Very true! Being an self-admitted “perfectionist” it was VERY hard for me at the beginning to say “I don’t know” when the families would ask questions (and of course this still happens when I don’t know the answer…) I also think that it’s important to then make sure, like you said Dana, that you DO follow-up with the information – very important in building that trust and the relationship with the family. And follow-up in a timely manner too 🙂

Thanks for your support, Allan. I agree that Casey did a nice job of sharing some of the realities new interventionists experience. You couldn’t be more right about the importance of reserving judgement – with families and with colleagues, whether they are new to the field or more seasoned.

I think that we all as professionals in this field must keep the basic tenet of family centered services which is listen attentively to what is being said and not read into or infer with judgement.

Allan

Thanks, Cori. I agree that there is nothing at all like being in the natural environment for learning how to provide early intervention. I remember another thing that one of my early families taught me as a new grad…how to confidently say “I don’t know but I’ll find out.” At first it was hard to say because I thought I should know the answers to all of their questions, but I found that the family appreciated my honesty. I did do the research and came back with the best answer I had – or we worked together to find it. I think that when students know things like that, they are set up to be more successful when they enter the field.

And in reference to the first comment – honestally, in my experience it’s typically the older siblings (without special needs in most cases) that are flying like eagles and climb like chimpanzees! 🙂

I’m sorry that some of the language in this post offended you but I agree that that was definitely not intended. Casey’s perspective was an honest one from a new service provider. When you are new to this field, it can feel overwhelming and you do have to learn when to say “no” and how to build professional boundaries with families. Sometimes we are asked to do much more than what is part of our job, which I think is what Casey was trying to address. When an interventionist is new, it can be very easy to help too much, which is not good for the family and not aligned with best practices that indicate that providing support that helps families meet their own needs is most effective. Helping families access community resources is also a key part of early intervention and is one of the aspects of the program that families say they benefit most from. Appreciating that each visit is unique is also important for any early interventionist. There are times when visits are exciting and other times when they are exhausting (or both); this is a reality of the job and something that is really only learned on the job, whether the provider has a graduate degree or not.

We appreciate your candid feedback just as we appreciate Casey candidly sharing her experiences. This post was intended to start a discussion about the experiences of providers who are new to the field. As with all posts on our blog, we are hoping to share perspectives and strategies in a professional manner. We welcome feedback about our content, so thanks for taking the time to add to the discussion.

I understand you wrote this article in order to help those professionals who wish to work in your field. The humor is somewhat offensive; yet, I do not think it was intentional. I agree preparing yourself with resources and firm limitations are necessary. Yet, these lessons are earned in an introductory level; whereas you mention you hold a masters degree.

Please write well. Proof read your work and ask yourself “who am I addressing”? If the answer is the future face if early childhood education watch what you say. Is the message here you love your job? Is the message here for you to love your job you must accept the families of children with special needs?