“The Third Language”: A framework for developing multidisciplinary school teams with arts therapists in the Israel Ministry of Education

Multidisciplinary teams in the Israel education system share the responsibility for supporting the inclusion of students with special needs in general education. However, collaboration across the educational and therapeutic domains often encounters challenges, particularly regarding the integration of arts therapists in school teams. To address this gap, this article introduces the “Third Language” framework, which was developed to foster sustainable and coherent teamwork across domains within school-based inclusion teams. The framework was developed by the authors and is grounded in a preliminary qualitative study of multidisciplinary inclusion teams in Israel that included arts therapists among their members, and is further informed by the literature on teamwork, interprofessional collaboration, professional humility, and school-based arts therapies. It comprises three interconnected dimensions: (1) guiding principles that provide the conceptual foundation for multidisciplinary teamwork, (2) systemic recommendations that translate these principles into policy directions and system-level change, and (3) practical tools that function as the framework’ operational layer, enabling application in schools and teams. By linking ideas, structures, and practices, including the arts therapist’s unique perspective, the “Third Language” framework offers a pathway for strengthening inclusive education, enhancing professional well-being, and guiding policy and practice in the Israel education system.