On becoming a team: a view from the field

Early intervention services have expanded the concept of team participation for speech-language pathologists. Unlike traditional teams that grew out of the individual, direct service model of treatment, early intervention teams include the child's family along with professionals. Family members are invited to participate in assessing and treating their child, and the child is seen from a slightly different perspective by each team participant. Different viewpoints must be integrated and used to the benefit of the child. In this way, treatment options are expanded. Further, professionals may release their roles to other team members as well as learn new skills from other team members. The process of team development is illustrated through the experiences of one family-centered early intervention team.