Beth

Montick 1
SPED 854: Family and Interprofessional Collaboration in Special Education
Philosophy Statement

Effective collaboration is essential for successful special education services for

children. Within this reflection, I will discuss my beliefs on the following topics: what

collaboration means to me; why I feel that collaboration is important; and what factors

must be in place for collaboration to be effective.

As was discussed in the first chapter of Friend and Cook (2013), there is a

difference between coordinating and collaboration. As I see it, coordination occurs

when I meet with a clients speech therapist from a different agency once every 3

months and observe a session. We discuss what goals we are working on and some

techniques we are using to address different targets. We share reports and are

available via email if we have any additional questions but our coordination does not

go beyond that. We remain professionally independent of each other as we complete

assessments and select goals. Coming from different domains, we may agree or

disagree on certain targets or methods of targeting a skill. While we offer our insight,

we strive to maintain a positive working relationship with the other professionals. On

the other hand, collaboration is a closer relationship where multiple professionals are

targeting the same goals and have shared responsibility and accountability for

outcomes. I believe that the current position I am in at work has a strong collaboration

component to it. I am a behavioral consultant attached to an ABA-based preschool

program. The preschool teacher and I work in collaboration for individual and parent

training goals. This is an ongoing relationship where collaboration occurs daily. I did

not examine exactly how much effort goes into an effective collaboration until reading

this first chapter but it was eye opening for me.

Beth Montick 2
SPED 854: Family and Interprofessional Collaboration in Special Education
Philosophy Statement

Collaboration is important in special education because it leads to the most

effective intervention for a child. Also, the parents and family cannot be forgotten in

the collaboration process. Involving them in the collaboration is important for

carryover to occur out of the school or therapeutic environment and into the home.

Some of the most important factors that I believe need to be in place for successful

collaboration to occur are support from administration, time set aside to collaborate,

physical space that encourages collaboration, and trust and parity between members

of the collaborative team. If the administration is supportive and encouraging of the

collaboration, then they are more likely to help to problem solve and to make sure

factors are in place that will promote effective collaboration.

It is important to have the logistics in place to support the collaboration. I believe

that this includes both time and space. It is important to set aside time for

collaboration to occur. We learned quickly that, although we were having informal

discussions for collaboration throughout the week, we needed to have a time set aside

in our schedules each week where we meet formally to review each child on the

caseload. In terms of space, I believe that the physical space you are working in can

contribute to effective collaboration. The logistics can make collaboration less effortful

and more likely that collaboration will be ongoing.

This idea of trust and parity between individuals involved in the collaboration

really made me think. Parity and trust lead to an effective partnership on which to

build collaboration. When these components are not present, I believe that

collaboration would not be effective.

Beth Montick 3
SPED 854: Family and Interprofessional Collaboration in Special Education
Philosophy Statement

References

Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2013). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals.

New York: Longman.