# Which professionals will assess and work with my child?

Canonical: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/which-professionals-will-assess-and-work-with-my-child
Publisher: Pinnacle Blooms Network / Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited

Your child is supported by a coordinated multidisciplinary team — which may include a developmental paediatrician or clinical psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, special educator and behaviour therapist. The right mix is decided after a clinician-led assessment at a Pinnacle centre, where the AbilityScore and any diagnosis are formed.

*When you walk into a Pinnacle centre, you're not meeting one expert — you're meeting a team that surrounds your child together.*

## In short
Your child will be assessed and supported by a **multidisciplinary team** — not a single professional working alone. Depending on your child's needs, this can include a developmental paediatrician or clinical psychologist, a speech-language pathologist, an occupational therapist, a special educator, a behaviour therapist, and a physiotherapist. They share one plan, one goal, and one measure of progress, so your family always gets a joined-up answer rather than scattered opinions.

## Who's on your child's team
Each professional brings a different lens, and together they see the whole child:

- **Developmental paediatrician / clinical psychologist** — leads the clinical picture, guides assessment and any diagnosis, and oversees the plan.
- **Speech-language pathologist** — supports understanding, talking, gestures, social communication and feeding/swallowing where needed.
- **Occupational therapist** — builds everyday skills, fine motor control, sensory processing and self-care like dressing and eating.
- **Physiotherapist** — supports posture, balance, strength and gross-motor movement.
- **Special educator** — bridges learning, attention and early school-readiness skills.
- **Behaviour therapist** — helps with regulation, routines, social skills and managing challenging moments.

Not every child needs every specialist. After the first assessment, the team recommends exactly who your child should work with and how often.

## How they work together
The difference is coordination. Your child's professionals meet around a **shared plan and a shared baseline**, so a goal set in [speech therapy](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate) connects with what happens in occupational therapy and at home. You'll have a clear point of contact, and progress is tracked the same way each time — so you can actually see movement, not just hear updates.

## The Pinnacle way
AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional — never from an app or an online form. That clinician-led assessment is what decides which professionals your child works with, and [how their starting point is measured](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated). With 700+ therapists across 70+ centres, your child's team is built around their specific needs — see [who works with your child](/who-assesses-child).

## Trusted sources
WHO ICF framework on multidisciplinary functioning and support; American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on team-based developmental care; ASHA guidance on the speech-language pathologist's role within early-childhood teams.

**Next step —** Want to know exactly which professionals your child needs? [Book a Pinnacle assessment](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/enroll-autism-speech-aba-therapies-india) and meet the team.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

## Sources
- WHO ICF — functioning and team-based support: https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/international-classification-of-functioning-disability-and-health
- AAP HealthyChildren — developmental care teams: https://www.healthychildren.org
- ASHA — the SLP's role in early childhood teams: https://www.asha.org

## Connected topics and perspectives
- Parent: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/parent
- Context: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/domain/context
- Care Process: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/intent/care_process
- Family Empowerment: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/empowerment/family_empowerment

## Related question paths

### Understand assessment
- Who administers my child's developmental assessment?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/who-administers-my-child-s-developmental-assessment

### Explore therapy & support
- Which professionals can diagnose a child's developmental condition?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/which-professionals-can-diagnose-a-child-s-developmental-condition
- How Many Therapists Will Work With My Child?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-many-therapists-will-work-with-my-child
- What Happens After My Child's Developmental Assessment?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-happens-after-my-child-s-developmental-assessment
- How the Pinnacle Experts Consortium supports your child's path to independence: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-does-pinnacle-experts-consortium-support-my-child-s-path-to-a-self-sufficient-mainstream-life
- How Is My Child's Therapy Plan Made?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-is-my-child-s-therapy-plan-made