Who are all these people?

A few years ago, I was working with a child who quite firmly insisted on calling me a name that was not my own. His dad attempted to correct him but then faltered on my name as well, saying “Honestly, there are so many of you, it’s just hard for us to keep you all straight.” Like many, this little boy had many different therapists in his life. It can be difficult to remember all of their names, let alone their specific roles in your child’s life. Here is a quick breakdown who all of these people are.

Outside of School People: These people either come to your house or you go to their clinic. Your insurance likely covers their services.

Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)

This person is a specialist in addressing challenging behavior. They are the person who conducts the initial assessment and writes a behavior plan and treatment goals for your child. They also might meet with parents to teach different strategies. This is also the person in charge of training the Behavior Technicians and, although you might not see them as frequently as you see the Behavior Technicians, they look at every session note and make treatment modifications for your child accordingly.

Behavior technician or Registered Behavior Technician

This person, or likely several people, works under the BCBA. They work with your child on a regular basis, following the plan written by the BCBA and taking data on your child’s progress. Often a child will see two or more different behavior technicians.

Psychologist

A psychologist will do the initial evaluation with your child to determine if your child has autism or a developmental disability. They might also meet with your child for weekly therapy sessions if your child is struggling with depression, anxiety, or anger management.

Occupational Therapist (OT)

This specialist helps with physical tasks of daily living. They may help your child with fine motor skills (holding a pencil, using utensils), activities of daily living (dressing, balancing), or using assistive and adaptive technologies.

Physical Therapist (PT)

This specialist helps with gross motor skills, including ambulatory goals such as getting around or participating in gross motor play activities.

Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)

This specialist is in charge of any specialized services related to speech and language. They might work on speech sounds or help implement an Augmentative or Alternative Communication system (AAC), such as picture cards, an electronic device, or sign language.

School People: These are people your child receives therapy from at school. The amount of therapy that your child receives from each of these people is determined by their need (based off of the assessments that the school will complete) and discussions at the IEP meeting.

Special Education Teacher

These teachers have received formal training in special education. Their classes tend to be smaller and may have several aides or paraprofessionals so that they can provide more individualized or small-group instruction.

Inclusion or General Education Teacher

This could be one or more people, depending on your child’s age and level of inclusion. Older students may have different teachers for different subjects. They may or may not have formal training in special education, but they should definitely have been trained in the IEP requirements for your child.

Paraprofessional

This person is there to support your child during school. Sometimes they will be there just for your child and sometimes they help out whole classrooms.

School Psychologist

This person is in charge of your child’s assessments at school, and will likely attend the IEP meeting to go over assessment results.

School Specialists

Most of the specialists discussed above (BCBA, SLP, OT, and PT) also exist in the school setting. They might pull your child out of class or support them during class.