What is a Child Study Team?
The Child Study Team (CST) is a group of professionals, usually hired by the school board, who work with parents and teachers to provide services related to learning. They offer consults, evaluations, and recommendations for students struggling academically. A typical CST includes a psychologist, a learning disabilities consultant, a social worker and often a speech/language therapist, and the student's parents take part as well. Ideally, the team meets before any special education testing and continues to meet at intervals if the child needs specialized services.Roles of the Team Members
Psychologist
The psychologist's main job is to evaluate the student's cognitive and developmental functioning. They also check and track emotional wellbeing to identify anything that could influence behavior or school performance. In some cases, the psychologist will offer counseling, direct instruction, or mentoring for students who face social, emotional, and behavioral challenges together.
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Learning Disabilities Consultant
Learning disabilities consultants (LDT-C) are certified teachers who have completed graduate-level training in Learning Disabilities or an equivalent program. They are skilled at figuring out how a student learns and creating a tailored instructional plan to meet that student's needs.
Social Worker
The social worker focuses on how the student interacts with family, school, and the wider community. This professional collects information about the student's health, family background, and academic history to understand the current situation. The social worker also connects students and their families with community services and supports.
Speech/Language Therapist
The speech and language therapist evaluates the student's communication skills and provides interventions when there are signs of speech, language, or cognitive-communication problems. Building age-appropriate communication abilities is crucial for learning. Language skills also affect a student's social and emotional health. To succeed, students need to comprehend language, express their ideas, and engage meaningfully with others.
