Project CALIPSO was an interdisciplinary personnel preparation project for speech-language pathology and school counseling graduate students.. A primary focus of the project was preparing scholars to serve children with communication disorders and concomitant challenges in areas such as social-emotional development and behavior. Shared coursework, collaborative clinical experiences, and other activities were used to prepare the scholars to address the needs of children with disabilities as well as design and deliver services to parents and teachers to increase the likelihood for optimal child outcomes. Through this collaborative model, scholars were guided to consider the whole child and were provided specialized opportunities to develop holistic approaches to supporting children with disabilities.
TopHigh Quality Interdisciplinary Preparation In Mississippi And Similar States
High quality interdisciplinary preparation of healthcare and academic professionals may be an effective strategy for addressing some of the complex issues in the state of Mississippi. Mississippi consistently ranks at the lowest quadrants of many polls on various measures of health and well-being, and academics -- putting many of the state’s children at highest risks for disabilities and academic difficulties. For example, using 16 measures across four domains (economic well-being, education, health, family and community), Mississippi’s overall ranking is 48 of the 50 states (Children’s Foundation of Mississippi, 2020). Considered in this ranking are measures such as percent/rate of children in poverty (27%), young children ages three and four not in school (47%), low birth weight babies (12%), and children living in high poverty areas (24%).
More recent data used to determine America’s Health Rankings shows that Mississippi continues to be near last place in the nation for three of five social determinants of children’s health (#47 for physical environment, #49 for health outcomes, and #50 for health behaviors; United Health Foundation, 2021). For the remaining two social determinants of child health, Mississippi is ranked in the bottom half (#38 for clinical care and #40 for social and economic factors; United Health Foundation, 2021). These rankings have supported the characterization of Mississippi as the state with the most challenges for women, infants, and children (United Health Foundation, 2018).
Indeed, national data show that a significant proportion of infants born in Mississippi enter the world with health challenges. The 2021 March of Dimes Report Card shows that in Mississippi, a state that received a F rating, 14% of babies are born pre-term (March of Dimes, 2021; CDC, 2022). This means that 14% of the state’s children start life at high risk for serious health problems such as breathing and eating difficulties. Pre-term babies are more likely to require early intervention and special education services and experience long term effects including learning problems and socio-emotional difficulties (University of Kentucky, nd). The percentage is even higher (17.4%) for babies born to Black/African American mothers. In fact, the preterm birth rate for Black/African American mothers is 44% higher than the rate of other women who give birth to children in Mississippi.