Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Transdisciplinary Approach?
Why are families so important in the Transdisciplinary Approach?
What are the benefits of this approach?
How can I be sure my child is getting what (s)he needs?
Where can I get more information?

How can I be sure my child is getting what he/she needs?

• Your primary service provider and other trained professionals will work with you to provide ongoing assessment, and will complete periodic and annual reviews of your IFSP. This will allow you and your primary service provider to monitor your child's progress and make changes to your plan when needed.
• Your service coordinator (at Special Child Health Services) is responsible for ensuring that all appropriate services are available. (S)he can also assist in locating any necessary additional resources and services.

Research tells us that...

1. Parents' learning is more effective when the therapist demonstrates less for parents and uses a coaching model instead (Van Horn, 1997).
2. Parental views, expectations, and knowledge about their children are central to the planning and implementation of intervention (Weston, lvins, Heffron, & Sweet, 1997).
3. The focus on relationships points out that the way in which services are delivered is as important as the actual service itself (Seitz & Provence, 1990).
4. Job-role expectations for people who work in Early Intervention are expanded beyond discipline-specific tasks to include talking with parents about their perceptions, feelings, and immediate needs. Developing an understanding of the parent's perception of the child is part of working with the parent and child together (Weston, lvins, Heffron, & Sweet, 1997).
5. There are four assumptions that govern the transdisciplinary team model:
   • Natural environments are the best place to assess and develop children's abilities.
   • Children should be taught clusters of skills needed for everyday living. These skills are best taught through natural routines and activities.
   • Discipline-specific goals and objectives should be implemented throughout the day and in all settings in which the child functions.
   • Skills must be taught and reinforced in the settings in which they naturally occur. (Orelove & Sobsey, 1991)
6. The following outcomes have been associated with services provided in natural environments:
   • Services are more likely to reflect the family's normal routine and thus are more convenient for families.
   • Services are more likely to enhance the family's capacity to work with their own child to help maximize their development.
   • Research has demonstrated that children served in natural environments progress as well as children serviced in segregated settings, and are more likely to transfer, or use, the skills they learn to other situations. (Bruder, 1998; Brown, Horn, Huser, & Odom,. 1996; Bruder, 1993a; Buysse & Bailey, 1993, 1993; Fox & Hanline, 1993; Lamorey & Bricker, 1993; McLean & Hanline, 1990)
   • Research has also shown that children served in natural environments prior to entering public schools are far more likely to start their school career in integrated settings - and remain in those settings for their entire school experience.
   • Services in natural environments are more likely to result in the child becoming an accepted member of the larger community.

The Family Support Guide is sponsored by the Central New Jersey Maternal and Child Health Consortium, Inc. and funded by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Early Intervention Program, with funds from Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).