The ideas and information should be useful, however, in other service delivery models. While this statement may appear trivial, it is not. A transdisciplinary team is necessary. The team becomes especially critical in the design and implementation of the student's educational program, particularly when one considers the range of challenges in the learner with multiple disabilities. Implicit in the transdisciplinary approach is the belief that program planning is collaborative.
Families are vital.
Families have an obvious keen interest in the welfare of their family member with a disability, and they should be given every opportunity to be actively involved in decisions about what and how to teach the child. Moreover, families typically know the child better than anyone else and are a rich source of ideas that should be tapped. This is especially important given the large percentage of children who have not been taught a reliable means of communicating. The belief that instruction should focus on attaining important outcomes for the learner and that teaching strategies should be effective, inclusive, and humane The process proposed in this chapter incorporates these elements. Figure 10.1 presents a flowchart of the process.