Research continues to show that children with different abilities experience greater increases in cognition, communication, and social and emotional development when they’re educated together, in inclusive settings. This requires a strong educational team, which may include physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and early intervention teachers. Because each of these professionals sees the child through a different lens, their collaboration can foster new ideas, professional growth, and deeper understandings of the whole child.

As a program manager for special education programs, Alexis Rosales is well-versed in working with a variety of professionals to support children within school systems. Here, she offers advice and strategies to enhance a team’s work.

1. Get to know team members.
   The best way to understand someone’s work is to spend time in their world. Observe their processes in action; set aside time to plan together; try to attend trainings together. Make time to learn what other members of a child’s support team do, so you see them as partners rather than separate silos.

2. Work toward the same goals.
   This can be one of the biggest challenges a team faces, and it’s also one of the most important. Start by setting shared goals. Invite team members who are off-site to visit a child’s classroom, troubleshoot alongside teachers, and model strategies in action. This helps everyone feel more confident and aligned. Training together helps teams work across departments to build and share a common vision. It also gives team members a chance to share their experiences and hear success stories from their peers.

3. Make time for observation.
   A child’s support team will evaluate progress during quarterly meetings and annual Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. But regularly observing children in the learning setting is also important: Are supports in place? Is there evidence of growth, access, and participation?

4. Encourage communication among team members.
   It’s important to listen to each other and avoid assumptions. Every team member brings unique expertise and experiences. One of the most powerful things we’ve done is to share stories: What has been tough? What have you tried? This gives everyone an opportunity to have a voice and to hear beautiful success stories from other team members.

5. Prioritize partnerships with families.
   No one knows a child better than their family. We should support families in advocating for their children, even if their perspective is different from ours. Our goal is to find common ground and make sure the child gets what they need. Many aspects of inclusion are overwhelming for families at the beginning. Walking into an IEP meeting is intimidating. We preview for families what these meetings look like, what we’ll be discussing, and how valued their input is. It’s important for families to feel confident, supported, and heard. This child is their whole world.

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