Speech language pathology and education students engage in interprofessional collaborative practice to support children with special needs in preschool settings

Speech language pathologists must be able to engage in interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) with educators to support the education and care of young children with special needs and their caregivers in community-based settings (WHO Study Group). To prepare speech language pathology and early childhood special education students for “real world” ICP, we designed a semester-long interprofessional education (IPE) experience. Within the contexts of classroom discussions, team meetings inside and outside the classroom, and field-based activities in preschool settings, student teams learn how to engage in ICP (ICP) using a consultation model. Team members conduct routines-based assessments, develop functional goals, and implement outcomes-based intervention plans for young children with special needs. We assessed student learning using formative and summative assessment including end-of-semester surveys, written reflections, and case study overviews. Students agreed that, by participating in this IPE experience, they learned how to engage in the collaborative consultation process to support young children's learning, and acquired core ICP competencies in the four domains of teams and teamwork, interprofessional communication, understanding roles and responsibilities, and values and ethics.