MLPP and the UConn Interdisciplinary Team - A Resource for Pediatric Advocates

What is Interdisciplinary Advocacy?
Interdisciplinary team advocacy is a unique venture that enables medical, legal and social work practitioners to team up to discuss and collaborate on medical and legal issues surrounding the region's low income children. The team approach provides the opportunity for Connecticut Children's practitioner's to serve as expert consultants to lawyers and social workers who advocate for low-income children, and for the medical practitioners to utilize the legal and social work expertise provided by the team to better serve the needs of their patients. The UConn Interdisciplinary Team meets on the first Tuesday of each month at Connecticut Children's to discuss, collaborate and brainstorm on these issues.

What is the UConn Interdisciplinary Team?
The UConn Interdisciplinary Team consists of practitioners from the Medical Legal Partnership Project, the University of Connecticut School of Law, via the law school's Center for Children's Advocacy (www.kidscounsel.org), the UConn Schools of Medicine and Social Work, Connecticut Children's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, and the UConn Department of Psychiatry. It is funded through a grant provided by the Greater Hartford Jaycees.

What is an example of an Interdisciplinary Team Case?
Recently, the Interdisciplinary Team met to discuss the case of Manuel S. Manuel is a nine year old boy who is represented by the Center for Children's Advocacy's Team Child Program, which provides the civil legal assistance component to children trapped in the juvenile justice system. The local school system placed Manuel in the Hartford Transitional Learning Academy program for young children based on his aggressive behavior toward peers. He suffers from an expressive language disorder, not otherwise specified, and carries diagnoses of ADHD, posttraumatic stress disorder ("PTSD"), oppositional defiance disorder ("ODD"). His overly aggressive behavior mandated an inpatient hospitalization at the Institute of Living in March 2000, and he received comprehensive outpatient therapy through January 2001.

The issue presented to the Team was that Manuel does not appear to be making any progress in school, though his behavioral outbursts appear to be controlled by daily administrations of Ritalin. At Manuel's last school based evaluation, he was found to have a full scale IQ of 58. Presently he is unable to read, only recently learning his numbers and letters. The Team participants were asked to provide guidance on what evaluations should be requested at Manuel's upcoming triennial review by the school district, and what information should be garnered regarding the etiology of Manuel's diagnoses, specifically the PTSD and ODD. The Team provided the Team Child attorney guidance in those areas, and recommended specific additional tests that might be administered to determine the extent of a receptive/expressive disorder that may preclude Manuel from appropriate learning in the present environment. Further suggestions were made to determine whether Manuel is receiving appropriate therapeutic treatment, and whether the Ritalin is being administered in the most proficient manner. The Team agreed to revisit the case after additional information is obtained.

How do I participate in the Interdisciplinary Team?
Team meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at Connecticut Children's. Meeting agendas and case summaries are provided to team members and interested parties approximately one week prior to each meeting. If you have a case that you would like to present to the Team, or if you would like to participate in the Team meeting, please contact Jay Sicklick, MLPP Director, at 860.570.5327. (11/01)