);
• liberty from physical restriction and the use of positive behavioral supports to secure that liberty (chapters
3 through 11);
• autonomy, self-determination, and supported decision-making (chapter 13); and
• parent and family participation (chapter 2).
More than that, this book responds to the findings of fact that Congress recited when it reauthorized the federal
special education law – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – in 2004: the impediments to children’s
appropriate education are, first, educators’ low expectations for students and, second, their failure to apply
replicable research on teaching and learning (IDEA, Sec. 1400 (c)).
Likewise, this book shows how highly qualified teachers can support children to attain the nation’s policy goals
and outcomes: equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency (IDEA,
Sec. 1400 (c)).
SUMMATION
What a book! It is about education, of course. But it is about justice, policy, ethical communities and dignity.
Read it in those lights and you will appreciate it more deeply. It deserves that reading; you owe it to yourself to
read it thusly.
REFERENCES
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1400 (c).
Kennedy, J.F. (1961). Accepting New York Liberal Party Nomination, September 14, 1960. Retrieved May 18, 2016 from
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/jfk-nyliberal
Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University.
Turnbull, H.R., Beegle, G., & Stowe, M.J. (2001). Core concepts of disability affecting families who have children with disabilities. Journal of
Disability Policy Studies, (12), 3, 133–143.
Turnbull, H.R. (2013). Quality of Life: Four under-considered intersections. In Brown, R.J. & Faraghar, R. M. (eds). Challenges for quality of life:
Knowledge applications in other social and educational contexts. Haupaque, N.Y.: Nova Science Publishers.
Turnbull, H.R. & Stowe, M. J. (2001). A taxonomy for organizing the core concepts of disability policy. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 12(3).
177–197.
12
Preface
The fifth edition of this book arrives nearly 30 years after it was first published in 1987. Children who received
mandated early intervention services back then have long transitioned out of their secondary schools, and an
entirely new generation has taken their place. We can safely say that there will be no shortage of children next
year, or the year after, in need of highly skilled professionals who, working collaboratively, can assess, teach, and
care for students with severe and multiple disabilities. The responsibilities of these professionals are great—they
must design and adapt curriculum, create and adapt materials, provide instruction, and work hard to include all
students in the general education classroom while attending to these students’ unique physical, sensory, emotional,
and health care needs. Will we have an educational workforce capable of understanding and responding to the
complex educational and support needs of learners who think, communicate, and learn quite differently from
typically developing children, and whose bodies often do not move in the same ways, or whose vision and hearing
may be far less acute, or who may experience significant health care challenges?
This book has always been geared toward cultivating this competent and compassionate workforce, including
teachers and other members of the educational team. For far too long, many school administrators have assigned
the least skilled teachers to the learners with the most complex needs. In an era where standardized test scores
often govern school accreditation and teacher retention decisions, children with the most severe disabilities may be
viewed as a liability of sorts. It is our belief that children with severe and multiple disabilities require and deserve
nothing short of the best educated, most creative, and most committed professionals a school can offer.
We continue to believe that the learners who are the focus of this book do need a team of professionals,
working collaboratively, sharing information and skills across a range of disciplines. We are proponents of
inclusive education, but we have seen evidence that many learners with the most severe disabilities often have
failed to receive the kinds of interdisciplinary supports necessary to receive maximum educational benefits.
This book adheres to a core set of values, consistent with effective practice and a philosophy of inclusion and
collaboration. These values include
• High expectations for all students
• Accountability for achievement based, in part, on each student’s personal potential and educational experience
• Thorough analysis of each student’s learning needs
• Emphasis on the importance of family involvement and home-school communication structures that are
culturally responsive and which empower families
• Collaboration with school and nonschool personnel to plan and provide services
• Provision of a broad range of personal support services that are closely coordinated with the general education
classroom’s goals and activities, and that are only as specialized as necessary
• Instructional and assistive technologies that foster self-determination, participation, and choice
• The use of positive behavioral supports that are based on functional assessment of challenging behavior and
that incorporate medical, educational, communicative, and environmental interventions
We also believe that it is important to blend research and theory into effective practices. In addition to citing
the literature on current research and practice, chapters open with a vignette, designed to personalize and make
real the information that follows. The vignettes are described in inclusive educational contexts, but also with an
eye towards fully understanding the complexity of the child’s educational, physical, sensory, health, and emotional
needs.
As with the previous edition, the fifth edition was written in a climate of welcome change and openness to
new possibilities. A glance at the short biographies of the contributors will reveal that we remain committed to
including authors who represent a broad range of professional disciplines. We are happy to welcome Donna Gilles
as a new editor. Her close association with many of the contributors and extensive collaboration in shaping the
overall tone and direction of the book were invaluable. We also acknowledge and give thanks to Rosanne K.
Silberman, our former co-editor on the fourth edition, for her previous contributions, which have continued to
13
inform and support this new edition.
Although the book has retained its overall purpose and approach, the fifth edition is, in essence, almost
entirely new. We have added new chapters and new contributors, incorporated the latest research and instructional
strategies, and reordered the chapters to reflect our values of collaboration and family. We have also added a
number of features designed to enhance this book’s usefulness as both a textbook and professional resource. Each
chapter begins with learning objectives, key terms, and an opening vignette introducing real challenges and
successes that come from working with students with severe and multiple disabilities. At the end of each chapter
are a set of reflection questions and an activity to promote critical thinking and enhance readers’ understanding of
their important work with students with severe and multiple disabilities. As a supplement to your course or
professional development program, PowerPoints also accompany each chapter, downloadable at
brookespublishing.com/orelove. This book is intended for both individuals studying to become professionals or
those already employed as educational team members. May this fifth edition serve as one small resource in your
quest to educate, support, and care for all children.
14
To the many families, teachers, and team members who have worked hard over the past generation to provide love,
support, and exemplary educational services to children who have deserved nothing less. And especially to the children:
past, present, and future.
15
1
Designing Collaborative Educational Services
CHIGEE JAN CLONINGER
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
1. Describe the collaborative approach to educational programming
2. Name the essential components of collaborative teaming
3. Understand the benefits of a variety of disciplines
4. Recognize the challenges in implementing the collaborative model and know the approaches to success
5. Describe the multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary models and understand the progression
to the collaborative team model
6. See an example of collaborative teaming in action for a student with severe and multiple disabilities
KEY TERMS
• Collaborative individualized education program (IEP)
• Collaborative team approach
• Discipline-free goals
• Valued life outcomes
Zach is 11 years old and rides to his neighborhood school on the bus with his brother and other children in
his neighborhood to attend a fifth-grade class. Zach likes being in places where there is a lot of activity, and
he enjoys music, books, and the outdoors. He presently does not have a formalized communication system—
he communicates through facial expressions, vocalizing, crying, and laughing, and he seems to understand
more than he is able to communicate. Zach does not have vision or hearing impairments; however, he does
have physical disabilities that affect the use of his extremities. He is beginning to learn to use a power
wheelchair for mobility and is beginning to use communication assistive technology (AT).
Zach’s educational team uses the collaborative approach to plan, implement, and evaluate his IEP, which
is supported by a special educator, classroom paraeducator, physical therapist (PT), occupational therapist
(OT), and speech-language pathologist (SLP). These team members, including his parents, use a systematic
process to determine Zach’s learning outcomes for the year, who was going to teach or support these learning
outcomes in the various school settings, and what skills needed to be taught to other team members so
everyone could assist Zach in achieving his goals and objectives. Each member of the team shares the same
vision—meeting Zach’s educational needs and goals and providing for his successful future.
Putting the student with severe and/or multiple disabilities at the core of all planning is the key to truly making a
difference in that student’s life. The most successful IEPs are created through the dynamic, synergistic
collaborations of team members who share a common focus and purpose and bring together diverse skills and
knowledge (McDonnell & Hunt, 2014; Reiter, 1999). Together, professionals across a wide variety of disciplines,
including special and general educators, SLPs, PTs and OTs, psychologists, and counselors, contribute to planning
and implementing a successful educational program for students with severe and multiple disabilities. Although
this chapter emphasizes supporting students with severe and multiple disabilities, all students can benefit from a
collaborative approach to educational planning and supports (Idol, Nevin, & Paolucci-Whitcomb, 2000; Rose &
Meyer, 2006).
16
WHY COLLABORATIVE TEAMS?
Students with severe and multiple disabilities are those “with concomitant impairments (e.g., cognitive
impairments/blindness, cognitive impairments/orthopedic impairments), the combination of which causes such
severe educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in the special education programs solely for one of
the impairments” (Code of Federal Regulations [C.F.R.] Chapter III, Section 300.8 [c][7], 1999). Students in this
disability category include those with the most severe and/or combinations of disabilities. Most have some level of
cognitive disability, but the nature and extent of cognitive impairments are often ambiguous and undetermined
because of the interactional effects of the multiple disabilities and the difficulty in precise diagnoses. Because of
their combination of physical, cognitive, medical, educational, and social-emotional challenges, these students
require a collaborative and concerted effort so their IEPs result in learning outcomes that make a difference in
their daily lives. Thus, they need the profound and foundational interconnectedness of a diverse group, including
family members, to see that learning does happen (Giangreco, Cloninger, Dennis, & Edelman, 2002; Selby,
2001). The many needs of students with intense, numerous educational challenges call for a collaborative
approach in the educational environment to ensure the following:
• Services are coordinated rather than isolated and fragmented. Team members who work together to
complement and support the student’s goals and each other provide connected and integrated educational
programming. Coordination of services takes place through the actions of team members who learn and
implement the principles of educational collaboration, such as sharing expertise, agreeing on ways of working
together, and putting the student first. Team members experience a sense of collegial belonging and
satisfaction through collaboration (King-Sears, Janney, & Snell, 2015).
• All team members share a framework for team functioning and the assessment, implementation, and
evaluation of the student’s educational program. Team members define their roles in relation to direct and
indirect supports that they provide to the student’s educational plan and to other team members. Within a
collaborative framework, the contributions of every team member are educationally relevant and necessary to
the student’s success. Gaps in services and overlapping functions (e.g., when the OT and SLP both work on
eating skills with the student) are avoided. Involvement in the development of a student’s total plan helps
ensure commitment and ongoing learning (Giangreco, Cloninger, & Iverson, 2011).
• The student’s goals belong to the student, and all team members collaborate to ensure that those goals are
met. Goals, objectives, and general supports are developed based on valued life outcomes for the student,
family, and team members. Valued life outcomes are those basic components that reflect quality-of-life issues,
such as being safe and healthy, having a home now and in the future, having meaningful relationships and
activities, having choice and control that matches one’s age and culture, and participating in meaningful
activities in various places. An individualized student plan, which includes goals and objectives, supports,
accommodations, and specialized instructional strategies, is based on these valued life outcomes. These plans
will be unique for each student and used as benchmarks for evaluating the success of the student’s program
(Giangreco et al., 2011).
• The student’s needs are addressed through a coordinated and comprehensive approach. Students with severe
and multiple disabilities face challenges in a number of areas, including 1) physical and medical conditions
(e.g., movement restrictions; skeletal abnormalities; vision and hearing loss; seizure, breathing, and urinary
disorders), susceptibility to infections and management of medications; 2) social-emotional needs, such as
maintaining friendships, expressing feelings, showing affection, giving to others rather than always being
passive recipients, and making decisions; and 3) educational challenges, such as how to appropriately position
and handle students at school and how to promote best use of the student’s vision, hearing, and movements
for gaining access to materials and people. Appropriate communication methods and modes to match
students’ cognitive, visual, hearing, and motor functioning are essential to ensure that students can make
choices, have some control over their lives, express basic needs, engage with others, and have access to
preacademics and academics. Although students with severe and multiple disabilities may have physical,
medical, and social-emotional challenges, any student’s IEP should be based on individually identified
educational needs, not on presumed disability characteristics (Giangreco et al., 2011).
17
situations arise.
The variety of people involved in the students’ programs need to work well together in order to best serve
children in educational environments. Each team member brings a unique set of professional and personal skills
and experiences to the team relationship. The way teams are formed and how they operate influence both the
process and outcomes of children’s education. The collaborative team model has proven to be an exemplary model
for people working together to bring about differences in the lives of students with severe and multiple disabilities.
Team models have progressed to best meet the unique needs of students with severe and multiple disabilities
in educational environments by following the development of educational recommended practices, research, and
legal mandates. They also are based on the realization that educational teaming requires an educational model for
student assessment, program planning, and delivery—the collaborative approach rather than a medical (or single
expertise) model.
The collaborative model is exemplary practice in service delivery models for the education of students with
severe and multiple disabilities, incorporating the best qualities of other models (i.e., multidisciplinary,
interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary) while adding features to address their limitations (Doyle & Millard, 2013;
Giangreco, Cloninger, Dennis, & Edelman, 2000). These other models will be discussed later in this chapter. A
significant difference between the collaborative model and others is that individuals bring their own perspectives
to the team, but these are purposefully shaped and changed by working closely with other team members
(Edelman, 1997) and by new learning, such as universal design for learning (UDL). The practice of role release
(e.g., being able to share one’s disciplinary expertise with others) used in the transdisciplinary model is essential.
The transdisciplinary model provides a structure for interaction and communication among team members but
does not go further. The collaborative model goes beyond that concept to embrace influences on one’s own
practice. The collaborative model is multidirectional and dynamic. All team members acquire not only shared
understanding and knowledge of each other’s expertise, but also the ability to incorporate that expertise into
collaborative evaluation, planning, and implementation. New ideas are generated through group interaction that
would not be generated by working in isolation.
Another significant difference is that the collaborative model addresses the provision of services in meaningful
or functional contexts as well as who provides the services and how multiple team members can provide the same
service (Rainforth & York-Barr, 1997). The collaborative team model provides guidelines for who is on the team,
how each team member’s expertise will be used, and the contexts or situations in which team members will
provide their expertise.
A collaborative team is a group of professionals working together on the four major areas of educational
programming—assessment, development of instructional goals, intervention, and evaluation—with the shared
goal of supporting student and family valued life outcomes. Collaboration on these four major areas of educational
programming in the other models is an option rather than the basis of team expectations and operations.
Assessment
Determining relevant educational goals is the main purpose of assessment in the collaborative approach. Planned
quality assessment of activities identified by the team (including the family and student) should be conducted in
priority educational environments (York, Rainforth, & Giangreco, 1990). Once assessment is complete, the team
establishes learning outcomes for the student across educational content areas, then writes educational goals and
objectives based on those learning outcomes identified as priorities for the year.
18
student and originate from priorities that the student and family select with input from other team members. It is
the responsibility of the team to provide forward-looking planning strategies such as Choosing Outcomes and
Accommodations for Children (COACH; Giangreco et al., 2011) and Making Action Plans (MAPs; Pearpoint,
Forest, & O’Brien, 1996) so that the student and family are truly part of the team and involved in making
educational decisions. The goals and objectives are based on what is best for the student educationally for a given
year from a family-centered perspective.
The student’s goals target educationally relevant learning outcomes that are not tied to any one discipline.
“Isabella will improve postural stability and increase antigravity of head, trunk, and extremities” is an example of a
discipline-specific and jargon-filled goal written by a PT (Giangreco et al., 2011). Another discipline-specific
example might read, “Moira will extend her dominant hand to an augmentative device for expressive
communication requesting salient items.” Instead, a goal should be stated so that 1) everyone can understand
clearly what is expected, 2) it can be carried out in natural environments, and 3) it provides an answer to the
question, “What difference will this make in the student’s life?” Restating a goal for Isabella in a discipline-free,
jargon-free manner results in, “During lunch, Isabella will walk in line, get her lunch tray, reach for two food
items, and carry her tray to the table,” whereas Moira’s goal might state, “Moira will point to pictures on her
communication board to make requests for preferred people, toys, and food.”
19
2. A shared framework of assumptions, beliefs, and values
3. Distribution and parity of functions and resources
4. Processes for working together
5. A set of shared student goals agreed to by the team (Giangreco et al., 2011; King-Sears et al., 2015; Thousand
& Villa, 2000)
Membership at each level is related to the student’s IEP and influenced by professional qualifications,
regulations, personal skills, and experiences of each member. A thoughtful process for making decisions regarding
who is to be involved at each level in each situation facilitates the best use of everyone’s expertise and avoids
unnecessary overlaps and gaps in delivery of services. Related services providers are involved at each level
depending on their function (i.e., direct, indirect, consultation) and frequency of contact with the student. As
Giangreco put it, “Everyone does not need to be involved in everything” (2011, p. 18). The levels of team
membership are further described as follows:
• Core level: Team membership consists of those members who have daily contact and interaction with the
child, usually the special and general education teachers, the paraeducator, the parents, and perhaps one or
more of the related services personnel, such as the SLP, nurse, or PT, as appropriate.
• Extended level: Team membership includes those who have weekly, biweekly, or some other regular contact
with the student, such as related services personnel and a school administrator.
• Situational level: It consists of those members such as a dietitian recruited for specific situations and questions
and other teachers or related services providers (e.g., psychologist, counselor, bus driver). Information is
shared and solicited from all, but attendance at meetings depends on function and relation to educational
planning and implementation and is determined by the agenda (Giangreco et al., 2011).
20
Positive Interdependence Positive interdependence is “the perception that one is linked with others in a way
so that one cannot succeed unless they do (and vice versa), and that their work benefits you and your work
benefits them” (Johnson & Johnson, 1997, p. 399). Team members agree to provide educational services from a
shared operational framework and set of values that not only greatly benefits the student but also benefits each
member of the team. Positive interdependence can be fostered in a variety of ways:
• Stating group and individual goals publicly and in writing
• Sharing team functions, roles, and resources equitably by defining team roles and responsibilities (e.g.,
recording minutes, facilitating meetings, keeping time, communicating with absent members, using jargon-
free language, completing paperwork) and taking turns fulfilling these roles
• Identifying norms or ways team members want to work together (e.g., take turns, listen respectfully, be nice,
give compliments, celebrate successes)
• Sharing accomplishments and rewards by scheduling time at meetings to present positive achievements of the
student and team members, attending workshops together, presenting at workshops together, having a team
party, and participating in other wellness activities
Interpersonal Skills Interpersonal skills are essential to effective team functioning. Adults often need to learn,
use, and reflect on the small-group interpersonal skills necessary for collaboration. These skills include trust-
building, communication, leadership for managing and organizing team activities, creative problem solving,
decision making, and conflict management. Improving interpersonal skills and relationships also includes learning
about each other’s cultural, personal, and professional backgrounds and experiences (Webb-Johnson, 2002). The
team chooses interpersonal skills and values that are most reflective of how the team desires to behave and work
together, which then become team norms that are ideally used and evaluated at each team meeting. Attention to
these norms is enhanced when they are displayed and identified as part of the team agenda. These written norms
and agendas also can be used as benchmarks for monitoring, discussion, and reflection as team members learn
together and practice teaming skills.
Accountability Individual and group accountability is necessary for members to inform each other of the
need for assistance or encouragement, identify positive progress toward individual and group goals, and recognize
fulfillment of individual responsibilities. The agenda at each meeting should include a brief time for processing
(i.e., sharing observations, suggesting changes in team process as needed). The responsibility for processing is best
rotated among members, as are other team roles. The content of the agenda also provides opportunities for
accountability reporting (e.g., “Report from PT on co-teaching activity with physical education teacher—5
minutes”). A team may take more time one or two times per year to evaluate team operations, celebrate, and make
adjustments for the next semester or year.
21
“None of us is as smart as all of us” (Blanchard & Johnson, 2007, p. 22). To develop IEPs for students with severe
and multiple disabilities, it is necessary to call on individuals from diverse disciplines such as special education,
general education, nursing, social work, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language therapy, as
well as from fields less traditionally associated with education, such as rehabilitation engineering, nutrition, and
respiratory therapy. Whitehouse (1951) recognized that one or two people from different disciplines could not
meet all of the needs or deliver all of the services for these students. Many others in the field of special education
have stressed the importance of multiple services (Giangreco, Cloninger et al., 2000; King-Sears et al., 2015;
Thousand & Villa, 2000). According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments (IDEA) of
1997 (PL 105-17), whether a professional’s services and skills are deemed necessary for a student to benefit from
his or her IEP is key to determining the involvement of any of these professionals in a particular student’s IEP.
The contributions of every team member are educationally relevant and necessary to the student’s success within a
collaborative framework, and gaps in services and unnecessary and contradictory overlapping functions are
eliminated.
Although they are called on to work collaboratively, family members and professionals have distinct training
backgrounds, philosophical and theoretical approaches, experiences, and/or specialized skills. The success of an
educational team depends in part on the competence of the individual team members and on a mutual
understanding and respect for the skills and knowledge of other team members.
Team members provide specialized education services and/or related services to enable the student to reach his
or her IEP goals and objectives. Special education can be provided without related services, but for the most part,
related services cannot be provided without special education services. In a few states, speech-language pathology
services can be provided as special education services if the only identified goals and objectives for the student
relate to speech-language skills.
Related services providers, as well as other team members, engage in a variety of functions. Research by
Giangreco and colleagues (Giangreco, 1990; Giangreco, Prelock, Reid, Dennis, & Edelman, 2000) found that the
four most important functions of related services providers for serving students with severe and multiple
disabilities were 1) developing adaptations, equipment, or both to allow for active participation or to prevent
negative outcomes (e.g., regression, deformity, discomfort, pain); 2) transferring information and skills to others
on the team; 3) serving as a resource, support, or both to the family; and 4) applying discipline-specific methods
or techniques to promote active participation, to prevent negative outcomes, or both.
Team membership is configured differently for each student depending on the array of services required to
support his or her educational program and can include the following people, whose discipline-specific roles are
outlined in the following subsections.
Student The student is the core of the team; the reason the team exists is to address his or her educational
needs. The student should be present at all team functions, either in person or through representation by family
members, peers or advocates, and other team members. Team members are responsible for educating the student
to participate as a team member and teaching self-advocacy skills and ways to have choice and control over
decisions affecting him or her.
Family Member or Legal Guardian Although not always present in the school on a daily basis, a family
member or legal guardian or caregiver is an important member of the educational team. Apart from the fact that
parents have the right to participate in assessment and planning, it simply makes good sense for them to
participate in all team meetings as the individuals with the most knowledge of their children and the greatest stake
in their children’s future (Gallagher, 1997; Giangreco et al., 2011). (See Chapter 2 for more on working with
families.)
Special Educator The special educator is primarily responsible for the development and implementation of
22
the student’s IEP (IDEA 1997). The special educator sees that the student with severe and multiple disabilities
learns through direct instruction, through UDL, and by sharing expertise and skills with the student’s peers and
others (e.g., paraprofessional, general education teacher, OT, nurse, bus driver) who interact with the student. The
special educator may also serve in roles shared by other team members, such as liaison between the parents and
school personnel, supervisor of paraprofessionals, member and coordinator of the team, and advocate for the
student.
General Educator The general education teacher provides services for and represents students on his or her
class roster, as well as those who spend time in a general education class most of the day. The general educator’s
role on the team is to contribute expertise and experience about the general education curriculum and standards;
weekly, monthly, and yearly curricular plans; class schedule; class routines; class rules and expectations; the general
culture of his or her class; and UDL. This professional also ensures that students with severe and multiple
disabilities have opportunities to participate in class lessons and activities and to interact with other students. He
or she shares responsibility for designing or delivering the general education components of the student’s program,
such as evaluating student progress. IDEA 1997 requires that at least one of the student’s general education
teachers be on the IEP team. In particular, the general educator contributes to discussions and decisions about the
student’s access to and participation in the general education curriculum.
Paraeducator Paraeducators, also called paraprofessionals, classroom assistants, or aides, are vital to the daily
operation of the classroom. Although their duties may vary from team to team, their core functions include
Providing academic instruction; teaching functional life and vocational skills; collecting and managing data; supporting students with
challenging behaviors; facilitating interactions with peers who do not have disabilities; providing personal care (e.g., feeding, bathroom
assistance); and engaging in clerical tasks. (Giangreco, Edelman, Broer, & Doyle, 2001, p. 53)
Some paraeducators have specialized skills, such as serving as an intervener for students with deafblindness.
Interveners usually receive specialized training and may be certified depending on the state (National Center on
Deaf-Blindness, 2012).
Physical Therapist The PT focuses on physical functions including gross motor skills; handling, positioning,
and transfer techniques; range of motion; muscle strength and endurance; flexibility; mobility; relaxation and
stimulation; postural drainage; and other physical manipulation and exercise procedures.
Occupational Therapist The OT focuses on the development and maintenance of an individual’s functional
skills for participating in instruction and activities of daily living (ADL), which include using the upper
extremities, fine motor skills, sensory perception, range of motion, muscle tone, sensorimotor skills, posture, and
oral-motor skills.
Speech-Language Pathologist The SLP focuses on all aspects of communication in all environments,
including receptive and expressive levels, modes, and intent; articulation and fluency; voice quality and respiration;
and the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). He or she also may be trained in assessing and
facilitating mealtime skills.
Assistive Technology Specialist The AT specialist focuses on the use of high- and low-technology devices and
adaptations to facilitate participation in instruction and ADL. Areas addressed through AT include
communication, environmental management, instruction, social relationships, mobility, and recreation.
School Psychologist The school psychologist focuses on social-emotional issues and is responsible for
assessment and evaluation, interpretation of testing information, counseling of students and families, behavior and
environmental analysis, and program planning.
Social Worker The school social worker helps the student gain access to community and other services and
resources; advocates for the child and family; and acts as a liaison among school, home, and community.
Administrator Administrators may include the school principal, special education supervisor or coordinator,
and program coordinator. One of these or another designated person acts as the local education agency (LEA)
representative at the IEP meetings. All of these administrators work together to ensure compliance with local,
state, and federal regulations in areas such as placement, transition, curriculum development, transportation,
related services, equipment, scheduling, and time for planning as a team. The school and district administrators
are important in promoting a school culture of success, openness, collaboration, ongoing professional
development, and inclusion for all students (Causton & Theoharis, 2014).
Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist The teacher
of students with visual impairments (TVI) provides instruction to meet the unique needs of students with vision
impairments and other multiple disabilities. The TVI is responsible for providing direct instruction, adaptations,
23
and accommodations. He or she assists with tactile communication, use of optical devices, and ADL skills and is
responsible for adapting general education classroom materials and consulting with the general education teachers.
The certified orientation and mobility specialist provides instruction in helping students with visual impairments
learn how to maneuver safely and efficiently in the environment and may provide adapted equipment and
strategies for those with significant challenges.
Audiologist The audiologist identifies different types and degrees of hearing loss using traditional and
alternative assessment techniques and equipment. The audiologist also provides consultation on equipment (e.g.,
hearing aids, FM devices) and their use, as well as environmental modifications.
School Nurse The school nurse focuses on health-related issues and needs, and his or her responsibilities may
include administration of medications and other treatments (e.g., catheterization, suctioning, tube feeding),
development of safety and emergency procedures, and consultation with other medical personnel.
Nutritionist and Dietitian The nutritionist and dietitian focus on students’ diet and nutrition.
Responsibilities include adjusting students’ caloric intake, minimizing the side effects and maximizing the
effectiveness of medications, designing special diets for individuals with specific food allergies or health care needs,
and consulting with medical personnel.
Physician The physician’s focus is on the total health and well-being of the student. His or her
responsibilities include screening for and treating common medical problems and those associated with a specific
disability, prescribing and monitoring medications and other treatments, and consulting with other medical
personnel. Physicians may include specialists such as a pediatrician, ophthalmologist, neurologist, otolaryngologist,
orthopedist, and cardiologist. As related services providers, medical personnel provide services “for diagnostic and
evaluation purposes only” (20 U.S.C. § 1401 [Sec. 602][22]).
Other Specialists Other specialists may be needed to address specific needs and concerns. They function as
consulting team members, usually providing time-limited services in response to a specific question by the
educational team. Occupations in the field of severe and multiple disabilities may include dentist, optometrist,
respiratory therapist, pharmacist, and rehabilitation engineer.
24
dispense medication at school in some states. In other instances, only a PT can appropriately deliver range of
motion to a student returning to school after surgery. Other team members should learn and perform only those
procedures appropriate for them, with the assurance that legally required supervision by licensed or certified
professionals is planned for and regularly occurs.
Team members may have difficulty deciding who should provide what services, which is not as clear in the
collaborative model as it is in other service delivery models. The paraeducator and special educator may be
carrying out feeding techniques daily at snack time after being taught by the SLP, who provides his or her support
to the student via indirect consultation and biweekly direct consultation. Parents or other team members may feel
that the child is not receiving adequate related services when the process for integrating related services and
instruction is not clear. To alleviate this concern, it can be helpful to track the number of professionals or peers
beyond the related services providers who are providing a service and also track the number of opportunities the
student has to use the skill.
An important step in enhancing team functioning is for all members to understand the collaborative model
and the ways in which a specific array of instruction and related services can ensure the best educational results for
the student (Rainforth, 2002). Team members recognize their numerous opportunities for involvement in
educational planning, implementation, and evaluation when they understand their changing roles, and they can
better appreciate how their expertise and resources benefit the student and other team members.
Logistical Challenges
Some of the most difficult challenges are ones that often seem out of the team’s control, including finding the
time for meetings and on-the-fly communication, running efficient meetings, and ensuring consistency in
following the team norms and implementing the educational program. Addressing these challenges often requires
the involvement of administrators and others in the school and may include strategies such as training and
adapting the collaborative approach for everyone in a school or agency, such as providing an in-service on
collaborative teaming; scheduling team planning time for everyone; training in and use of problem-solving
processes for school or agency challenges; and providing e-mail access for all team members (Causton &
Theoharis, 2014; King-Sears et al., 2015; Thousand & Villa, 2000).
25
multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary. Although each of these models may be appropriate in a
given environment or situation, many of the models first adopted by special education originated in medical
environments in which people may not have even thought of themselves as belonging to a team (Fox, Hanline,
Woods, & Mickelson, 2014). The terms transdisciplinary, integrated therapy, and collaborative teamwork are often
used interchangeably, but there are differences, first identified by Rainforth and others in the early 1990s. To
emphasize the need for collaboration, Rainforth and colleagues noted, “‘collaborative teamwork’ is now used to
refer to service provision that combines the essential elements of the transdisciplinary and integrated therapy
models” (Rainforth, Giangreco, Smith, & York, 1995, p. 137).
Multidisciplinary Model
In the multidisciplinary model, professionals with expertise in different disciplines work with the child
individually, in isolation from other professionals. Evaluation, planning, priority setting, and implementation are
not formally coordinated with other professionals, although each discipline acknowledges the other disciplines,
and information may be shared through reports or informally. They carry out isolated, separate assessment
activities, write separate assessment reports, and generate and apply separate interventions specific to their area of
expertise. The overlaps, gaps, inconsistencies, and conflicts in services are addressed only minimally, if at all.
Parents, special educators, and case managers are left with the task of implementing different or incompatible
strategies to address various goals. This model originated in the medical profession in which various disciplines
coexist to meet the needs of patients whose problems are typically isolated within one particular domain (Heron &
Harris, 2001).
Consider an example of how a student might be served under the multidisciplinary model. Lindsey, a fourth
grader with motor (cerebral palsy) and cognitive disabilities, is served by an SLP who has skills in oral-motor
eating issues and by an OT who also has skills in feeding issues. The SLP and OT separately evaluated Lindsey on
her eating skills and are both working with her on intervention techniques. Although these techniques could be
supportive and provide Lindsey more practice with her eating skills, these professionals’ intervention techniques
are not complementary and have not been taught to other team members who work with her daily.
Interdisciplinary Model
The interdisciplinary model is further along the continuum of how closely professionals work together and
provides a structure for interaction and communication among team members that encourages them to share
information and skills (Heron & Harris, 2001). Programming decisions are made by group consensus, usually
under the guidance of a services coordinator, whereas assessment and implementation remain tied to each
discipline. Team members are informed of and agree to the intervention goals of each discipline; however, team
members do not participate in selecting a single set of goals that belong to the student (i.e., reflect the student’s
needs and supported by all team members).
Both the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary models are discipline-referenced models, which means that
decisions about assessment, program priorities, planning, intervention, evaluation, and team interactions are based
on the orientations of each discipline. Such structures “are more likely to promote competitive and individualistic
professional interactions resulting in disjointed programmatic outcomes” (Giangreco et al., 1989, p. 57). Consider
if Lindsey, the fourth grader working on eating skills, was served under an interdisciplinary model. The separate
disciplines of SLP and OT may refuse to acknowledge the other’s expertise, promoting his or her approach as the
right approach. Others serving Lindsey will be confused and eventually take sides. This is not collaboration!
Transdisciplinary Model
The transdisciplinary model was originally designed for the assessment of infants at high risk for disabilities
(Hutchison, 1978; United Cerebral Palsy Association National Organized Collaborative Project to Provide
Comprehensive Services for Atypical Infants and Their Families, 1976) and is next along the continuum of
collaboration. The purpose of the transdisciplinary model is to minimize the number of people with whom the
young child or family has to interact in an assessment situation, although each professional continues to write
goals related to his or her discipline.
In contrast to the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, the transdisciplinary model incorporates
an indirect model of services whereby one or two people and parents are the primary facilitators of services,
implementing goals written separately by each professional, and other team members act as consultants (Heron &
Harris, 2001; Hutchison, 1978; King-Sears et al., 2015). Planned role release occurs when one team member
releases some functions of his or her primary discipline to other team members and is open to being taught by
other team members (Giangreco, Prelock et al., 2000; Lyon & Lyon, 1980; King-Sears et al., 2015; Woodruff &
McGonigel, 1988). Confusion can occur with the transdisciplinary model, however. Let us return to Lindsey. In
26
the transdisciplinary approach, the OT and SLP would both teach the special educator and paraeducator, the
primary facilitators, their individual ways of implementing the feeding program. The educator and paraeducator
then implement two different methods, thereby confusing the student as well as themselves.
Collaborative Model
The collaborative teaming model was developed from the other models of service delivery, with some subtle and
not so subtle transformations along the way. The transdisciplinary model is the most similar model but differs in
several ways. The collaborative model arose from an educational emphasis, whereas the transdisciplinary model has
its roots in the medical approach, as do other models (i.e., interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary). The philosophy
and practice of the collaborative model is that the team members not only will share their expertise and resources,
but also will be purposefully changed by other members and will use their acquired skills to influence their own
discipline. The collaborative approach offers benefits to the student by having not only a collection of people
providing services, but also a team with a shared vision, a shared framework, and shared strategies that are more
likely to ensure that the student will reach his or her IEP goals and objectives.
27
Figure 1.1. Zach’s individualized education program (IEP) and support plan reflecting a collaborative approach. (Key: SE = special educator;
PE = paraeducator; SLP = speech-language pathologist; OT = occupational therapist; PT = physical therapist; GE = general educator; P =
peers)
Not all team members will be involved in supporting all educational program components. The PT and
OT on Zach’s team have shared expertise in a number of motor areas, and thus both do not need to be
involved on all of the goals (e.g., “doing classroom and school jobs with peers”). The SLP and OT have
expertise in feeding, so the team decided that the OT would be involved with this general support, not the
SLP.
As each team member is providing direct instruction to the student for a particular goal, he or she is
28
incorporating the released skills from other team members into his or her teaching as well as teaching other
adults (e.g., paraeducator). For example, each of the team members contributes his or her expertise in a
specific way as determined by the whole team for Zach’s goal of “making requests for food, people, places,
and activities using a photo communication system and eye gaze.” All of the team members have the
responsibility of assisting in instructional design, in teaching Zach, and in data collection so that he may
attain this goal:
• The special educator designs the specialized instructional program that includes the instructional
strategies for teaching “making requests,” such as directions Zach receives, prompting procedures,
material and physical cues, consequence reinforcement and correction, and data collection procedures.
She also co-teaches with the general educator and teaches Zach in small groups and in pregroup sessions.
• The general educator identifies class lessons and activities in which Zach can learn and practice “making
requests,” provides opportunities for Zach to make requests in these lessons and activities, teaches Zach’s
peers natural supporting and interaction strategies when he makes requests, and shares responsibility for
designing and delivering instruction to Zach in general education group activities using UDL.
• The paraeducator teaches Zach in various school situations (e.g., small groups in the classroom), provides
instructional support in large groups and one-to-one teaching in learning centers and computer labs,
records data on Zach’s learning outcomes, keeps Zach’s equipment in working order, and supports Zach
in his personal care activities, using these contexts for Zach to practice “making requests.”
• The SLP takes the lead in identifying Zach’s communication system, designing the sequence in his
learning to “make requests,” and teaching all team members how the communication system works and
how to troubleshoot.
• The OT provides information on positioning of objects, the communication device, and Zach’s body for
optimal use of eye gaze. He also provides instruction to other team members and Zach’s peers on
placement of objects to teach “making requests.” The OT’s role in providing accommodations and
adaptations for Zach’s eating and drinking is related to this goal; he provides input on Zach’s food
preferences that could be incorporated in his “making requests” instructional program.
CONCLUSION
The success of students’ educational programs and the quality of their lives depend on a highly connected and
coordinated team of professionals. Students with severe and multiple disabilities need organized teams that can
systematically plan, implement, and evaluate their educational programs and address their myriad educational,
health, and social-emotional needs. Although other models for delivering services were explored in this chapter,
the emphasis is on collaborative teaming for designing educational services for students with severe and multiple
disabilities.
The inherent dynamism of teaching and learning, the ever-changing goals and needs of students with severe
and multiple disabilities, and the variable nature of people mean there always will be questions without defined
answers and new information to learn. There is an ongoing need for collaborative creativity and flexibility, open
minds, and the willingness to share dreams and challenges. Educational programs can lead to meaningful, positive
changes in the lives of children with severe and multiple disabilities and their families when team members let
values and visions larger than their fears and doubts lead their work, when what they do is designed so that every
child attains his or her valued life outcomes, and when they are committed to being a team together.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. Arranging for team members to plan and evaluate together is one obstacle to collaborative teaming. What are
some ways that schools can overcome this obstacle?
2. Explain how various team members (including parents) may share their expertise with other team members.
Why is this practice necessary?
3. As a team, what questions need to be asked to determine if a goal/objective has truly made a difference in a
student’s life?
CHAPTER ACTIVITY
Choose one of Zach’s goals (see Figure 1.1).
29
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JOLANTHA.
EBN JAHIA.
Jolantha! toimennu! Luo silmäs maahan,
Jok' ain' on ollut armas ystäväs ja
Tutusti vielä sua tervehtii.
Näet tässä hoitamasi kasvitarhan.
JOLANTHA.
EBN JAHIA.
JOLANTHA.
Noit'
En tunne, en —
(Luo silmänsä ylöspäin.)
ja tämä kirkkaus,
Mi kaikiss' ympärillän' on — tuo kaarros
Jok' yli kaiken käy — kuin korkealta!
Mik' on se? Jumalako? Hänen henkens'
Se onko, josta ootte sanoneet,
Maanpiirin täyttää?
EBN JAHIA.
Tämä kirkkaus.
Jon näet, on valon kirkkaus, ja Jumal'
On siinä, niin kuin hän on kaikissa.
Ylhäinen sinilaki tuo on taivas,
Ja Jumala on sinne, arvelemme,
Majansa asettanut. Lapsi armas,
Notkista polves, kiitos nosta taivaan
Lakea kohden, kohden Jumalaa.
Ja rukoile!
JOLANTHA.
EBN JAHIA.
JOLANTHA (polvisillaan).
EBN JAHIA.
JOLANTHA.
EBN JAHIA.
Sa tunnet ne.
JOLANTHA.
KUNINGAS.
Käennyt oon ma sulle turvan antaa.
JOLANTHA.
Ket' aattelet?
JOLANTHA.
KUNINGAS.
JOLANTHA.
TRISTAN.
Nuor¹ ihanaiseni!
JOLANTHA.
Oi kuule! kuule!
Sanoilla noilla valon ensi säde
Sieluuni osasi, tuo sulo puhe
Mun sydämeni lämpymähän liittyi.
Jolantha! Jalo!
Teitä siunatkoon
Se Jumala, jonk' ihmeit¹ ihailemme!
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