Definition of collaborative consultation

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Introduction

• Definition of collaborative consultation
• Collaborative consultation is a problem solving
  process that engages two or more interested
  persons with mutual respect for each other which
  results in a higher quality solution than if any
  one of the persons worked alone. Generally, the
  benefit is to a third person, such as a student.

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What is a consultant?

• The person who is trained in consultation and
  manages the process is referred as the consultant
• The person the consultant is collaborating with
  and has direct contact with the third party who
  is the subject of the consultation is referred to
  as the student(s). This individual or group
  will benefit from the collaborative efforts of
  the consultation.
• Aspects of collaboration
• 1. Joint responsibility for the welfare of
  children
• 2. Joint accountability for implementation of
  interventions and outcomes
• 3. Shared belief in pooling expertise and
  perspectives can be beneficial.

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Why engage in collaborative consultation?

• Consultation can be used to resolve problems or
  enhance professional or parental performance
• in meeting the needs of children.
• It is an appropriate skill for teachers, speech
  therapists, psychologists, counselors, and
  administrators.

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When is collaborative consultation appropriate?

• Consultation is appropriate for non-disabled
  children who need a little help, children who
  teachers are considering referral to special
  education, and children with disabilities who are
  receiving indirect services. The concept of
  indirect service was developed around the premise
  that consultation would be available to those
  teachers who most of the time can provide
  appropriate instruction to students with
  disabilities in the general education classroom.

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Consultation addresses a need

• According to Caplan Caplan (1993), teachers and
  parents experience difficulty due to four lacks
• They may lack-
• Knowledge,
• Skill,
• Objectivity, or
• Confidence
• Consultation can be used to address any of these
  factors.

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Lack of knowledge or skill

• New teachers may have the knowledge from courses
  and internships but really there is much more to
  teaching. As a new graduate, teachers are at the
  acquisition stage of learning. It will take time
  to develop some proficiency. Some of art of
  teaching is learned on the job and this requires
  time to acquire confidence in the skills.
  Professional efficacy or confidence is strongly
  related to the quality of a teachers
  professional preparation and a general healthy
  self-esteem.

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Lack of objectivity or confidence

• Lack of objectivity is possible when a teacher
  sees something in a child that triggers or
  creates an interference with the teacher viewing
  the problem as it is presented. This lack of
  objectivity due to perhaps past experiences and
  resulting emotionality is called theme
  interference. This can be a source of resistance
  in the consultation relationship.
•  
• Consultants may also suffer from these lacks
  and should be introspective in their approach to
  the consultation relationships they develop.

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Consultation involves both process

•  
• Process is the interactions between individuals
  engaged in the process and the stages or steps
  followed as the individuals as they proceed
  through the problem solving process.

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. and content expertise.

• Content expertise is the sum total of the
  training and information available to the
  consultation team through the involvement of
  knowledgeable individuals. As a special education
  consultant one should have a solid working
  knowledge of learning strategies, instructional
  programs, and behavior change interventions.
  While no one can know how to recognize all sorts
  of problems and have the expertise to intervene,
  a good consultant will know where to find
  information.

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Purpose of this training program

• This instructional module will provide the
  training necessary to engage in the practice of
  consultation in your school. Your course work, if
  taken seriously, will provide the content
  expertise so you will have something to offer
  those who seek your consultation. As you engage
  in short-term and on-the-spot consultations you
  will become more experienced and confident.

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The nature of consultation

• Consultation is a voluntary, non-supervisory
  relationship. The consultant is not in a position
  to exert boss pressure on you to engage in the
  problem solving process. Good collaborative
  consultation occurs when the persons engage in
  consultation respect each other. Therefore, as a
  consultant you should be the kind of person
  other professionals and parents respect.

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There are benefits to engaging in consultation.

• 1. Special education teachers and Speech Language
  Pathologists become part of the school, and feel
  they are part of a school team
•  
• 2. Problems that are systemic in nature, that is
  present in more than one classroom in the school,
  can be addressed through consultation with school
  administrator / teacher teams.
•  

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More benefits of consultation

• 3. Consultation is a process of training. You
  should consider yourself an instructor. By
  working with a teacher or parent in recommending
  an intervention strategy you are training that
  person to recognize this problem in other
  students and apply the intervention you taught.
  
• 4. Greater understanding of special education can
  result.
•  
• 5. If indirect services is used a SE program, the
  child can benefit both academically and socially,
  while you as a provider of services can optimally
  use your time.

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The consultation process

• While the consultation process has been described
  many times and lists several steps the following
  is based on information contained in Meese
  (1994).
•  

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1. Establish a relationship

• Build a relationship with the teachers in your
  school unit.
• Each consultation builds your reputation and your
  reputation is very valuable.
• Engage in inviting non-verbal behaviors.
• Reassure confidentiality and affirm honesty.
• Be a frequent visitor to the classrooms.
• Stop in to visit classrooms for a few minutes
  to just say hello to the teacher, so the
  students see you.

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2. Gather information

• A questioning strategy can be used to gather
  information.
• Initially, ask open-ended questions.
• Ask for clarification of terms and separate
  teacher attitudes from teacher behaviors.
• Narrow the concerns to manageable units
• Ask clarification questions.
• Paraphrase to ensure / reassure that you are
  getting the message.

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3. Identify and clarify the problem

• Use objective data collection
• Rating scales with peer comparisons
• Use direct observation of the child
• Visitations when building a relationship
  decreases observer reactivity
• Employ a Functional Assessment of Behavior
  model.
• Interpret the data together.
• Come to a mutual understanding of what the
  behavior or learning problem.

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4. Develop a statement of the target behavior

• Write a goal and supporting objectives if needed.
• You may need to write an objective hierarchy,
  shaping then apply a schedule of positive
  contingent reinforcers.
• Consider the setting events and aspects of
  different theoretical explanations of the childs
  behavior.

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5. Generate intervention possibilities

• Using brainstorming or data from a FAB generate
  a list of interventions.
• Sort interventions according to feasibility of
  implementation, considering resources and
  disruptions of classroom routine.
• Match the intervention with the hypothesized
  purpose of the behavior.

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6. Implement the intervention(s)

• After a suitable intervention is selected, make
  certain that each participant in the consultation
  process has a clear understanding of their role
  and responsibilities.
• Ongoing data collection should be planned to
  enable monitoring of the effectiveness of the
  plan.

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7. Evaluate the intervention(s)

• Interpreting the data that has been collected on
  a regular basis will help determine if the
  intervention is producing the desired effect.
• In some cases, behavior interventions like
  extinction (planned ignoring of ignorable
  behaviors) may lead to an increase in the
  behavior in its early stages of implementation.
  
• After a period of time without positive change,
  another intervention might be tried.

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8. Withdraw from the consultation relationship

• After an evaluation of the effect of the
  consultation intervention reveals positive
  results or the need to implement another strategy
  beyond the scope of a consultation, the
  consultant withdraws from the relationship.
• Both participants should feel that this has been
  a positive experience, regardless of the outcome,
  and the door is left open to initiate another
  consultation if another problem presents itself.
• Collaborative consultation should not be a
  long-term helping relationship.

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Recording a consultation

• It is helpful for the consultant to maintain a
  record of the consultation a documentation of
  provision of indirect services or as a pre
  referral intervention.
• You should go to the section on documenting your
  consultation for Consultation Record Forms.

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Factors related to quality consultation

• Factors, which facilitate successful
  collaborative consultation or
• if absent can interfere with consultation
• A. Positive human relations skills
• 1. A helping attitude which is based on
• Being sincere and respectful,
• Ethical dont create dependency dont use
  your power,
• Maintain confidentiality of information
  shared or acquired,
• Empathy,
• Honesty, and
• Congruency between thoughts, feelings and
  actions.

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Factors related to quality consultation

• 2. Professional objectivity
• It is essential to maintain some distance
  from the problem requiring the consultation. As
  a consultant one of your roles is to be a source
  of objectivity.

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Factors related to quality consultation

• 3. Communication skills are essential tools of
  the consultant. Here is a list of a few
  considerations, see the training module on
  communication skills and Gordons 12 roadblocks
  to active listening in that module. Verbal
• Active listening Questioning
• Word choice
• Voice tone
• Non-verbal
• Availability
• Posture body language
• Eye contact

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Factors related to quality consultation

• B. An extensive knowledge base of
• Curriculum and instruction
• Behavioral analysis and intervention
• Prevention or behavioral problems
• Academic Interventions
• Assessment of learning and behavior
• Data collection
• Observation skills
• Developmental and learning theory
• Dealing with resistance to the consultation
  process

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Factors related to quality consultation

• C. Administrative support
• Establishment of a process to request
  consultation
• D. Training in the consultation process by all
  teachers
• E. Professional parity and equal responsibility
  
• avoid the expert posture
• F. Assignment of a case manager
• Someone taking initiative to manage information
  exchange
• schedule meetings
• coordinate assessments
• delegate responsibilities