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Speech Therapy and Collaboration Among Disciplines

Whether your child has been receiving Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, Feeding Therapy, Counseling, some combination of the above, or hasn’t begun therapy yet, collaboration is an integral part of your child’s program. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) states that collaboration “involves problem solving and mutual goal setting from multiple perspectives that are relevant to an individual’s needs. All team members are involved in planning and monitoring educational goals and procedures, although each team member’s responsibility for the implementation of procedures may vary.”

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Speech Therapy and Collaboration Among Disciplines

At Mobile Therapy Centers (MTC), our core values are integrity, respect, and collaboration. We believe that a strong team is made up of individuals who value and embrace all three. Let’s talk about the importance of collaboration and what it looks like within MTC.

  1. Who is collaborating?
  2. Why are we collaborating? What are the benefits?
  3. What does collaboration look like?
  4. How can I learn more?

Let’s start with the first question of Who is collaborating? At Mobile Therapy Centers, collaboration occurs between and within disciplines. That means that our Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), not only collaborate within their field with other SLPs, but across disciplines, with Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), Registered Behavior Therapists (RBTs), Occupational Therapists (Ots), and Counselors, and with client families.

Why are we collaborating? What are the benefits? According to ASHA, the main benefit of collaboration is that it improves outcomes for the people we serve. It can play a huge role in helping teams become more efficient. This means that by implementing a collaborative approach, our clients will see progress more quickly. At MTC we believe in the benefits of true collaboration because we have seen the results firsthand.

What does collaboration look like? We have seen a multidisciplinary client (a client who receives multiple services within MTC) who was struggling with potty training, learn how to successfully use the bathroom with support from:

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Speech Therapy and Collaboration Among Disciplines

An Occupational Therapist (OT) to help with:

  • Sensory overload due to aversive lights and sounds in the bathroom
  • Functional self-help skills of dressing and undressing

A Behavior Therapist to help with:

  • Creating and following routine
  • Understanding the function of a behavior such as dropping to the floor upon entering the bathroom

A Speech Therapist to help with:

  • Implementing picture communication symbols
  • Providing a visual schedule of steps for going potty

We have also seen the results of collaboration between Speech Therapists across settings – MTC Speech Therapist, School Therapist, and/or a Speech Therapist from another clinic. For a preschool child who was receiving Speech Therapy at school but struggling to show progress in his ability to express himself, collaboration between therapists resulted in acquisition of an Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) device with notable progress seen in his expressive language skills as a result of:

The school therapist’s:

  • Completion of a language evaluation
  • Ability to push into the child’s classroom multiple times per week
  • Ability to work consistently with the child’s classroom teacher
  • Carrying out of services in the child’s individualized education plan (IEP)

The MTC therapist’s:

  • Completion of an AAC evaluation
  • Further collaboration with an AAC device provider
  • Family education on goals and implementation of the AAC device
  • In-home sessions to teach use of the AAC device within the child’s natural environment while allowing the parent to observe and ask questions

How can I learn more? If you are interested in learning more about collaborative practice and how it can help your child, Speech Therapy, or about Mobile Therapy Centers (MTC), please contact Mobile Therapy Centers to speak with one of our therapists. We provide FREE screenings/consultations so why not take advantage of the opportunity to have your child seen by a professional and then answer any questions you may have?

Mobile Therapy Centers is a Multidisciplinary Clinic and services include ABA Therapy, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, Feeding Therapy and Counseling. We see children at our clinics, at your home or at your child’s school/daycare making it convenient for you and your family.

Contact us for a free screening/consultation at 800-977-9072, asktheteam@mtcus.com or at https://mtcus.com. We also provide Telehealth services. MTC accepts most commercial insurance.

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If you have any questions regarding our services, please call us at 800-977-9072 to schedule a FREE consultation/screening

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Elaina Pagliarulo AACOTA/L, AAT Handler

Elaina is a part of our MTC Occupational Therapy Department and received an education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, McHenry County College, and Husson University. She has a strong passion for working with both animals and children. Elaina has always wanted to incorporate both of these passions into her career and is incredibly excited to bring Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) to Mobile Therapy Centers!

MTC's Therapy Dog: Rocky

Rocky is an Australian Mountain Doodle who loves to learn, play, and meet new people. Rocky joined our MTC team when he was just 8 weeks old and has been training to support the clients of MTC from day one. His kind and loving nature makes him the perfect match for Animal-Assisted Therapy, and Rocky can not wait to meet all his new friends through the MTC AAT program!