Author: Natasha Boskic

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3.2 The "F" Professionals

Family Physician and General Practitioner (GP)

GPs are medical doctors who specialize in family practice. They are generalists. This  means they know about many aspects and branches of the medical profession. They are usually the first medical doctor that a family sees if they have health problems. The GP usually treats minor health problems, such as colds and respiratory infections. They  also make referrals to more specialized professionals, such as Ear Nose and Throat Specialists (ENTs) when needed. GPs also engage in preventive care and offer health education to the families they treat.

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Many families have a family physician that they always go to when in need of medical help. In British Columbia, families that do not have a family doctor can go to a drop-in clinic for their medical needs.

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3.2 The "E" Professionals

Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Specialist

As the name indicates, ENTs are medical doctors who specialize in the functioning of their ear, nose or throat, and the related structures of the head and neck. Specifically, they :

  • Assess, diagnose and treat ear-related disorders and/or diseases, including hearing disorders, balance disorders, and otitis media (severe ear infections);
  • Assess, diagnose and treat nose and throat related disorders and/or diseases, including disorders and diseases of the nasal cavity (that is, the inside of the nose), breathing system and larynx (see full Glossary);
  • Assess, diagnose and treat allergies and voice related disorders;
  • Assess, diagnose and treat mouth related disorders, including swallowing disorders;
  • Treat medical conditions that are related to the ear, nose and throat;
  • Offer medication that treats conditions related to the ear, nose and throat;
  • Perform surgical operations that can fix or alleviate medical conditions that are related to the ear, nose and throat.

For more information about ENTs, please visit the birth to six part of this course.

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3.2 The "C" Professionals

Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who also have a degree in professional psychology. They work with children and adolescents who have mental health difficulties that may have a biological reason. For instance, some children and adolescents who have an anxiety disorder, a mood disorder or schizophrenia may have an imbalance in the level of certain neurotransmitters (see full Glossary) in the brain. They may need medication and psychotherapy to treat their mental illness. Child and adolescent psychiatrists:

  • Assess the child’s mental health through a series of tests, which include psychological tests, interviews and observations;
  • Diagnose a child with a mental illness, such as schizophrenia;
  • Offer a psychotherapy plan which could include the child as well as his or her family;
  • Offer psychotherapy services, individually or in a small group setting;
  • If and when appropriate, prescribe medication;

Child and adolescent psychiatrists may serve on a child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) (see full Glossary) team.

For more information about child and adolescent psychiatrists, please visit the birth to six section of this course.

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3.2 The "A" Professionals

Audiologist

Audiologists work with children who have difficulties with the ear (trouble hearing) and/or the vestibular (balance) system (see ECI Glossary). In Canada, audiologists must have at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in order to practice in the country (Fig. 1).

 

Figure 1. Audiologist

Audiologists offer the following services to children who are deaf or hard of hearing:

  • Checking a child’s ability to hear sounds at different decibel (see full Glossary) levels;
  • Producing a report that details the degree and type of hearing loss. The report is a graph and it is called an audiogram;
  • Offering recommendations regarding the use of assistive devices (see full Glossary) that would improve a child’s ability to hear;
  • Teaching children and parents how to use assistive devices, such as hearing aids (see full Glossary) (Fig. 2) and FM systems (see full Glossary);
  • Teaching children how to communicate their needs to others;
  • Teaching children how to understand what others are saying;
  • Working with the members of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) (see full Glossary) team.

hearing aids

Figure 2. Hearing aids

Audiologists also:

  • Check the the child’s vestibular system (see ECI Glossary) and sense of balance;
  • Check a child’s skills and needs in order to determine if the child has an auditory processing disorder (see full Glossary);
  • Offer intervention advice to children who have difficulties with their vestibular system, or who have an auditory processing disorder.

To learn more about audiologists, please visit the following website.

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3.1 The "V" Professionals

The “V” Professionals

Vision Consultant

Vision consultants work with children who are blind or have low vision. They help children with vision loss use any vision they do have and be as independent as possible. They work with families and school teachers in order to adapt environments and make them accessible to children with vision loss. Vision consultants are often on Individual Education Plan (IEP) (see full Glossary) teams. They sometimes work as advocates for children and their families and make sure children get the services that they need. They also help children and their parents learn about and understand any adaptive equipment the child may have to use. Examples of adaptive equipment include using Braille (see full Glossary).

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3.1 The "T" Professionals

The “T” Professionals

Therapists: Art, Play, Movement

Art Therapist

Art therapists have a deep understanding of child development, art, and psychotherapy. They undergo extensive training and have to work under the supervision of a licensed psychologist before they can practice on their own. They work with children and adults who have been through trauma, who have trouble relating to others, or who have trouble expressing themselves through conventional methods. Art therapists work with the following groups of children:

In art therapy, children are encouraged to express themselves through art. They may express their feelings, sadness and frustration through:

  • Drawing;
  • Painting (Fig. 1);
  • Playing with sand;
  • Playing with play dough;
  • Playing with clay.

painting

Figure 1. Painting

Some children may not be able to express themselves through language. Art therapists help these children express themselves and their emotions through art. Slowly, children can sometimes start to express themselves verbally, through language. Art therapists help children grow in all areas of development, including cognition and the social/emotional domain.

For more information about art therapy, please visit the following website.

Play Therapist

Play therapists have a degree in professional psychology, and specialize in play therapy. They have a deep understanding of child development and psychotherapy. They undergo extensive training and have to work under the supervision of a licensed psychologist before they can practice on their own. They work with children who have been through trauma, who have trouble relating to others, or who have trouble expressing themselves through conventional methods. Play therapists work with the following groups of children:

  • Children with autism;
  • Children who have been abused;
  • Children who have been neglected;
  • Children who are chronically ill, especially children who have cancer;
  • Children who have been through a traumatic experience and who have PTSD (see full Glossary);
  • Children who have mental illness, such as an anxiety or mood disorder;
  • Children dealing with the loss of a parent;
  • Children who have attachment difficulties.

In play therapy, children are encouraged to express themselves through play. The clinic of a play therapist contains a lot of toys and games that children can play with. Some of these are:

  • Dolls;
  • Pretend play materials;
  • Art materials, such as coloring pencils and crayons;
  • Puzzles;
  • Blocks and Legos (Fig. 2);
  • Board and card games.

playing with blocks

Figure 2. Playing with blocks and legos

Play therapy can be very useful with children who have difficulty expressing themselves or who are unwilling to express themselves. Play comes naturally to most children. Play activities can help many children open up. All developmental areas can be reached and developed through play therapy. Some of the goals of play therapy are:

  • Learning how to express feelings in socially appropriate ways;
  • Learning how to manage anger and frustration;
  • Learning how to handle the loss of a parent;
  • Learning how to relate to others;
  • Learning how to be self-confident;
  • Learning how to trust adults (this is very important for children who may have been traumatized by adults);

For more information about play therapy, please visit this website.

Movement Therapist

Movement and dance therapists have a deep understanding of child development and psychotherapy. They have extensive training and have to work under the supervision of a licensed psychologist before they can practice on their own. Movement and dance therapy is based on the idea that the body, mind and soul are interrelated (Fig. 3). Therefore, helping a child move and understand his or her body will lead to the healing of the mind and soul as well. Movement and dance therapists work with children who have been through trauma, who have trouble relating to others, or who have trouble expressing themselves through conventional methods. Movement and dance therapists work with the following groups of children:

  • Children with autism;
  • Children who have been abused;
  • Children who have been neglected;
  • Children who have mental illness, such as an anxiety or mood disorder;
  • Children dealing with the loss of a parent;
  • Children who have attachment difficulties;
  • Children who have been through a traumatic event, such as witnessing violence.

dancing

Figure 3. Dancing

In dance and movement therapy, children learn how to grow in all developmental areas through movement and dance. Through body movement, children learn how to appreciate and understand their bodies, which a leads to understanding of the mind and soul. This leads to growth in all developmental domains.

For more information about dance and movement therapy, please visit this website.

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3.1 The "S" Professionals

The “S” Professionals

School Psychologist

School psychologists have training in professional psychology. They have a graduate degree and part of their training includes supervised clinical work with children in schools and other settings. They are trained in both psychology and education. For example, in BC they need to hold a valid teacher’s license. They  work very closely with children with special needs, their parents, and the professionals who work with them. Some of the services offered by school psychologists include:

  • Assessing the skills and needs of children with special needs or suspected special needs;
    • This includes the use tests, such as IQ tests (see full Glossary), which require a high level of training.
    • Working with children across the special education spectrum, including children with intellectual disabilities and children who are gifted;
    • Serving on children’s Individual Education Plans IEP (see full Glossary) teams, and working very closely with all members of the team, including the child’s parents;
    • Offering counseling and mentoring services to all children;
    • Offering parents and school staff advice and information on how to maximize a child’s learning ability;
    • Determining eligibility for special education designations and services.

School psychologists offer children with special needs a wide variety of services across all developmental domains. These services include:

  • Support with the development of cognitive skills, including learning how to pay attention and concentrate;
  • Support with the development of academic skills, such as reading, writing and math;
  • Support with the development of social/emotional skills, including self-regulation, self-esteem and self-confidence;
  • Support with mental health issues, such as difficulties with anxiety.

For more information about school psychology, please visit the following website.

Special Educator/Special Education Teachers

Special educators have a degree in special education. They work very closely with the parents of children with special needs and other members of the school based team. Such members include school psychologists, occupational therapists and/or speech and language pathologists. Special educators are an important part of any Individual Education Plan (IEP) (see full Glossary) team. They are experienced in creating alternative learning options for students who need them. This includes children who need extra help in order to learn (for example, children with Down syndrome), and children who need an accelerated learning program because they learn faster than others (that is, children who are gifted). They help and support the regular education teacher in all aspects of the child with special needs’ education.  They may work in one-to-one or small group settings, depending on the child’s needs and IEP. Some of the services offered by special educators are:

  • Taking part in the assessment of the skills and needs of children with special needs;
  • Taking part in deciding if a child is eligible for special education designations  and services;
  • Taking part in making Individual Education Plans (IEPs);
  • Taking part in helping children with special needs reach their maximum potential;
  • Offering teachers and learning assistance teachers ways to help children improve their learning potential;
  • Offering children with special needs direct instruction, in small groups or on a one– to–one basis;
  • Keeping an eye on a child’s progress through the school year;
  • Working very closely with the child’s parents to connect what is happening at school with what is happening in the child’s home.

Special educators usually run IEP team meetings. They also make referrals for other services, such as speech and language pathology, if they are needed.

Speech and Language Pathologist

SLPs work with children who have difficulty with language and communication. They also help children who struggle with different aspects of development related to the mouth and its muscles. This includes:

  • Helping children with receptive language difficulties;
  • Helping children with expressive language difficulties;
  • Helping children with pragmatic language difficulties;
  • Helping children with articulation difficulties;
  • Helping children with language-based disorders, such as dyslexia;
  • Helping children with feeding and swallowing disorders;
  • Helping children with voice disorders.

Because of the wide scope of services SLPs offer, they often work with many children with special needs, including children with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. They also work with children who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or have low vision, and those who are deafblind.

During the preschool years, children may receive SLP services through their local health units in British Columbia. The referral may come from an early intervention program, including Infant Development and Aboriginal Infant Development Program of BC. For example, the Vancouver Island Health Authority offers this listing of SLP services. In school, SLPs offer services to children who struggle with any aspect of language or learning. This may be:

  • Screening and assessment services to children with language and/or learning difficulties;
  • Identifying and diagnosing learning or language difficulties in children;
  • Developing  speech and language intervention plans, along with parents and other professionals;
  • Offering children speech therapy sessions, either individually or in groups;
  • Offering children and their families consultation services;
  • Helping children communicate with others using a variety of ways. This includes using oral (or spoken) language, sign and communication boards (see full Glossary);
  • Helping children read lips;
  • Helping children use equipment such as hearing aids, FM systems and communication boards;
  • Helping children with language-based academic difficulties;
  • Working very closely with the child’s parents and teachers.

SLPs are an important part of almost any Individual Education Plan (IEP) team, because many children with special needs experience difficulties with language, communication, and academics .

For more information about SLP in British Columbia, please visit the following website.

School Support Teacher

This is another term for Education Assistant (EA) or Special Education Assistant (SEA).

Social Worker

Social workers work with families who are in a crisis situation, or help a family avoid a crisis. The crisis situation could be a divorce, violence at home, child abuse or neglect. Some children with special needs may also have a social worker, who helps the child and their family get access to services. . Social workers also work with families who have economic difficulty, and may be struggling to make ends meet.

Social workers work very closely with families in crisis. They may visit them in their homes, if it is appropriate and safe for them to do so. If not, the families may visit the social workers in their office.

Social workers may act as advocates for children and sometimes adults. They sometimes appear in court, where they may be required to testify on behalf of a child or family.

Social workers are usually a part of a team that protects the rights of a child or family. They also work with family support workers  and family counsellors. They may also work on an Individual Education Plan (IEP) (see full Glossary) team if issues of rights and protection have been raised.

Supported Child Development Consultant

The supported child development consultant (SCD) provides child development and special education advice to families of children with special needs. The children served by the SCD program are usually attending a center-based program. This could be a preschool or after school program.

Most children served by an SCD consultant are between the ages of 3 and 12 years. Sometimes, children who are between the ages of 13 and 19 may be serviced by the supported child development program.

The SCD consultant helps the families of children with special needs adjust to their child’s condition. They offer information and support, and sometimes by refer families to more specialized services. The SCD consultant also works with preschool/school staff, offering  advice on helping the child with special needs in the regular classroom. Sometimes they also coordinate services between different professionals (for example, physiotherapist s and occupational therapists) who may be working with a child.

The SCD consultant offers support and information to the child’s family and teachers. They provide information about the child’s level in all areas of development (cognitive, social/emotional, adaptive, language and communication and motor).

For more information about the SCD program, please visit the following website.

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3.1 The "R" Professionals

The “R” Professionals

Resource Teachers/Learning Assistance Teachers

Resource teachers have training in special education. They work very closely with the teachers of children with special needs. They are actively involved in every aspect of the child’s education. This includes:

  • Assisting the school-based team with the assessment process;
  • Identifying the skills and needs of children with special needs;
  • Helping to make the Individual Education Plan (IEP) (see full Glossary);
  • Helping to put  the IEP goals into action;
  • Watching and tracking the child’s progress;
  • Attending all meetings related to the education of the child;
  • Working with other members of the IEP team, including special educators, teachers, parents, occupational therapists and speech and language pathologists.

With other professionals, resource specialists offer children with special needs a variety of services which include:

  • Teaching academic skills such as reading, writing and/or math;
  • Teaching basic cognitive skills such as paying attention and concentration;
  • Teacher behavior management skills.

Resource teachers can work with children with special needs individually or in small groups. They work closely with the child’s regular education teacher and help the child meet the goals that were set for him or her at the IEP  meeting.

For more information about the resource teacher, please visit the birth to six part of this course.

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3.1 The "O" Professionals

The “O” Professionals

Orientation/Mobility Specialist

 

Orientation and mobility specialists offer services to children to who are blind or have low vision (Fig. 1). These specialists help children with low vision with two skills:

  • Locating where they are in the environment;
  • Figuring out how to get from one place to another.

girl in glasses

Figure 1.

This helps the child be as independent as possible in his or her environment. Adults who are blind or have low vision are completely or almost completely independent, because of the help of the orientation and mobility specialist during childhood.

At home, the O&M specialist will help the child figure out where different parts of the house are and how they relate to one another. For example, with the O&M’s help the child will figure out where his or her bedroom is in relation to the living room, the bathroom and the kitchen. The child will then figure out how to get from one part of the house to another. The O&M specialist will also help the child orient him or herself in other environments.

The O&M specialist will also help the child function well and independently at school. The O&M specialist can help the child who is blind or has low vision figure out the basic layout of the school that he or she is attending. The child forms a mental map of what the school looks like and where each part of the school is located, in relation to other parts of the school. For example, the child will figure out where his or her classroom is in relation to the bathroom, the cafeteria and the playground. With the help of the O&M specialist, the child then learns how to get from one location in the school to another.

Some of the options suggested by O&M specialist include:

  • Being with a sighted guide;
  • Using a cane;
  • Using public transit (Fig. 2);

public transport

Figure 2. Public transport

O&M specialists often teach  the “self-protective” technique. This shows individuals who are blind or have low vision how to protect themselves as move in their environment.  For example, a person walking in an unfamiliar place can put his arm in front of his body to protect him from any unseen danger. Similarly, a person using a cane usually moves the cane around herself, in order to figure out if there are any obstacles around. For more information, please watch this informative O&M YouTube video.

Children who are blind or have low vision can be quite independent thanks in part to the services provided by the O&M specialist.

For more information about O&M specialists, please visit this website.

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3.1 The "F" Professionals

The “F” Professionals

Family Support Worker

  • Family support workers  help the parents of all children. Some issues the support worker might help a family with are support with agencies and programs in the community, support for immigrant children and families, connecting with Ministry of Children and Families for financial aid, or issues of adaptation at school, missing school and others . Family support workers may work in parenting/counseling agencies. They may also work in, schools in their role as child, youth and family support workers. If the family has a child with special needs, the family support worker will also give them with information about the special need that the child has. The family support worker can also direct the family to resources that are available in their community. Some of the services offered by the family support worker are:Gathering information about the family  to determine areas of struggle and concern;
  • Gathering information about the family  to determine areas of strengths. These areas can be used to help the family deal with any difficulties they may be encountering;
  • Offering support and guidance to families  to help them reach practical and realistic solutions to their problems;
    • It is important to note that family support workers help families reach their own solutions to their own problems. This is done to make sure that families do not become dependent on their family support worker;
  • Providing information about child development, discipline, special needs and education;
  • Helping families connect with support groups and other needed services in their community;

For more information about the Family Support Worker, please visit the following website.

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