Comments on: It’s Saturday and You See Derick’s Family at the Mall…What Do You Do?

By: Dana Childress, M.Ed.

Dana Childress, M.Ed. — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 14:06:53 +0000

Great question, Gabrielle. Hey, we were all newbies once. I think the answer to your questions probably depends on the family and the situation. If the family asks for help, then it’s fine to assist but be sure to follow their lead. If they didn’t ask for help, I don’t think I’d intervene, unless something worrisome was happening (like the parent was losing control of him/herself or the child was doing something dangerous). If you do respond to the family’s request, I’d suggest staying in your coaching role as much as possible – by asking “how can I help?” rather than stepping right in to interact with the child. The parent might need you to watch her other child while she helps her toddler calm down, rather than wanting you to directly intervene with the toddler. I think it’s always a good idea to ask first and follow the parent’s lead. If the meltdown happens in the midst of you chatting with the parent (even at the mall), then make room for the parent to handle the situation rather than jumping right in. I know it feels awkward to watch a child tantrum or a parent struggle, but especially when in public, take your cues from the parent in terms of how to help or even whether or not to intervene. Hope that helps. 🙂

By: Gabrielle

Gabrielle — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 15:46:10 +0000

I had a coworker tell me that over the weekend she saw one of her families and the child was having a meltdown. I am unsure if the family saw her or not (she didn’t say), but for the sake of the argument lets say they did see her and expressed a desire for help. How does one handle this? (I am a newbie, btw)

By: Dana Childress, M.Ed.

Dana Childress, M.Ed. — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 15:39:30 +0000

In reply to Lauren.

Yes, this really can be a tricky situation. I agree with your initial assumption about not approaching families since their services are confidential. I agree, too, that it is the family’s choice to approach you and then you follow the family’s lead. It might still be awkward, I know. There are some great strategies here in the chat so I hope you find them helpful. My advice would be, when in doubt, to honor family confidentiality then explain why you couldn’t approach them later. Families usually understand and appreciate the effort.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:59:21 +0000

I have often wondered about this. I have not encountered a family in public from early intervention, and I assumed that we were not allowed to approach them since their services are confidential. However, I suppose it is their choice if they want to come talk to me. However, that does leave the awkward possibility that they think you are ignoring them, or not being friendly by coming to say hi. Personally I think I would take this chance just because I could explain it to them the next time I saw them in therapy, and would rather have that happen than them get upset about breaching confidentiality.

By: Dana Childress, M.Ed.

Dana Childress, M.Ed. — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 12:27:30 +0000

In reply to dianelly1.

Thanks for asking! I’d recommend that you check out our VA EI Professional Development Center website at http://www.eipd.vcu.edu for ideas. We have a Communication Development & Delay page with links for strategies (http://www.eipd.vcu.edu/sub_communication.html). We also have a Social Emotional Development page where you can find links to other sites and docs to help with behavior issues (http://www.eipd.vcu.edu/sub_socio_emot_dev.html). Surf around this blog too and you’ll find several posts related to communication too. Good luck!

By: dianelly1

dianelly1 — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 03:24:45 +0000

Hello,

I am a developmental interventionist and I would like some ideas on working with a 2-3 year old child with language delay. What activities can I use and what recommendations can I suggest for the family. Also I have a child with behavior issues and I am also looking for activities to work on.

By: Dana Childress, M.Ed.

Dana Childress, M.Ed. — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 15:17:57 +0000

In reply to Barbara Mulligan.

I love the way you say that you cover it upfront but do so using humor to keep the discussion light. Discussing this in the context of talking about confidentiality sounds like the perfect time to bring it up. Thanks for the strategies, Barbara! 🙂

By: Barbara Mulligan

Barbara Mulligan — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 13:14:25 +0000

I agree with Jeff. I approach it at the initial visit. When I am explaining the confidentiality part of the Rights and Safeguards and HIPAA, I explain to the family that confidentiality even covers seeing us at Walmart or the grocery store. I jokingly say that I do not want to seem like a stranger/snot/fill in the blank, but that I will not approach them, that the privacy issue says that they have to speak first which is their choice. And that I won’t introduce them to anyone with me. I keep the tone light but do stress that I respect their privacy. The families are usually very nice and are glad that I addressed it. When we do spot each other at the store, our first reaction is to giggle. Then I let the families take the lead. And on the Shore, we do run into our families all the time!

By: Dana Childress, M.Ed.

Dana Childress, M.Ed. — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:25:10 +0000

In reply to amy cocorikis.

Sounds like the SC handled this wonderfully!

By: amy cocorikis

amy cocorikis — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:52:28 +0000

In reply to Dana Childress, M.Ed..

The group brainstormed and the Service Coordinator then decided to leave a detailed message on the home phone number explaining and asking the mom how she wanted to handle the situation. Thought it was great to reinforce for the family that they are in the driver’s seat!