he Role of the Nurse on a Transdisciplinary Early Intervention Assessment Team
Abstract Assessing young children with disabilities is a complex process requiring the expertise of a team of professionals from several disciplines. Team members often include the child’s family members, early childhood special educators, clinical psychologists,speech-language pathologists, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, pediatricians, and nurses. A team approach meets standards of best practice in early childhood intervention and encourages full family participation in the assessment process. This article explores the process of team building, role release through a transdisciplinary approach, and a nurse’s role on a transdisciplinary assessment team. Key words: nurse, arena assessment, transdisciplinary teams, early intervention, collaboration.
Assessing young children with disabilities is a complex process that requires the expertise of professionals from several disciplines. Teams may include the child’s family members, early childhood special educators, clinical psychologists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, pediatricians, and nurses. Transdisciplinary team assessment meets standards of best practice in early childhood intervention and encourages full family participation in the assessment process. When professionals have a history of working independently in assessment and intervention, becoming a member of a transdisciplinary team can be challenging. Professionals at the University of Wyoming rose to this challenge when they took part in the Teaming With Technology Research Project.