Child Communication Research and Practice: Collaborative Roles for Behavior Analysts and Speech-Language Pathologists

Abstract

Young children's social communication is key to their development and well-being. Naturalistic interventions can promote social communication in young children. Anyone concerned about children's social communication—families, professionals, planning teams, referral sources, funders, and policymakers—should understand the complementary roles of behavior analysts (BCBAs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs), who both utilize naturalistic interventions. Resistance to collaboration may be rooted in broader conversations about differing theories of language development. BCBAs and SLPs likely have similar overarching goals and expectations, but collaboration has been unfortunately rare, due to field-specific training and recommendations. BCBAs and SLPs who adopt a unified theory of practice will place children, families, and educators at the center of all decisions. An interdisciplinary model rooted in research about naturalistic interventions, collaboration, and equitable practices that incorporates feedback from providers and researchers in each field, could address challenges. This model highlights (a) understanding key tenets from each respective field, (b) developing interdisciplinary teams, (c) measuring and evaluating collaborative planning, and (d) promoting mutual respect and equity. Children benefit when professionals collaborate.

What Is Working for Practitioners: A Mixed Method Analysis Using the Collaborative Practice Assessment Tool

“…One such framework for collaboration that focuses on the primary respondents in this study (i.e., BAs and SLPs) was put forth recently by Lane and Brown (2023). Lane and Brown identified key areas of overlap between SLPs and BAs (e.g., teaching early communication skills, supporting social interactions, understanding child interests to promote understanding), and highlighted the different ranges and scope of competence each practitioner brings to the table.…”

Field Experiences in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE): Preparing Teachers for Success in Diverse Early Education Settings

“…al., 2019). Differences between disciplines extend into professional practice, as the teaching procedures, structure, data collection, and formality or specificity of interventions differ, all of which can impact collaboration (Lane & Brown, 2023). Professionals from each discipline may perceive the needs of young children through different perspectives and may lack understanding of each other's roles, which is only compounded by limited systemic support and time for interdisciplinary collaboration in the workplace.…”