Thanks Amy! Your contribution is not small! The more insights and strategies we can share and the more we can pool our collective experiences, the better supports we all can provide to families! 🙂

I love when folks share their lightbulb or aha moments so we can all benefit,thanks Stephanie! One tip I share with practitioners during training was something Robin McWilliam modeled during a workshop. He asked a family if (and I’m totally paraphrasing from memory here!)”the team had given them enough things to work on with their child – or if they had too much”…Giving the family an opportunity to let us know if they are overwhelmed by our helpful ideas and strategies can assist us in making sure our efforts are supportive rather than invasive! Stephanie, I too am thankful for the forum Dana and Cori and their program have created with this blog – and the chance for guest authors like me to contribute in a small way!

Rosa, I think your examples definitely underscore the importance of communication with families! That monthly contact could just be a rote “How are things going?’, but when the Service Coordinator is well trained and well supported, we know that these discussions can be a vehicle for so much more! Thanks for reminding us how a “have to” in our day to day work can become such a great opportunity to partner with families!

“Early Interference”…yikes! I really do think that no matter how much we try to support families in their natural activities, EI is still something added to their life. I can understand this mother’s feelings. I also think, that, like Amy and many of the other commenters have said, it’s all about the relationship we build with the family and how well we all communicate that makes the difference between whether EI feels like an awkward burden or a support. Thanks for sharing your experience, Stephanie!

“Stephanie”, Michael’s mom said almost apologetically to me (after ‘determining what would be helpful’), “did you ever think of calling Early Intervention ‘Early Interference’?

“No — I had not… ”

Thank you Michael’s mom. I will always remember and do my best to practice those words and not take it personally! Fast forward 30 years, how can we help provide early intervention as a support rather than an interference – and not take it personally?

Thank you Amy for providing this safe forum,
Stephanie

April, I’m glad you brought up the “goodness of fit” factor! While we have to be open to modifying our approach to partner with different families, you’re right in that if we don’t “click” with a family, it’s better to make a switch! I also agree that when we are open to reflecting on a situation, that the next family we meet benefits from those lessons learned. Thanks for sharing!

Allan I agree with you about how important it is for families to understand their rights and feel comfortable exercising them, and it is hard to hear that a family chose not to voice a concern until it’s too late! Have any families shared possible reasons for their reluctance? In our area there is a “shortage” of certain therapy providers, so some families have shared they are concerned about a lapse in service if they request a change.

Benny…thank you for sharing your story! It includes some great opportunities for us to consider in our own work! The importance of communication, respecting a family’s time, and being open to feedback all helped you grow as a practitioner, and by sharing you are helping others grow too!

Great insights, April. I think that talking with the family and provider periodically (and separately) just to check in to see if things are going well rather than waiting for a problem to develop is such a good idea! It’s really a key to providing good service coordination!