Multidisciplinary Teaming: Enhancing Collaboration through Increased Understanding
Know exactly what BCBAs, SLPs, OTs, and psychologists are trained to do so you can share cases without stepping on toes.
01Research in Context
What this study did
LaFrance and colleagues read the training manuals and ethical codes for four fields: behavior analysis, psychology, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy.
They lined up what each group is allowed to do, how they are trained, and the ideas that guide them.
The goal was to spot where scopes overlap and where they do not.
What they found
Each field has its own turf. BCBAs own behavior change. SLPs own communication. OTs own daily-living skills. Psychologists own mental-health diagnosis.
Yet the edges blur. All four may touch social skills, feeding, or play.
Knowing the exact line prevents duplicated work and hurt feelings.
How this fits with other research
Chan et al. (2023) show a real transdisciplinary mealime team in action. Their OT, SLP, and BCBA passed tasks back and forth daily. LaFrance gives the map that makes such fluid hand-offs possible.
Newhouse-Oisten et al. (2017) gave BCBAs a four-step plan for talking with prescribers. LaFrance widens that lens to all common partners, not just doctors.
Iadarola et al. (2015) found urban schools full of turf wars. LaFrance supplies the boundary chart that could have prevented many of those fights.
Kemmerer et al. (2023) scoping review shows most caregiver-training studies ignore who does what. LaFrance urges teams to spell out roles up front, filling that gap.
Why it matters
Before your next team meeting, list every task in the child’s plan. Mark BCBA, SLP, OT, or psychologist beside each one. Share the list. Five minutes of clarity saves weeks of duplicated effort and keeps every discipline on the same side.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In an effort to provide clarity about the unique contributions of several professions within the context of multidisciplinary treatment, we reviewed the definitions, philosophical underpinnings, and national requirements pertaining to both scopes of practice (i.e., model licensing acts, legislation, and regulatory boards) and training (i.e., task lists, accreditation standards and course requirements, and exam blueprints) of 4 behavioral health professions. The professions we selected (behavior analysis, psychology, speech-language pathology, and occupational therapy) are likely to provide treatment alongside one another and often to the same clients. In a review of documents pertaining to scopes of practice and training for each profession, we found overlapping content. However, the similarities between professions diminished when we reviewed more specific guidelines such as learning objectives, educational requirements (i.e., coursework), supervised clinical experience (e.g., internships), and national examinations. This was especially true when considering each profession’s underlying approach to treatment (i.e., philosophical underpinnings) and, hence, service activities. We discuss our findings in light of service overlap and make a call for greater collaboration between professions, as related to the separate content knowledge and expertise of professionals in each field and the impact on client outcomes.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s40617-019-00331-y