In the United States, children birth through age eight who receive early intervention or early childhood special education through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) (2004) are often served by transdisciplinary teams that include professionals representing multiple disciplines and families. Teams collaborate to develop Individual Family Service Plans (IFSPs) or Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) to provide the best possible services for the children and

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... lies with whom they work. In the past, professionals such as educators, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists were educated separately and then expected to collaborate with other professionals. At the University of Alabama at Birmingham, graduate students in early childhood special education, occupational therapy, and physical therapy are prepared to plan, collaborate, and experience role release using transdisciplinary procedures during their first semester experience together. During the second semester, students are placed in transdisciplinary teams in which they must work through complex cases involving young children who qualify for services under IDEA and who live in diverse families and experience services in complicated or challenging settings. This article defines transdisciplinary teaming, describes the process of how teams approach arduous cases, and discusses what happens when teams work through the cases with the goal of providing the best possible early intervention/education for children and families.