In this section you will find information about medical professionals and other professionals also trained at a graduate post-secondary level in health and mental health, working with children and families. These professionals may work in hospital settings, as well as in clinics or medical office centres. Some of them may provide home visitation or may be affiliated with child development centres or agencies.
In this section you will find information about professionals trained in different aspects of child development, education and social services, who work with children and families. These professionals have received specialized training at a post-secondary level. They may work out of community agencies, with the local or provincial government, or with larger teams in hospitals or health centres. Many of them provide home visits when working with parents and other professionals.
Aboriginal supported child development consultants (ASCD) provide child development and special education services to Aboriginal families all across the province of British Columbia. They do so in a way that is respectful of Aboriginal culture and tradition. The services are provided in different geographic communities.
Most children served by an ASCD consultant are between the ages of birth and 12 years. Sometimes, children who are between the ages of 13 and 19 may also be serviced by the Aboriginal supported child development program as well.
The ASCD consultant helps the families of children with special needs to adjust to their child’s condition. They offer information and support, and sometimes referrals to more specialized services. The ASCD consultant also works with preschool/school personnel, and offers advice related to accommodating a child with special needs into a regular classroom. Sometimes, they also coordinate services between different professionals (for example, physiotherapist s and occupational therapists) who may be working with a particular child.
The ASCD consultant offers support and information to both the child’s family and teachers. They provide information about the child’s overall development (cognitive, social/emotional, adaptive, language and communication and motor) while respecting and preserving Aboriginal culture and values, both on and off reserves, in British Columbia.
For more information about ASCD, please visit the following website on ASCD.
Behavior consultants work closely with behavior interventionists. They work with children who have serious behavioral difficulties. This includes children with autism and children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Behavior consultants work very closely with a child’s family to help a child improve his or her behavior. They also work with school staff to make sure that a child can function well in a regular classroom.
If you are a parent who wants to hire a behavior consultant, it is highly recommended that you hire one who is board certified. Board Certified Behavior Consultants (BCBA) have a graduate degree and supervised hands-on training in behavior intervention. They usually observe the child, then come up with a plan of action to help minimize a child’s disruptive behavior and maximize the child’s positive behaviors. They will train both parents and behavior interventionists on how to put the plan of action in place. They will also make changes to the plan as needed.
Behavior interventionists usually work directly with a child to help this child minimize disruptive behaviors and maximize positive and socially-appropriate behaviors. Working with the behavior consultant, BIs look at the child’s skills and needs, design a behavior plan directly with the child, train parents to work with the child, and collaborate with school personnel. This helps the child function well both at home and in school (Fig. 1). BIs will work specific behaviors and will also help children develop certain cognitive, social/emotional, language and adaptive skills.
For more information about Behavior intervention in British Columbia, please visit the following B.C. government website.
Clinical psychologists have a graduate degree in professional psychology. Although most clinical psychologists have a Ph.D., some have a Master’s Degree. All clinical psychologists undergo supervised training after they graduate before they start to practice clinical psychology on their own. They have to register as psychologists and they may need to be licensed as well.
For children who are between the ages of six and twelve years, clinical psychologists do two things:
For more information about clinical psychology in British Columbia and Canada, please visit this website.
Counseling psychologists have a graduate degree in professional psychology. This allows them to “counsel” or offer advice to others. Most counseling psychologists help individuals who do not suffer from a mental illness, but who are going through a rough time for a wide variety of reasons. Such reasons include dealing with grief, struggling with grades, or having a hard time moving from one location to another. Counseling psychologists also help teenagers and adults with career choices.
Unlike clinical psychologists whose therapy sessions can last for years, counseling psychologists usually offer therapy sessions for a shorter amount of time. This is because they are usually not treating an individual but a situation the individual may be going through. For example, a clinical psychologist may help someone deal with an anxiety disorder. This could take years, and the individual may never be “cured”. For example, a counseling psychologist usually helps a child whose parents are going through a divorce. The child will learn and understand that the divorce is not his or her fault. He or she will also learn how to cope with all the new changes in his or her life. Once that goal is achieved, the therapy ends.
For more information about counseling psychologists in British Columbia, please visit the following website.
A deafblind consultant works with children and grown-ups who are both deaf and blind. The consultant usually also works very closely with the family of a child who is deafblind. He or she will help the family understand their child’s condition, and what having this condition means for everyday life. The consultant will help the family learn about methods for dealing with everyday life that have been developed specifically for the deafblind. The consultant will teach the child and his or family how to use these methods. Specifically, he or she can help the child and his or her family with:
The deafblind specialist can also go to Individualized Education Plan IEP (see full Glossary) meetings at the child’s school, if asked by the child’s family. He or she will also help the deafblind child’s teachers make the classroom accessible. Specifically, he or she can help the child and the teachers with:
The deaf and hard of hearing consultant works with children who are either deaf or hard of hearing. He or she usually also works closely with the family of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. The consultant will explain to the family what their child’s hearing and educational options are, depending on the child’s level of hearing loss The consultant can help the child and his or her family with:
The consultant may go to Individual Education Plan IEP (see full Glossary) meetings with the family. He or she acts as an advocate for the family. He or she will also meet with the child’s teachers and help them make the classroom accessible to the child who is either deaf or hard of hearing. He or she can specifically help with:
The AVT is a trained specialist who works with children who are either deaf or hard of hearing. He or she will help a child with hearing loss learn how to communicate with others and how to understand what others are trying to tell them. The AVT will teach a child how to do this by:
The goal of the AVT is to help the child participate in everyday activities. This will allow the child to be included in all or most aspects of daily life. It also allows the child to be as independent as possible.
AVTs work directly with children, but they also work very closely with the child’s parents. Parents are usually the main teachers of language and communication skills in their children. With the help of AVTs, parents learn:
AVTs may also work with teachers to make sure the child who is deaf or hard of hearing can be included in the regular classroom as much as possible.
For more information about auditory-verbal therapy, please visit this website.
Dieticians are food and nutrition experts. They understand the different food groups and what children need to grow into healthy adults. Some children with special needs do not eat well. For example, some children with autism only eat specific types of foods. Other children with special needs may be over-weight or even obese because getting enough exercise is difficult. Having a dietician monitor a child’s diet and make suggestions on how to improve this diet is highly recommended. Specifically, dieticians can help parents with:
To learn about the difference between a dietician and a nutritionist, please visit module 3 of the birth to six part of this course (Fig. 1).
In British Columbia the Dial-a-Dietitian service provides families and service providers with information about choices in healthy eating. This service also gives parents and service providers a place to find out where to go for counseling regarding food and nutrition issues.
The EA/SEA helps the regular classroom teacher work with a child with special needs in the classroom. The EA/SEA is usually assigned to an individual child, and can be in the classroom with the child either full time or part time. How much the EA/SEA is present in the classroom depends on the needs of the child and the child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) (see full Glossary). The EA/SEA may:
It is very important to note that the EA/SEA’s job is not to do things for the child, but to help the child when he or she needs it. It is also important to note that it is not the EA/SEA’s job to plan intervention goals for the child. This is the job of the regular and special education teachers. The EA/SEA’s job is to help the regular and special education teachers put plans into action.
EA/SEAs are also known as Student Support Workers (SSW). To learn more about EA/SEAs, please visit this website.