Interdisciplinary Practice in ABA: Collaborating With SLPs, OTs, Schools, and Physicians (Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them)

If you’re a BCBA trying to coordinate with a speech-language pathologist, an occupational therapist, a teacher, or a physician, you already know that collaboration sounds easier than it is. Meetings get canceled. Emails go unanswered. Goals compete. The learner ends up confused by different prompts, different rules, and too many targets at once.

This guide is for practicing BCBAs, clinical supervisors, and clinic leaders who want practical ways to work with other professionals. You’ll find clear definitions, scope boundaries, communication scripts, meeting templates, and a breakdown of common mistakes.

The goal is simple: help you collaborate without stepping outside your role, without creating turf wars, and without losing sight of the learner’s dignity and experience.

Start Here: What “Interdisciplinary” Means in ABA

Interdisciplinary care means different professionals work together on one client plan. Each person stays in their scope, shares useful data, and agrees on priorities. The term “interprofessional” means the same thing. Both describe a team approach where no single discipline runs the show.

Why does this matter? When professionals coordinate, the learner gets fewer mixed messages. Caregivers don’t have to translate between providers. Everyone pulls in the same direction—which usually means faster progress and less frustration for the family.

Common team members include the family or caregivers, the BCBA, RBTs, the SLP, the OT, teachers, school-based staff, and physicians. In some cases, you’ll also work with psychologists, physical therapists, or case managers.

Quick Glossary

Scope of practice is what your credential allows you to do. Competence is what you’re trained to do well. Assent is the learner’s “yes” or “no” through words or behavior. IEP is a school plan for services and goals.

Understanding assent and scope of practice is foundational for interdisciplinary work. If you want a deeper look at what assent means in day-to-day ABA, we cover that in a separate guide. The same goes for scope of practice and staying in your lane.

Ready to get started? Save this guide and use the checklists in each section. They’re designed for real meetings, not just reading.

Ethics Before Efficiency: Dignity, Assent, and “One Plan” Thinking

Collaboration is not about control. It’s about shared support for the learner. Before you think about meeting agendas or workflow tools, anchor your collaboration in learner dignity and shared decision-making.

When professionals have separate goals that don’t talk to each other, the learner pays the price. Confusing demands pile up. Too many targets compete for the same time. Adults prompt in different ways. The learner may end up in constant work mode with little choice time. This is not good care.

Assent-based practice helps you bring the learner’s communication into team decisions. In behavior analysis, assent means the client’s voluntary agreement to participate, even when they can’t legally consent because of age or other factors. Assent is ongoing, not a one-time event. You keep checking for willingness during sessions.

Assent can be verbal—saying “yes,” “ok,” “more,” or “let’s do it.” It can also be nonverbal—approaching, engaging with materials, leaning in, or showing relaxed affect.

Assent withdrawal looks like turning away, crying, pushing materials away, saying “no,” leaving, or shutting down. If a learner withdraws assent, the team should pause and adapt, not push for compliance.

This matters across disciplines. If the OT plan requires tolerating sensory input, the SLP plan requires AAC use, the school plan requires task demands, or the physician is worried about distress—everyone needs to pay attention to what the learner is communicating.

A Quick Dignity Check

Before you add a new goal, ask yourself:

• Is this goal meaningful to the learner and family?
• Is the learner showing assent or clear distress?
• Will this increase independence or access to preferred activities?
• Are we adding demands faster than we add support?

Copy this dignity check into your next team note as your “goal screen.” It only takes a minute and keeps everyone honest about why you’re adding work to the learner’s day.

Role Clarity and Boundaries: What a BCBA Should (and Should Not) Do

Scope drift is one of the fastest ways to damage trust on a team. When a BCBA starts acting like the lead on every goal—or when anyone steps outside their training—the collaboration breaks down.

The BCBA role includes behavior assessment, function-based support, skill-building, and caregiver or team training within your scope. You can share observational data and behavior assessment results with diagnosticians. You can identify “red flags” and refer families to qualified providers. You can build a treatment plan after a diagnosis is made by the appropriate professional.

What you should not do:

• Diagnose medical or psychological disorders (BCBAs are not licensed diagnosticians—this is limited to licensed medical or mental health providers)
• Prescribe medical treatment
• Provide speech or OT services
• Direct other licensed providers

Competence matters too. If you’re not trained in something, you need training, consultation, or referral. Saying “I don’t know, but I can find out” is a sign of professionalism, not weakness.

Boundary Scripts

Here are scripts you can use when you need to stay in scope without sounding defensive:

• “I can share behavior data and what we see during sessions. For speech goals, I want to defer to the SLP’s plan and align our support.”
• “I’m not trained to make that medical call. Let’s ask the prescribing provider and document the plan.”
• “I can help the team turn this goal into teachable steps and a practice plan.”

Do and Don’t Checklist

• Do ask what goals matter most to the family and learner
• Do share data in plain language
• Do coordinate teaching steps and practice times
• Don’t rewrite another provider’s plan without talking to them
• Don’t promise outcomes you can’t control
• Don’t assume you’re the “lead” unless the team agreed to it

Need help wording a scope boundary email? Use the email template in the meeting playbook section.

Professional Relationships: Communication Basics

Most team breakdowns aren’t about workflow tools. They’re about relationships. Before you roll out any system, focus on simple relationship skills.

Assume good intent, but name concerns clearly. If something isn’t working, say so.

Use plain language and avoid discipline jargon. When you say “NCR” or “escape-maintained,” you lose half the room. Instead, say “noncontingent reinforcement means giving access to preferred items on a schedule, not after behavior” or “escape-maintained means the task demand is likely triggering it.”

Share observations, not judgments. Describe what happened, when, how often, and what helped. Make requests specific: who does what, by when, and how you’ll check progress.

A Simple Communication Frame

When you need to bring up a concern or propose a plan, try this three-step frame:

1. Say what you see (just the facts): “During transitions, we see crying and dropping.”
2. Say why it matters: “It makes it hard to access class and preferred activities.”
3. Say what you propose: “Let’s try one shared transition routine across settings.”

When You Disagree: A Calm Repair Script

“I hear your goal. I’m worried about how it lands for the learner. Can we look at the data together and pick the least intrusive option?”

This keeps the door open without attacking anyone’s expertise.

Pick one script from this section and use it in your next team message.

Documentation and Information Sharing: Consent, Privacy, and “Minimum Necessary”

Sharing information across providers is essential for collaboration, but it comes with real responsibilities. Before you send anything, get consent and document it.

A Release of Information (ROI) is a signed form that permits sharing Protected Health Information (PHI) with other providers, schools, or third parties.

A good ROI should include:

• The exact recipient name and organization
• Exactly what records you will share (FBA, treatment plan, progress notes, data summaries)
• The purpose (care coordination, school planning)
• An expiration date
• The parent or guardian signature
• A statement of revocation rights

“Minimum necessary” is a HIPAA concept. It means you make reasonable efforts to share only the smallest amount of PHI needed to do the job.

For example:

• BCBAs and clinicians may need detailed behavior data and relevant medical history
• Billing staff usually only need dates of service, diagnosis codes, and insurance details
• Front desk and admin typically only need contact info and scheduling info

Role-based access control is a best practice. Match access to job duties. When emailing a school or teacher, don’t include diagnosis or payer info unless truly needed.

There are exceptions. The minimum necessary standard doesn’t apply to disclosures for treatment between providers, individual access to their own record, disclosures authorized by a valid signed authorization, disclosures required by law, or HHS oversight investigations. Confirm requirements with your compliance lead or legal counsel.

What to Share in Team Updates

Share target behavior definitions, setting events, what helps, and simple graphs or trend notes.

Avoid long session notes, unrelated private details, and opinions about other providers.

When unsure, ask what format the team prefers and what they need.

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Consent and Release Plan Checklist

• Who can talk to whom (names and roles)?
• What can be shared (data types)?
• How (email, phone, meeting) and how often?
• Start and end dates, and how to revoke

Create a one-page “info sharing plan” for each learner with outside providers.

Shared Goal-Setting: How to Avoid Competing Targets

One of the biggest pain points in interdisciplinary work is competing goals. The SLP wants to build vocabulary. The OT wants to improve self-care skills. The teacher wants the learner to sit through circle time. The BCBA wants to reduce problem behavior. The family just wants bedtime to be less stressful.

Start with shared priorities. Safety, communication, participation, independence, and health routines are common anchors.

Map each discipline’s goal to the same daily routine—mealtime, bathroom, classroom, play, or community outings. Agree on one “top goal” per routine and a small number of teaching targets at a time.

Define success together. What does progress look like? How will you measure it? When will you review? If everyone has a different answer, you don’t have a shared plan yet.

Shared-Goal Worksheet

Use this framework in meetings:

• Routine being targeted
• Learner’s goal in plain words
• Family priority
• SLP focus
• OT focus
• ABA focus
• One shared plan step
• How you’ll know it’s working
• Review date

Red Flags for “Too Many Goals”

• The learner is always “working” with little choice time
• Different adults prompt in different ways
• The learner avoids the routine more over time
• Team meetings focus on blame instead of problem-solving

Use the shared-goal worksheet in your next meeting. Bring a blank copy for the whole team.

Collaboration With SLPs: Supporting Communication Without Overstepping

Speech-language pathologists and BCBAs often work on overlapping skills, especially functional communication. The goal is the same: communication that works across real-life settings. The challenge is staying in your lane while still supporting the learner.

Ask the SLP what system is being used, what prompts are okay, and what to do when the learner refuses.

Align teaching so you use the same vocabulary, the same response opportunities, and the same reinforcement plan (as agreed).

Support generalization by practicing communication during routines, not only at the table.

Questions to Ask the SLP

• What are the top three communication goals right now?
• What counts as a correct response?
• What prompts should we use, and what should we avoid?
• How do we respond to problem behavior during communication demands?
• What should we do if the learner rejects the device, cards, or signs?

Common ABA–SLP Friction Points

Mistake: Acting like “ABA runs the program.” Better move: “Let’s agree on shared goals and shared prompting rules.”

Mistake: Pushing words over function. Better move: Prioritize communication that meets needs fast.

Mistake: Ignoring sensory or motor demands. Better move: Ask OT or SLP what makes responding easier.

Draft a one-paragraph “communication support plan” and ask the SLP to edit it. This builds trust and ensures alignment.

Collaboration With OTs: Coordinating Skills, Sensory Needs, and Routines

Occupational therapists assess sensory patterns and design supports to improve daily functioning and participation. BCBAs run functional behavior assessments to understand behavior function and build skill-based, reinforcement-based plans. Both disciplines care about routines like dressing, feeding, handwriting, transitions, and tolerating hygiene routines.

Ask what helps the learner participate. This might include positioning, schedule adjustments, breaks, tools, or environment changes.

Avoid “either/or” thinking. The question isn’t “Is this behavior or sensory?” The question is “What changes the routine successfully?”

Coordination Checklist

• What triggers overload in this routine?
• What supports help (movement, quiet, timing, seating, reduced demands)?
• What replacement skills can we teach that are respectful and effective?
• What is our shared plan when the learner says “no”?

Strong collaboration moves include:

• Pairing assessments (OT identifies sensory needs, BCBA identifies when sensory needs relate to behavior patterns)
• Building the sensory plan into routines (if OT recommends sensory breaks, ABA can schedule and reinforce their use consistently)
• Teaching alternatives (if a learner mouths items, OT might recommend a safer substitute, ABA can teach and reinforce using it)
• Changing the environment (OT suggests seating or quiet spaces, ABA supports consistent implementation and measures impact)
• Using shared measurement (define behaviors in observable ways so both disciplines can adjust)

Make accommodations visible in the behavior plan so staff can follow them.

Pick one tough routine and build one shared routine plan with OT.

Working in Interdisciplinary Clinic Programs

If you work in a clinic where multiple therapies happen under one roof, coordination is about daily handoffs, schedules, and shared plans.

Clarify the team model. Who is the primary contact for the family? How do updates happen?

Build a shared routine schedule so therapies don’t compete for the same moments. Use one shared set of “core rules” for prompting, reinforcement, and crisis or safety steps. Plan training so technicians and therapy staff learn the shared approach.

Simple Weekly Coordination Rhythm

• Five-minute daily huddle for high-needs cases only
• Weekly thirty-minute team sync to review shared goals and barriers
• Monthly family review to discuss progress and priorities

Handoff Note Template

Start with severity: Is there a safety risk today? If yes, what is it?

Then summarize: What are the main goals being worked on? What happened today? What triggers should the next person watch for? What worked well?

List action items: What task must the next staff member do? Who owns it? Is it due today?

Add situational awareness: If a certain problem happens, what should the next person do? If the learner withdraws assent, what is the plan?

Finally, the receiver restates the plan and asks questions. This close-the-loop step reduces errors.

Try a one-week pilot: short handoff notes plus one weekly sync.

School Collaboration Basics: IEP Team Coordination That Works

Working in schools means working inside a system with its own rules and constraints. The IEP team is the formal structure for planning services and goals.

School norms often differ from clinic norms. Staff ratios, schedules, and physical spaces are different. What works in clinic may not be feasible in a classroom.

Focus on classroom feasibility. What can staff do consistently? Align goals to school routines like arrival, circle time, transitions, lunch, and specials. Share support plans in teacher-friendly language with clear “if/then” steps.

What to Bring to an IEP or School Meeting

Bring a one-page learner summary:

• Student overview (name, grade, eligibility or disability code as used by the school)
• Present levels (a short PLAAFP-style summary)
• Key data or graphs (simple and readable)
• Current goal progress snapshot
• Proposed SMART goals (behavior and replacement skills)
• Helpful accommodations or supports (reinforcement plan, breaks, visuals, transition supports)
• Parent or caregiver concerns and priorities

Keep your asks to one or two priority recommendations, not a full overhaul. Ask about school constraints like staffing, schedule, and safety plans.

School-Friendly Plan Format

• Goal in plain words
• When to practice
• Adult steps as a short numbered list
• What to do if behavior escalates
• How to track quickly

Before your next school call, write your top two asks on one sticky note. Less is more.

Team Meeting Playbook: Before, During, and After

Meetings are where collaboration either works or falls apart. A little structure goes a long way.

Before: Set the purpose, invite the right people, send an agenda, and ask for priorities.

During: Start with shared wins or values, confirm roles, review one routine at a time, and decide next steps.

After: Send a short recap with tasks, owner, due date, and review date. Keep meetings learner-centered. Include learner voice when possible.

Meeting Agenda Template

• Purpose of the meeting (one sentence)
• Top family and learner priorities (5 minutes)
• What is working (5 minutes)
• One problem routine (15 minutes)
• Shared plan and who does what (10 minutes)
• Review date and how you’ll measure progress (2 minutes)

Follow-Up Email Template

Thank everyone and add a one-sentence summary. List decisions made as bullets. List action items with owner and due date. Confirm the next check-in date.

Use the agenda template for your next interdisciplinary meeting. Send it 48 hours ahead.

Common Mistakes (and What to Do Instead)

This section is the heart of the guide. Most collaboration guides tell you what to do. This one also tells you what not to do—and how to recover.

Mistakes That Create Turf Wars

Mistake: Using an “ABA is in charge” tone or assuming you’re the lead without team agreement. Better move: Ask, “How should we structure this team?” and defer to shared decision-making.

Mistake: Pushing back on other disciplines with “that’s not evidence-based.” Better move: Ask questions, seek shared goals, and keep an evidence-informed stance without attacking.

Mistakes That Create Confusion for the Learner

Mistake: Competing prompts and different rules across settings. Better move: One shared teaching plan and one set of prompting rules.

Mistake: Too many goals. Better move: Pick fewer high-impact goals the team can do well.

Mistakes That Increase Risk

Mistake: Sharing info without clear consent. Better move: Get consent first, document it, and share minimum necessary information.

Mistake: Undocumented changes. Better move: Document collaboration inputs and decisions in the clinical record.

Mistakes That Hurt Long-Term Relationships

Mistake: Public criticism or surprise reports. Better move: Address concerns privately first.

Mistake: Skipping follow-up. Better move: Send a quick recap after every meeting.

Clinic Mistakes

Mistake: Different staff training the same skill in different ways. Better move: One shared teaching plan.

Mistake: Changing a plan without telling other providers. Better move: A quick update with rationale and review date.

School Mistakes

Mistake: Giving a long, complex plan. Better move: A one-page plan with one or two priority steps.

Mistake: Assuming “noncompliance” is the problem. Better move: Check instruction clarity, task difficulty, and supports.

SLP and OT Collaboration Mistakes

Mistake: Turning therapy goals into compliance drills. Better move: Embed practice in real routines with choice.

Mistake: Ignoring motor or sensory load. Better move: Ask what makes the response easier.

Pick one mistake you’ve seen before. Write your “better move” plan and try it this week.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is interdisciplinary collaboration in ABA?

Interdisciplinary collaboration means different professionals work together toward shared goals for the same client. In ABA, this usually includes the family, BCBA, RBT, SLP, OT, teacher, and sometimes physicians or psychologists. It shows up in real routines when everyone uses the same prompts, reinforces the same skills, and checks in on progress together.

What are a BCBA’s responsibilities on an interdisciplinary team?

A BCBA brings behavior assessment, function-based support, skill teaching plans, and caregiver or staff training within their scope. BCBAs should coordinate shared goals without directing other licensed providers. The BCBA is not the boss of the team unless the team explicitly agrees to that structure.

How do BCBAs collaborate with SLPs without stepping outside scope?

Defer to the SLP’s plan for speech and communication goals. Ask for clear definitions and prompting rules. Support generalization in routines while staying in your BCBA role. Don’t rewrite the SLP’s goals without their input.

How do you handle conflicting goals between ABA, OT, and speech?

Start with the learner and family priority. Choose one routine and one shared target at a time. Agree on how to measure progress and when to review. If goals are still competing, ask what matters most to the family right now.

What should I bring to an interdisciplinary team meeting or IEP meeting?

Bring a one-page summary of the learner, including strengths, motivators, and supports. Bring short data trends. Bring top questions and one or two recommendations. Draft an agenda and propose a review date.

How can I share data with other providers while protecting privacy?

Get consent first and document it. Share minimum necessary information. Use short summaries and agreed formats. Document team decisions and next steps.

What are common mistakes BCBAs make in interdisciplinary practice?

Common mistakes include scope drift and an “ABA is the boss” tone, too many goals and mixed prompting rules, poor follow-up and unclear action items, and sharing info without clear consent.

Conclusion

Interdisciplinary collaboration is not a buzzword. It’s the daily work of coordinating goals, sharing data, respecting scope, and keeping the learner’s dignity at the center.

The best collaborators aren’t the loudest or the most credentialed. They’re the ones who show up prepared, communicate clearly, and follow through. They define terms, ask questions, share only what’s needed, and repair relationships when things go sideways.

You don’t need to overhaul your whole practice. Pick one routine, one shared goal, and one next step. Use the meeting agenda and follow-up email templates to keep the team aligned. Start small, stay consistent, and watch how it changes the way your team works together.