What is Interprofessional Practice (IPP)

Silvia and Antonio Juarez described their 4-year-old son Emanuel as often happy. Emanuel came from a bilingual home and spoke both Spanish and English. His favorite activities were reading and playing with his iPad over-and-over again. Reading was a favorite pasttime and something that the Juarez's felt he did well. While he was described as “loving to engage people,” it was not clear that his efforts were successful nor was it clear that they were reciprocated. Briefly observing Emanuel's interaction with his parents, it was noted Emanuel used echolalic phrases and engaged in repetitive and restricted behaviors, toe walking, and finger flicking. These behaviors were noted to be unusual and warranted further evaluation. The Juarez's primary concern was regarding Emanuel's “talking and being able to hold a conversation.” Through speech and language therapy, the family expected that Emanuel's communication skills would improve, and he would be able to participate in conversations and talk in sentences.