Integrated rehabilitation for visually impaired physically challenged children

Rehabilitation services for visually impaired, physically challenged or severely multiply impaired children, ages 3-12 and the professionals who facilitate such interventions face many new challenges. Primary among these are the challenging and changing roles within traditional service delivery systems, which now include Occupational Therapists, a heightened awareness of the imperatives of family involvement, the diversity of contemporary rehabilitation team models and a growing need for collaborative, integrated approaches. These challenges have emerged partially because of the many medical advances that now enable children with multiple impairments to survive premature birth, combined with extensive child-advocacy legislation in the United States. Integrated service delivery emphasizes the need for the specialized skills and trained professionals necessary to assess and develop each child's full potential. Providers in this process include: Mobility Specialists, Occupational Therapists, Vision Rehabilitation Therapists, Teachers of the Visually Impaired, Physical Therapists, Speech Therapists, Adapted Physical Educators, Psychologists and classroom teachers. The role of each professional is described as well as three types of team models (Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary) being used in educational settings. How team members work together, who will implement services in each environment, establishing goals and objectives, and potential results are demonstrated.