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Abstract

Services to children are often provided through a transdisciplinary model, particularly when students are receiving special education services and supports. Given the individual and diverse needs of these children, professionals often work collaboratively in evaluating students, interpreting results, and making recommendations for appropriate services. Professionals are expected to have prior knowledge regarding the expertise of their trans-disciplinary peers. However, they may have never been presented with this opportunity during their preparation in higher education. Therefore, a project was designed to address this deficiency at two very different locations: a university campus-based child care center, and a residential facility supporting homeless women and young children experiencing poverty. Participants were 109 undergraduate psychology students in an advanced developmental psychology class, 93 exceptional education graduate students, and 24 undergraduate speech/language pathology students. In groups consisting of students from each discipline, students completed developmental screenings on 2-3 children ranging from 1 month to 5 years of age. Results of a pre-posttest evaluation indicated that students were significantly more comfortable working in transdisciplinary collaborative groups and more interested in working in transdisciplinary groups in a future professional capacity after completing this servicelearning project.