Every infant, toddler, and family who comes into our early intervention (EI) system has a point of transition. In most cases, the family is preparing for the child’s next adventure beyond EI. The family has to learn about and adjust to the idea of a different support system. They may feel sad to be leaving what is familiar, but also excited (and a little nervous) about what’s to come because it means their child is growing and ready to move forward. They need to learn about where they are going while saying a fond goodbye to their EI family.

That is exactly how I feel right now.

I have a big transition ahead of me. I have accepted a faculty position as an assistant professor of early childhood special education at Old Dominion University so I will be leaving my VEIPD team at the end of July. I am super excited about my next big adventure and am doing my best to prepare for it, knowing that my support system will change and I have much to learn. I definitely feel sadness about leaving what is familiar – I’ve worked with the VEIPD team for 12 years and I love my colleagues. I’ve had amazing opportunities to develop this blog, create resources for EI practitioners doing the most important work of supporting families, facilitate training where I learned alongside participants, and connect with EI practitioners and leaders all over the country. Where I’m headed is built on the foundation of where I’ve been, much like how EI provides a foundation on which families transition. It is with much love and gratitude that I make this transition, even if it hurts my heart just a little (ok, maybe more than a little…).

This Is Not Goodbye…

I have decided to approach my transition without saying goodbye. Instead, this is a big “see you later!” because I may be leaving the VEIPD team (although I consider myself a lifetime member), but I’m not leaving what I love. I love early intervention. I love learning with others. I love sharing new knowledge, building resources, and helping others learn and grow. I am so fortunate to have been a part of this team and so excited to take what I’ve learned and share it with new colleagues and students who will be the future of the EI workforce. Great things are coming!

Again, with lots of love and gratitude, I wish all of you, our subscribers, the very best! Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing your brilliance here on our blog!

See you later! 🙂

After July 22, 2022, I can be reached at Old Dominion University at dchildre@odu.edu.

Please reach out to Cori Hill (cfhill@vcu.edu) or Lisa Terry (lmterry@vcu.edu) if you have questions about the blog or any other resources from the VA Early Intervention Professional Development Center.

The post It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You Later! appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.

On May 1, 2021, Governor Northam proclaimed May as Early Intervention Awareness Month in Virginia. Many EI programs use this month to raise awareness and build relationships with referral sources, physician offices, other community programs, and of course, families. The video What is Early Intervention in Virginia? is often shared widely because it provides an overview explaining what EI is, what it looks like, and how it works. One of the things I love about this video is the opportunity to see and hear from families who have experienced EI. I think family stories are perhaps the most powerful “tools’ we have to build awareness of what EI has to offer. They can help us reach new families and invite them into partnerships with us. Family stories also remind us about why we do what we do. With that in mind, I’m going to share several videos you can use to spread the word about EI from the perspectives of families. If you have other videos you love too, please share the links by leaving a comment below. Here we go!

Reflections during the Final Visit (CO Dept of Education, runtime 5:46)

This video features a mother reflecting on her relationship with the physical therapist who visited her home to support her and her daughter. I think that perhaps, showing what happens at the end of EI, like you’ll hear and see in this video, can help open a doorway to the beginning of EI for another family.

Liam’s Story: A Mother’s Voice (VEIPD, runtime 5:15)

This video also features a mother telling the story of her family’s experience with EI. This story is a powerful reminder of the impact of this work on the daily lives and relationships of families. As an early interventionist, you never know what you might say or do that can have a lifelong impact. EI Awareness Month can be a nice reminder about that too.

Dream Big: A FIT Family Story (FIT FOCUS Video Library, runtime 5:27)

In this video, you’ll hear from a mother and father about how EI worked for them. They explain the emphasis on helping the family help the child. They also describe about how coaching helped them to use strategies in their home during the things they already do rather than adding extra things to do. They also share advice for families to “dream big for your child.” (Due to permission settings, you’ll need to click the “Watch on Vimeo” button below. This video is definitely worth the extra click.)

Parents and Early Intervention (EITP Illinois, runtime 7:59)

I featured this video in another recent post because it’s new. I think it’s worth mentioning again as another resource to share a family’s story. Even though this isn’t a family in VA, I think this family’s message is universal.

That’s just a few of the fantastic family story videos that are floating around the web. If you’d like to see more videos of families in EI, check out the Early Intervention Video Library and look for Families’ Experiences in EI in the menu. You might also find the Early Intervention – General page helpful for sharing info about EI with others.

So what are you doing to celebrate EI Awareness Month? What is your favorite EI family story video?

Share your thoughts, ideas, and video links in the comments below!

The post EI Awareness Month in VA – The Power of Family Stories appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.

Raise your hand if facilitating transition from early intervention (EI) has been challenging for you or your staff?

Rest assured, you are not alone! We, on the professional development team, consistently hear from service coordinators (especially newbies) and local EI system managers that transition is daunting. They tell us that they or their staff struggle with managing the timelines, filling out the IFSP transition pages, scheduling the meetings, and generally keeping all of the requirements in mind. EI practitioners want to make sure the process works well for families, and as you know, transition is federally monitored so it is very common to feel pressure to “do it right.” To help you help your staff, or help yourself, ensure smooth transitions, we’ve developed a new Transition from Early Intervention Learning Path.

What is a Learning Path?

Learning Paths are small collections of curated activities that focus on an EI topic. To learn about the topic, learners complete each activity on the path. Activities might include reading an article, completing an online module, watching a video, etc. Once the learner completes the learning path, he/she takes a final quiz to earn a certificate documenting the professional development hours earned.

We have several learning paths available now – two on Autism Spectrum Disorder and five on functional assessment. In this post, we’re going to focus on our newest learning path on transition and talk about how to use it with your staff, whether you are meeting in-person or virtually.

A Four-Step Plan for Staff Development

Here are four steps you can use or adapt when helping your staff brush up on their knowledge about transition from EI:

1. Open a discussion about transition during a staff meeting.

Before your staff start the learning path, pull them together for a virtual or in-person meeting about transition or add this to your staff meeting agenda. Use open-ended questions to facilitate a discussion that airs out the challenges and makes room for successes and strategies. Be open to hearing what your staff still need to know. Here are some examples of guiding questions:

• What’s going well this year with transition?
• What do you find challenging about transition? Why?
• What questions do you have about facilitating transition?
• What does a successful, smooth transition look like?
• What tools and strategies are you using now for successful transitions?

2. Guide your staff through the Transition Learning Path.

Introduce your staff to the transition learning path by taking them on a web tour during the meeting, or email them the link to the path with instructions for what to do. To familiarize yourself, take a moment now and visit the Transition Learning Path. Review the six activities, then come back here for more ideas for how to continue the learning process.

Here are some options for how to help your staff move through the path:

• Have staff do one activity before each staff meeting for the next 6-7 meetings
• Convene a special transition discussion group to do each activity together then discuss
• Give staff a deadline to complete the learning path then get together to discuss using specific guiding questions
• Identify staff partners to work through the path together by completing activities and coming together regularly to meet, then pull the whole group together to discuss and share insights.

Or, if you are an individual service coordinator or service provider, you can complete the path on your own. I recommend completing the activities across several sessions rather than trying to knock it all out in one afternoon. The path results in a certificate documenting four professional development hours (after completing a knowledge check) so you will get the most out of it by absorbing the content across time.

3. Continue the learning with a Transition Learning Byte.

Learning across time is always more effective than learning from a single event or resource. The nature of the learning paths encourages learning across time, but you can extend the conversation even further by using the Shooting the Transition Hoop Learning Byte. Learning Bytes are staff meeting activities on a variety of EI topics. The purpose of the transition learning byte is to guide learners as they review key things to remember about transition and reflect on how they can use this information in their daily work with children and families. This could be an activity you do after a group discussion about what was learned from the learning path as a way to debrief. Or, use this learning byte two weeks or a month later to refresh and revisit transition.

4. Revisit the Transition from Early Intervention Services to Part B Preschool Special Education Performance Checklist in 3 months.

Another idea to stretch the conversation and continue the learning would be to use the Transition Performance Checklist multiple times. It is included as an activity on the learning path, but you could have your staff complete it again three months down the road as a self-assessment, either during a group meeting, at supervision, or during peer observations.

Transition is an ongoing process that is so important to ensuring families leave EI with confidence. Whether your staff includes service coordinators, service providers, or both, all EI practitioners can benefit from an understanding of the process. If you want more information or resources about transition, be sure to visit the VA Early Intervention Professional Development Center site’s Transition topic page.

How could YOU use the new Transition Learning Path?

Share your ideas in the comments below!

Resource Highlight: Transition Tutorials

This 4-part series of video tutorials is part of the learning path but can be very useful to staff on their own. These tutorials explain how to complete the transition section of VA’s IFSP and additional requirements in the process:

• Transition:  A Series of Family Decisions 
• Transition: Developing the Plan and Documenting the Steps 
• Transition in Action: Scenarios
• Transition Conference Requirements 

Look for the tutorials on the VEIPD Transition topic page, under the eLearning tab!

The post Resource Alert! – Check Out the New Transition Learning Path appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.

The presence of an engaged service coordinator who understands the role and skillfully conducts the  many responsibilities of the position ensures a well-coordinated approach to EI service delivery. It is widely acknowledged in the EI field that families have the right to high-quality, individualized EI services; our field must commit to including service coordination in this acknowledgement by ensuring that the professionals who provide this service receive the attention, understanding, respect, and resources they need and deserve. (DEC and ITCA, 2020, p 10)

Wow. This quote is from the summary of the Service Coordination and Early Intervention – Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and IDEA Infant & Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) Joint Position Statement which was recently released in December 2020. It’s a powerful message for our field that’s intended to help us leave behind the unfortunate idea of service coordinators as simply paper pushers. It signals to leaders, administrators, and team members, including families, that service coordinators (SCs) are vitally important professionals who play key roles in the delivery of quality early intervention (EI). It’s about time. I’m proud to have been a part of the development of this statement and eager to spread the word.

A Joint Call to Action

The statement was written, reviewed, and finalized as a collaboration between DEC and ITCA. It represents the voice and beliefs of EI professionals from multiple disciplines who are members of DEC and Part C coordinators across the country. Together, these groups came to the conclusion that we needed a strong Call to Action in support of service coordinators and specific information about the knowledge, skills, beliefs, expertise, roles, and responsibilities of professionals who provide service coordination to encourage consistency across our field.

What Can You Do?

Let’s break down the four recommendations in the Call to Action and consider how to move the dial forward.

#1: States and local programs should review and align current competencies to the indicators in the Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators (KSSC) document.

In an appendix, the KSSC outlines six knowledge and skill areas that are essential for service coordinators, including: infant and toddler development, family-centered practices, leadership and teaming, coordination of services, transition, and professionalism. Take some time to read it and compare it to guidance or competencies your program uses when hiring and training SCs. If you don’t have program-level competencies, consider adopting these.

#2: Leaders who hire, supervise, and mentor service coordinators must have a thorough understanding of the expertise and needs of these professionals. This understanding is essential to ensure that compensation aligns with the level of responsibility expected of service coordinators. Service coordinators also should have appropriate administrative support, reflective supervision, and resources to successfully manage the workload, navigate changes in policies and procedures, and, most importantly, partner with families.  

This recommendation focuses on leadership and administrative support, which traditionally varies greatly across EI programs. If you are a leader, be honest with yourself and reflect on what you understand. Can you specifically explain what the SCs in your program do and what they need? If you find holes in your knowledge or how your program functions, make a plan to address them starting today. A few ideas:

• Ask your SCs what they need and how your program can meet this recommendation, then work together to set goals.
• Schedule regular meetings with service coordinators to touch base, identify needs, and collaborate toward goals.
• Provide specific info about policy changes and what they mean. Invite input and be flexible when you can.
• Check in regularly about workloads.
• Be available for regular planned and unplanned reflective supervision.

#3: States and programs must consider multiple factors when determining workload size to ensure that service coordinators can manage the roles and responsibilities outlined in this joint position statement. The factors to consider include (1) the number of families served per service coordinator, (2) the varying levels of need experienced by families, (3) the model of service coordination implemented in the state/program, (4) the need for administrative support and supervision, and (5) the level of responsibility, educational background, and any specific expertise required of service coordinators in a given state or program.

This recommendation strongly encourages programs to use a multi-factorial view when determining workloads for service coordinators, rather than simply relying on “caseload” numbers which often fail to reflect the complexity and individualized nature of the work. If you are a leader, take a hard look at how your program operates, check in with your staff, and make adjustments to make the work more manageable. If you are a service coordinator, examine your workload and talk with your supervisor about what is going well and where you need support. Bring your creative ideas to the meeting and work together to tackle this recommendation. You might not be able to change the number of referrals coming in, but there are often smaller changes that can be made to improve the situation.

#4. Additional research is needed to identify recommended practices specific to service coordination, which could be guided by the KSSC document. Research also needs to address how these practices would be implemented with families and how service coordinators would be trained to use these practices during preservice and inservice training.

This might sound like a recommendation for academics, but academics need EI programs to work with to conduct research. Reach out to your local university to initiate conversations about research and service coordination. Encourage faculty to share the position statement with their students. Building partnerships with faculty not only benefits the students you may share during field placements, but could also have a positive impact on the field if you work together to learn more about best practices.  

I encourage you to take the time to read the full position statement and share it (or the Executive Summary) with at least two other people. Share it with your staff or with colleagues, other SCs, contractor agencies, leadership, families, and higher education faculty. Start thinking about how you can use it in your program or state.

Let’s answer the call for action by dedicating some intentional time and energy to our service coordinators. They deserve it.

How can you use the position statement in your program? Who will you share it with?

The post Call to Action! Service Coordination and Early Intervention – DEC/ITCA Position Statement appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.

You’ve worked really hard this year. You’ve stretched to fit into a mold of providing early intervention (EI) that was unlike any you’d ever experienced before. You struggled, you persisted, and you succeeded. You did it because you love what you do. You also did it because you love the families.

This new video, Parents and Early Intervention, from the Early Intervention Training Program at the University of Illinois is like a gift to all EI practitioners for the hard work you’ve done this year. It reminds us about the power of high quality intervention and how important our partnership with families can be. I know you know this, but it sure is nice to hear it from a family. Now, take 7:59 minutes to meet the Warren family and hear their story. I guarantee it’ll make your day.

See, doesn’t that do your heart good?

So yes, this may have been one of the most challenging years we’ve faced as a field, but when other businesses and services closed, EI did not. You continued to support families, reaching them virtually, checking on them by phone, and working together in ways that were new, different, creative, and inspiring. Now, as you reflect on this past year, ask yourself:

When you think of families you have supported, what do you hope they say about their EI experience?

Type your reflections in the comments below.

*Thank you to EITP and the Warren Family for sharing their story!*

For more videos featuring families’ experiences, visit the Families’ Experiences in EI page on the EI Video Library.

The post A Gift for You – New “Parents and Early Intervention” Video from EITP Illinois appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.

Many of you have been providing early intervention services via virtual visits for nine months now. That’s a long time….I probably don’t need to tell you that because you are living it. It’s been a long time since you sat in a family’s living room, since you held a baby, since you blew bubbles with a toddler, since you guided a parent’s hands as she helped her baby learn to stand, or since you got one of those amazing toddler hugs. Many of you have become grounded in tele-intervention and, while you undoubtedly miss in-person visits, you have embraced this incredibly unique opportunity to grow as professionals.

What Are You Thankful For?

Take a deep breath, look out of a window, and pause. Think about the past nine months and ask yourself: “What has this experience of providing tele-intervention given me? What am I thankful for?” Somedays, you might answer that this experience has given you a headache from staring at the computer screen all day long. Other days, you might find yourself joyfully celebrating progress you got to see by “joining” a family during an activity you might never have been able to observe before.

While I am not seeing families via tele-intervention, here are a few things I’m thankful for when I reflect on our field’s experience this year:

#1: I’m thankful for the new door we’ve opened.

Being launched into tele-intervention as the only way of reaching families has likely changed our field forever and in a positive way. Many states are advocating for the flexibility to continue to offer tele-intervention as an option to families. Being able to offer tele-intervention to families who prefer it for privacy, flexibility, distance, or other personal family reasons… having the option available to support families of some of our most medically-fragile children…offering virtual visits in areas with provider shortages – all of these could really be game changers. I’m grateful for the door that’s opened so we might be able to continue to leverage technology to further individualize EI services and reach more families.

#2: I’m thankful for the coaching practices that were already in place to help us *really* support caregivers.

I’ve heard over and over that practitioners who were already using coaching practices found the shift to tele-intervention more natural – still challenging and still with a healthy learning curve, but overall, a more natural fit. I’m grateful that we have been practicing coaching and routines-based, family-centered intervention here in VA for years now. Sure, what this looks runs the gamut, but the adoption of this practice made it easier for practitioners to support caregiver and child learning from the other side of a webcam. No one said it was easy to make the shift to virtual visits, but having some great practices in your back pocket seems to have helped.

#3: I’m thankful for you.

Yes, that might sound cliche but hear me out. I’m thankful for EI practitioners and leaders like you who embraced virtual visits when you had no other choice. You put new policies in place, built new systems of support and payment, adopted new technology, and walked families through how to login with kindness and patience. I’m thankful that you pushed through the awkward transition of figuring out where to place the camera and how to manage audio, how to observe and manage silence during visits, and how to teach a parent without being able to model like you’re used to. I’m grateful for the EI teams who experimented and figured out how to use technology to conduct eligibility determinations and assessments, who shared their screens so families could understand their rights and see the IFSP as they joined team members to write it. For all of you who continue to dedicate your time, energy, and bandwidth to children and families receiving early intervention, I see you and I am proud to be part of a field with you in it.

Now it’s your turn. What are you thankful for?

Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

For more information about tele-intervention, visit these resources:

COVID-19 and EI Tele-Intervention Updates (VEIPD)

Provider and Educator Use of Technology (ECTA Center)

The post Tele-Intervention Has Made Me Thankful For… appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.

Here’s the question: Whoever, in a million years, thought we’d be doing developmental assessments using video conferencing??

Really, when you think about that, it’s equally unnerving and amazing. Unnerving because it can seem like a completely new way of gathering information about a child’s development without even being physically present with the child. Amazing because you are doing it, and from what I hear, doing it well.

Worries and Successes

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been hearing more and more about tele-assessment, with practitioners sharing common worries like: How will I collect the information I need to score my tool? How will we get the toddler to stay where we can see him? What if the technology doesn’t work? These are very real worries, but the great news is that there are programs out there who are figuring this out. After the initial stress response that came with the shift to tele-intervention due to the pandemic, EI practitioners are settling in and finding answers to these questions. I’ve also begun to hear some amazing successes, such as families who are realizing that they can do this, they know their children so well, and they are valued, essential team members who can facilitate activities while the other team members (aka you) observe and share support.

New Resource Alert! – EI Tele-Assessment Video Chats

To get those successful strategies for tele-assessment out there, I recently hosted two video chats with practitioners and leaders from around Virginia. Each chat is between 35-40 min long and includes five different practitioners discussing how to prepare families and other team members, what tele-assessment looks like, and advice for others who are on tele-assessment teams. Block some time in your schedule to sit back and listen. I’m pretty sure you’ll learn something and hopefully feel like you are not alone in your tele-assessment learning process.

A special thank you to the EI practitioners who participated in this chat: Lauren Bernhard, Speech-Language Pathologist and Jen Saddington, Physical Therapist (Infant & Toddler Connection of Fairfax-Falls Church), Sandi Harrington, Local System Manager and Educator (ITC of of Norfolk), Ginny Heuple, Local System Manager and Physical Therapist (ITC of Greater Prince William), and Maria Grady, Physical Therapist and Service Coordinator (ITC of Loudon).

Another huge thank you to the following EI practitioners who participated in this chat: Brandie Kendrick, Service Coordinator, Human Development Professional, and Intake Coordinator (Infant & Toddler Connection of Danville-Pittsylvania), Kathy Phillips, Local System Manager and Developmental Service Provider and Erica Price, Speech-Language Pathologist (ITC of Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck), Stacie Jackson, Local System Manager and Service Coordinator and Kim Sprangel, Service Coordinator and Developmental Service Provider (ITC of Staunton-Waynesboro).

Strategies for Tele-Assessment

Just to get you started, here are a few strategies mentioned in the video chats:

Be sure to do a quick tech check and planning session before the actual tele-assessment – Meet with the family for 10-15 minutes a few days before the tele-assessment to test your technology, help the family connect, and plan together about where to position the device for the best view. Explain what to expect and talk with the family about any routines they might like the assessment team members to observe.

Let go of your stress about the test and toys – This is such an important tip. Acknowledge the fact that you will not have your assessment kit with you and you will not be able to observe every item on the test – and that is okay. Right now, you will use your coaching skills to help the parent facilitate activities that help you see what you need to see. Yes, you do still need to gather information to summarize the child’s developmental strengths and needs, but look at this situation as an opportunity to grow your assessment skills. Sure, you might provide the family with some ideas of items to have handy if possible (please don’t ask for 1-inch blocks!), but be ready to be flexible and…(see next tip)

Use your knowledge of development and informed clinical opinion to help you observe the child’s abilities during natural activities – Think creatively and consider how you can observe the same concepts and abilities in natural activities. Don’t have the tiny pegs and the bottle? That’s okay – ask to see the child pick up cheerios and drop them in a small cup or toilet paper tube. Be sure to watch the video chats for some great discussion about this!

Look through a functional lens – This is a perfect opportunity to practice translating assessment items into their functional equivalents. Pay attention and observe the child, even in the background while you chat with the parent. Ask about what goes well and what’s challenging. How children interact with others in their environment is as important as any item on the ELAP. Now’s the time when you will really be able to appreciate that so be open and get your functional lens ready.

Do the best you can – In most cases, you will be able to learn enough about the child and family to plan for the IFSP. Do your best, follow-up if you need additional information, and lean on your colleagues for ideas and support. You’ve got this!

Ready to keep learning? Watch the video chats for more strategies from your colleagues!

What’s one of your best tips for conducting tele-assessment?

Have an example of a tele-assessment that went well? Share it in the comments below!

For information, videos, webinars, and online training related to tele-intervention, visit these sites:

COVID-19 and EI Tele-Intervention Updates – VA EI Professional Development Center

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) – ECTA Center

The post EI Tele-Assessment Video Chats & Strategies: You’ve Got This! appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.

Technology is great when it works, right? It’s such an embedded part of most of our lives when we are not in the throws of a global pandemic that many of us hardly think about it. Now, though, when early interventionists are chin deep in trying to navigate tele-intervention, figuring out how to connect through technology is essential.

I’ve been picking the brains of amazing EI practitioners and local system managers to find out what they are doing to make the technology work, not only for themselves but also for the families they support. I’ve organized some of the great ideas I’ve heard into the list below.

A big THANK YOU to the practitioners and leaders from Fairfax, Norfolk, Prince William, Danville-Pittsylvania, Southside, Roanoke Valley, Rockbridge Area, Central VA, Cumberland Mountain, Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck and others who shared their experiences with me!

7 Technology Tips

Here are 7 tips for managing technology when preparing for or providing tele-intervention:

1. Prepare yourself first – Before you contact the parent, make sure you have an understanding of what tele-intervention is. Watch the TelePractice in Early Intervention webinar for a fantastic overview and tons of strategies. Watch a video such as A Home Visit with Zander, Providing Early Intervention Services through Distance Technology, or Tele-Intervention – Coaching during Family Chore-Laundry to see how coaching works during tele-intervention. Educate yourself about the technology so you can answer parents’ questions as best you can. Larry Edelman has prepared a great resource document about technology: Planning for the Use of Video Conferencing for Early Intervention Home Visits during the COVID-19 Pandemic (PDF, New Window)– check it out!

2. Touch base the “usual way” – Reach out to the parent using your typical means of communication – phone, email, or text, depending on what’s permitted in your program or preferred by the family. Check in about the family’s welfare first, then ease the conversation into virtual options for connecting.

3. Explore and explain options – Without making any assumptions about family preferences or capability, explore the available options for video visits or phone contacts for service delivery. Explain how each option could work and paint a picture of what it might look like. If the parent is interested (or even unsure), share a link to the video, A Home Visit with Zander, so he/she can watch a visit and hear from a parent about how tele-intervention can work. Be sure to invite the parent to ask questions, share any worries, and think through the possibilities with you.

4. Share your vulnerability – It’s okay to let the parent know that this is new for you too. Assure the parent that you will figure it out together and that, if the parent chooses the high tech option (aka video confererencing) and something goes wonky, you always have a low tech option as Plan B (aka phonecall).

5. Schedule a tech check – Before the actual video visit, schedule a 15 minute tech check. This may be a non-billable activity, but it’s worth it. Send the parent the video conferencing link with detailed instructions about how to connect. Get online together, check video, audio, lighting, etc. and talk about where the device will be positioned so you can see the family the best. Plan together for what the parent wants to do during the actual visit and how the technology can be used so you can observe and collaborate. If you or the parent has tech problems, remember the #1 rule of thumb with troubleshooting: when in doubt, back out and try again. Log out of the video conference and try to log back in. If that doesn’t work, log out and restart the computer. If that still doesn’t work, try another browser. Persistence will pay off, I promise.

6. Problem-solve Wifi issues – Here’s where practitioners are getting creative. I’ve heard of folks parking in the family’s driveway for the video visit so the family can access the practitioner’s hotspot, then holding the visit using technology with the practitioner parked outside. What an idea! Some schools are offering hotspots for older children – can the family use that connection for the visit? If there are limitations on data or bandwidth, schedule the visit at a time when issues should (hopefully) be at a minimum, like in the afternoon after older children are finished with online learning.

7. Let the parent decide – If a parent is unsure about either option, encourage him/her to try a phone or video visit then evaluate how it went. If the parent declines, that’s okay. Parents can put their services on hold at any time; just be sure that they fully understand their options, privacy, and the support you can provide. Be sure to document your discussion and check back in with the family often in case they change their minds.

Once everything is in place and your fingers are firmly crossed, schedule that first visit and go for it. Take a deep breath before you connect with the parent and enter the video call with confidence. Expect some hiccups, be flexible, practice your patience, and exercise your sense of humor. This will get easier and both you and the family will adjust, together.

You’ve got this.

What strategies are you using to prepare families for tele-intervention?

What creative ideas are you using to help families manage technology needs?

Let’s hear your best ideas! Share them in the chat and let’s continue to support one another. J

For more information, videos, webinars, and online training related to tele-intervention, visit these sites:

COVID-19 and EI Tele-Intervention Updates – VA EI Professional Development Center

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) – ECTA Center

The post 7 Technology Tips for Tele-Intervention appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.

Let’s get right to the point. You are not trying to engage an infant or toddler on video for 45-60 minutes during your virtual visit. Re-read that last sentence and let it sink in. Take a deep breath in and breathe out any expectation you may have had about playing with the baby you see on video. When we step back and let our anxiety about tele-intervention settle, it’s easier to realize that there is very little chance of a 2-year old interacting with you on video for more than a moment or two – and that’s okay. You can still do early intervention without that interaction when you focus on engaging the parent (or other caregiver) who will then engage the child. If you think about coaching and the Mission of EI, that’s where your focus should be anyway. You’ve probably already been doing this and if not, you can do it now.  

Okay, you might be asking yourself: If I’m not interacting with the child, what do I do instead?

Let’s answer that question.

What Do You Do?

Now, more than ever, early interventionists are using their coaching skills to engage parents during virtual visits conducted using video conferencing technologies. Interventionists have been thrust into the world of tele-intervention (you might know it as telepractice or telehealth) with often little preparation or experience. The whole world has shifted and it feels like EI practice has shifted along with it (and they have).

Here’s what hasn’t changed, though: You are still a coach to the parent/caregiver. Your primary mission is to support caregivers so they learn ways to interact with their children during everyday routines and activities to encourage development. Whether you are sitting in their home or yours, you are still a coach. You did not coach the child before tele-intervention; you coached the parent. You probably did spend time playing with and engaging the child, practicing stretches, prompting for sounds, and challenging the child’s problem-solving or social skills. You probably modeled the use of strategies in these activities for the parent. Now, you have to figure out how to let go of your need to directly interact with the child and embrace the golden opportunity you have to support the parent’s learning.

Here are 10 strategies for focusing on parent/caregiver learning during tele-intervention. You can do this!

10 Strategies for Engaging Parents during Tele-Intervention

Before the Visit:

1. Prepare with the parent – Touch base by phone before the virtual visit to discuss technology needs and answer questions. Plan for how to connect, what device the parent will use, and how it will be positioned so the parent can see you and you can observe the parent-child interaction. Plan for how the parent will access the link you will send to the virtual meeting platform. Consider different types of devices and how access might look different (a quick google search for instructions can be helpful if needed).

2. Prepare yourself – Before the virtual visit, collect your thoughts. Remember that you don’t need toys because you are not trying to engage the child. You may need a prop, such as a doll or teddy bear to model movements for the parent, but you can put your bubbles away.

3. Preparing for what to do – Chat with the parent about ideas for what to do during the visit. Be prepared to follow the parent’s lead and let her know she can take you with her in whatever she and her child do during the visit. You can also plan for activities, like if you are going to work together on the child’s feeding or encourage play skills with siblings who are also home. Just like any visit, though, preparing can go right out the window if another opportunity arises or the family needs the visit to go in a different direction. Prepare when you can, but go with the flow when you need to.

During the Visit:

4. Take time to check in – Just like any other visit, touch base on how the family is doing and check in on child progress. This check in time may take longer now and that’s okay. Remember that everyone is adjusting to the new normal so approach this relationship-building time with ease.

5. Use your voice to join in (instead of your body) – Join the activity you planned or search for opportunities based on what you see. Observe that feeding session, watch the siblings play, and use your coaching skills to share your observations, ask reflective questions, and provide verbal guidance on how to use intervention strategies. You have to use your voice to join in so be gentle with your suggestions and always ask the caregiver what she thinks, how it feels, etc.

6. Be descriptive and specific – When you provide guidance, share observations, or give feedback, be specific and describe what you see and what you suggest. Following verbal directions might be harder to process for the parent who is used to watching you, so take it slow and check in frequently.

7. Be flexible – If the visit is a little shorten than usual, that’s okay. Be sure to document why. If what you planned with the parent falls flat, try something else. If you end up discussing development more than observing it, especially on your first visit, that’s okay. Use the “show me…” prompt to move from discussion to observation and support; it’s a great tool on an in-person visit and it’s your best tool now.

8. Keep your focus on the parent, who facilitates learning for the child – This is key. This is also best practice in EI whether you are face-to-face or on video. What you can help the parent practice during the visit with the child is more likely to continue between visits. Use your coaching skills to keep the focus on parent learning, which extends learning to the child.

9. Write down the joint plan – Plan with the parent as you always do, but create a written version of the joint plan at the end or after the visit. Email or text the plan to the parent as a reminder and follow-up on that plan at the start of your next visit.

During and Between Visits:

This last strategy might be the most valuable right now:

10. Cultivate patience for the parent and yourself – Providing intervention this way might feel wobbly nowand that’s okay. Both you and the parent are in the midst of significant change, and not just for the EI visit. Being patient with the family will help them feel comfortable with this new way of interacting with you. Being patient with yourself means giving yourself permission to feel nervous and stumble, laugh about it, learn, pat yourself on the back, and try again next week.

Consider this: Your relationship to early intervention and with the parent has changed because of the pandemic and tele-intervention, but maybe that change is for the better. This way of supporting parents (and children) might make you a better coach. Give it time, approach intervention with openness, and take a deep breath. We will all be okay.

What strategies are you using before or using your tele-intervention visits to engage parents?

What’s working well? What’s challenging you?

Share your tips and experiences in the chat below and let’s support each other. 🙂

For information, videos, webinars, and online training related to tele-intervention, visit these sites:

COVID-19 and EI Tele-Intervention Updates – VA EI Professional Development Center

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) – ECTA Center

For technology tips and links to video reflections about tele-intervention, check out these posts:

7 Technology Tips for Tele-Intervention

Introducing Teleflections©: We’re All In This Together

The post 10 Strategies for Engaging Parents (not Children?) during Tele-Intervention appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.

So far in this series, you’ve learned about the importance of two interventions associated with positive outcomes for children and families. In Part 1, we explored strategies that emphasize caregivers’ awareness and interpretation of their own actions. In Part 2, you learned how to help caregivers identify and use everyday learning opportunities to enhance child development. Now, let’s focus on the third intervention: supporting caregivers’ responsiveness to their children (Dunst & Trivette, 2009; Mahoney, 2009; Swanson, Raab, & Dunst, 2011). For some caregivers, responsiveness comes naturally, especially when there is naturally a good fit between how the child interacts and communicates and how the caregiver parents. When it doesn’t come naturally or the caregiver struggles with responsiveness, it can have a significant impact on the parent-child relationship and the child’s development. Let’s think more about what this looks like and what you can do to support responsive interactions.

Supporting Caregivers’ Responsiveness to their Children

Responsiveness – how a parent or caregiver responds to and meets the needs of a child – has been found to have significant connections to communication and social-emotional development during early childhood (Mahoney, 2009). Responsiveness is one of those concepts that we know when we see it. We know it when we see a mother who reads her child’s cues, even the subtle ones, like when he shifts his gaze to make a choice about which book he wants her to read. We see it when a father hears his baby cry and immediately picks her up, bounces her and pats her back while soothing her with his voice. We see it when a childcare provider uses a warm expression and voice to calm a toddler then invite him into a turn-taking game of blowing bubbles. All of these interactions teach young children that they are important, that adults care, and that their attempts to communicate and engage with others and the environment have meaning.   

Responsiveness is also something that jumps right out at us when it’s not there. Think of the grandmother who ignores her grandson’s vocalizations because he “doesn’t make sense” and who swats him when he acts out from frustration. Think about the mother who misreads her daughter’s arching back and gaze aversion as a personal offense, which negatively impacts their attachment to each other. Or, consider the father whose depression makes it hard for him to respond to his child’s needs consistently or at all. There are many factors that can interfere with a caregiver’s ability to be responsive, and truthfully, we are not always able to mitigate them. We can, however, keep our eyes on responsiveness and encourage it, celebrate it, teach it, and praise it whenever we have the opportunity.

What Does This LOOK Like in Practice?

Here are a few strategies you can use to support responsive interactions between caregivers and children:

Label it when you see it – When you notice a parent being responsive, talk about it. Describe what you saw the parent do and how the child responded. Ask the parent questions to help her identify responsiveness and the impact, such as “What did you do that made Elena smile?” or “What did Elena do after you smiled at her?” Point out the delight the child showed when her parent interacted with her and praise the parent’s efforts.

Model and facilitate contingent interactions – In the context of interacting with the parent and the child together, model contingent interactions that are responsive to the child’s communication and social cues. Talk about what you are doing and why. Coach the parent to notice the child’s communication attempts, movements, or behaviors and help him/her interpret them with meaning. Point out what the child did before and after the interaction and talk about what the parent could do to respond, keep the interaction going, help the child be successful, etc. Just be careful to turn the interaction back over to the parent after modeling so he/she can practice engaging the child. You may be great at using a responsive strategy but that only matters if the parent can learn from you and use the strategy successfully with the child.

Use your voice and facial expressions – Affect is an important part of responsiveness (Mahoney, 2009). Using a warm voice and expressive facial expressions that convey that you are present, engaged, interested, and enjoying the child send an important message. Talk about the importance of affect and provide specific feedback to parents when they are using their affect in responsive ways. This is especially important when interacting with children who struggle with social-communication or who have sensory differences.

Encourage imitation and turn-taking – Use imitation and turn-taking as the vehicles for building responsiveness. When a caregiver struggles with responsiveness, help her understand the back-and-forth nature of interactions and communication. Use simple turn-taking games to entice the parent and child into interactions. Look for turn-taking games that they can enjoy and sustain (for a reasonable amount of time depending on the child’s age and developmental level). Start small, with the parent imitating the child’s actions or sounds, and shape these interactions into turn-taking. Help the parent look for ways he can take a turn whenever the child does something and vice versa. Encourage the parent to expect, wait for, and prompt the child to respond whenever there is an opportunity. Responsiveness is reciprocal but the parent sets the tone.

All three of the interventions you’ve learned about in this series have responsiveness at their core. When caregivers are more aware of how important their own actions and interactions are, understand the learning opportunities they can facilitate during daily interactions, and recognize how to engage and respond to their children to facilitate development, you increase the chances of intervention happening everyday. You also help build stronger parent-child relationships that last well beyond EI. Like I said before, that’s powerful stuff.

Now it’s your turn.

What is your favorite strategy for supporting caregiver responsiveness?

Share your ideas in the comments below!

References:

Dunst, C. J., & Trivette, C. M. (2009). Using research evidence to inform and evaluate early childhood intervention practices. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 29(1), 40-52.

Mahoney, G. (2009). Relationship-focused intervention (RFI): Enhancing the role of parents in children’s developmental intervention. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education, 1(1), 79-94.

Swanson, J., Raab, M., & Dunst, C. J. (2011). Strengthening family capacity to provide young children everyday natural learning opportunities. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 9(1), 66-80.

The post 3 Interventions Every Early Interventionist Needs to Know – Part 3 appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.