At state discretion, are at-risk medically or environmentally for substantial developmental delays if early intervention is not provided. Case management services must be provided for every eligible child and his or her parents. Because eligibility definitions are so broad, service providers need a comprehensive knowledge base and a diversity of skills to serve these children. Staff providing services to any one family may represent multiple disciplines, and collaboration among professionals from different agencies is often necessary. The growing acceptance and implementation of the team approach are not solely the results of federal mandates.
All teams also involve the family in varying ways and degrees.
Team members share common tasks including the assessment of a child's developmental status and the development and implementation of a program plan to meet the assessed needs of the child within the context of the family. What may best distinguish early intervention teams from one another is neither composition nor task, but rather the structure for interaction among team members. Although multidisciplinary team members may work together and share the same space and tools, they usually function quite separately. This can lead to fragmented services for children and confusing or conflicting reports to parents. Another concern about the multidisciplinary model is the lack of communication between team members that places the burden of coordination and case management on the family.