Stuck in old ways : towards transdisciplinary training for healthcare professionals in early intervention

Abstract

SIGNIFICANCE : South Africa has a serious shortage of healthcare professionals trained to provide early intervention services for young children with disabilities, especially in the public healthcare sector, accessed by the majority of the South African population. A transdisciplinary approach which requires healthcare professionals to work across and outside their disciplinary boundaries is recommended, but few healthcare professionals in South Africa are trained in this manner. A need exists, therefore, to transform the training of healthcare professionals to ensure that more children with disabilities can receive early intervention services.