Transdisciplinary Teamwork and Integrated Therapy: Clarifying The Misconceptions

Abstract

The provision of transdisciplinary and integrated therapy services for students with severe disabilities in educational settings has been widely discussed in practice and in the literature While there are many proponents of the model, a great deal of controversy and confusion exists. Much of the controversy centers around issues of role clarification, logistical and practical constraints, and discipline accountability and liability in assessment and intervention. This article was written as a complement to an earlier article “Providing related services to learners with severe handicaps in educational settings: Pursuing the least restrictive option.”1 In the earlier article, a rationale for and discussion of educationally related therapy services that are transdisciplinary and integrated were provided. The purpose of this article is to further the service provision discussion by presenting common misconceptions and related clarifications for transdisciplinary and integrated therapy services provided to students with severe disabilities in educational settings.