Handout #2

roles and responsibilities

Expert/Professional Role

Early Childhood Special Educator Ensures that environments and instructional strategies for young children with
special needs a) facilitate children’s development of social, motor, communication,
self-help, cognitive, and behavioral skills; and b) facilitate independence

School Psychologist Help children succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. They collaborate
with educators, parents, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and
supportive learning environments for all children that strengthen connections
between home and school. School psychologists are highly trained in both
psychology and education.

Speech and Language Pathologist Assesses and promotes children’s communication skills in the context of social
interactions with peers and family members in school and in the community. They
are experts at speech, language and communication development.

Occupational therapist Assesses a child’s developmental and functional performance in all facets of their
daily life and develops interventions to facilitate independence. They are experts
at sensory and motor development.

Physical therapist Provide services that help restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and
prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of children. They will help fit and
find special equipment for children such as wheel chairs, prone standers, walkers.

Social worker Assesses the family’s capacity to manage basic and nurturing needs and links
families to available resources. They also become involved in allegations of abuse
or neglect. They may also plan and implement family services such as parent
support groups, or counseling.

Parents and other family members Provide information about their child’s strengths and needs. They help assess
functional skills and develop the IFSP or IEP with the team. They implement
intervention strategies at home and in the community and provide critical
information about the effectiveness of interventions.

Head Start Center for Inclusion Funded by the Office of Head Start Department of Health and Human Services

This material was developed by the Head Start Center for Inclusion with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Head Start (Grant
No. 90YD0270). The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of
trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. You may reproduce this material for training and information purposes.