Trans-Disciplinary Approach
The complex needs of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) usually requires the expertise and knowledge of different professionals. Unfortunately, the reality of providing services across multiple disciplines sometimes means that the child receives fragmented services. This fragmented service may not translate into functional outcomes for children with ASD since goal attainment may not be generalised across people, materials and settings.
At Jigsaw Autism Services our core business is Autism Spectrum Disorders – that is our specialty. We provide quality evidence based best practice assessments and early intervention. Services are accessed through a qualified Autism Teacher/Practitioner, Occupational Therapist, and Psychologist, all trained across different disciplines and highly skilled.
Jigsaw Autism Services is a trans-disciplinary approach towards autism treatment.
The trans-disciplinary approach is a framework for allowing members of an educational team to contribute knowledge and skills, collaborate with other members, and collectively determine the therapy that most would benefit a child. This approach integrates a child’s developmental needs across the major developmental domains and involves a greater degree of collaboration than other service delivery models.
A trans-disciplinary approach requires the team members to share roles and systematically cross discipline boundaries. The primary purpose of this approach is to pool and integrate the expertise of team members so that more efficient and comprehensive assessment and intervention services may be provided.
The communication style in this type of team involves continuous give-and-take between all members (especially with the parents) on a regular, planned basis. Professionals from different disciplines teach, learn, and work together to accomplish a common set of intervention goals for a child and family. The role differentiation between disciplines is defined by the needs of the situation rather than by discipline-specific characteristics.
Assessment, intervention, and evaluation are carried out jointly by designated members of the team.
This teamwork usually results in a decrease in the number of professionals who interact with the child on a daily basis.