Interprofessional SLP and Educator Collaboration to Improve Communication for Students With Complex Disabilities

Introduction

There has been a steady increase in the number of children receiving special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for the last decade (NCES, 2022). As the demand for special education teachers and related services personnel (e.g., Speech-Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Applied Behavioral Analysts) is increasing across the United States, there is a critical shortage of professionals trained in interprofessional Clinical Practice (IPCP) to meet the demand (U.S. Department of Education, 2022). While it takes support from multiple professionals to meet the social, behavioral, academic, speech, and physical needs of children with disabilities with high-intensity needs, most professionals work in isolation (Pfeiffer et al., 2019). Ensuring that special educators and related service professionals use a collaborative, inclusive approach in service delivery for students with special needs requires re-envisioning training and education at the pre-professional stage, as well as providing ongoing guidance and institutional support in schools. Both the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Arner et. al, 2022) and Council for Exceptional Children (CEC Standards, 2020) recognize this need and have provided discipline-specific guidance for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and special education professionals, by encouraging collaborative practice within their professional standards. However, both training for and engagement in IPCP remains limited. This chapter will examine the key characteristics of interprofessional training and practice models that have been used effectively with SLPs and educators to support the communication skills of students with disabilities with high intensity needs.