Family-centered/interdisciplinary team approach to working with families of children who have mental retardation.

Working with children who have mental retardation and their families is challenging and rewarding. When these children also have behavioral/psychiatric problems, the challenge is far greater. An interdisciplinary team is needed for comprehensive assessment, treatment, and management in order to be successful in accomplishing goals, providing continuity of care, and supporting the family in the community. In this paper we focused on the interdisciplinary team concept blended with the family-centered approach in a psychiatric setting and provided a case study of a family who had a child diagnosed with mental retardation, autism, and severe behavior problems. Practical suggestions were given to demonstrate the implementation of a family-centered/interdisciplinary team approach.