Early Intervention Service Coordination

Answering this question with a “Sure you can!” makes the answer sound simple, but if you’re a service coordinator you may be finding that using coaching strategies isn’t as easy as you thought. In Virginia, we’ve heard from some service coordinators that coaching is not a good fit with what they do. We’ve heard that …

During the assessment, the professional team members notice some soft neurological signs in Seiko’s development, such as an indwelling thumb, slight scissoring of her legs, and low muscle tone in her trunk. Seiko was referred to early intervention by her pediatrician because she is 14 months old and not yet sitting or crawling. According to her …

Imagine that, without warning, you lost your job. Without your paycheck, you’ve gotten more and more behind on paying rent until you’re served with an eviction notice. You have two more days until you must leave your apartment and you don’t have enough money for a deposit on a new one. You have no family …

The answer to this question is that we really don’t know. There isn’t any research in our field that firmly states that a certain level of EI service frequency is most effective. When you think about it, it’s not difficult to guess why this might be. We don’t believe in a one-stop shop mentality; in …

We’ve written about professional boundaries several times from the perspective of how to maintain your own boundaries when working so closely with families. Here’s a twist…how do you manage boundary issues when you see them happening between a colleague and a family? Let’s consider an example.
The Babysitter
Alexis has been working with Enzi’s family for almost a …

Do you know what that means? When you are a mandated reporter, that means that you are in a profession that is among those mandated to report suspected child abuse or neglect. It is an aspect of your job that, hopefully, you don’t have to think about very often. Reporting suspected child abuse or neglect …

At the initial IFSP meeting, Amada’s parents listen quietly as the other team members discuss their daughter’s development with them. Amada’s parents have been relatively quiet during the IFSP meeting, offering little input so far. They agree with any suggestions that other team members have. When asked about what goals they have for their daughter, they …

From the first time we meet a family or begin working with a child, we need to be thinking about how we can fade ourselves out of the picture. This seems like an oxymoron because we’re there for a reason – to help. There’s such a fine line between helping and creating dependence, and I …

I graduated in May 2013 from JMU with my Master’s degree in Inclusive Early Childhood Education. From the moment I stepped off stage after receiving my diploma I knew that I was destined to work in early intervention. I knew that I was ready to get my own caseload full of children and families who …

Today we hosted a fantastic Talks on Tuesdays webinar on culture and cultural competence, presented by Cecily Rodriguez from the VA Dept of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The webinar will be archived on our Talks on Tuesdays 1014 page soon if you missed it. Several questions related to working with language interpreters were asked …

Can Service Coordinators Use Coaching?

Why Didn’t Our Pediatrician Catch This Earlier??

Basic Needs Come First…Early Intervention Comes Second

Service Frequency – How Often is Enough??

A Provider Offers to Babysit…What Do You Do?

You Are a Mandated Reporter

The Parent says “You’re the expert. You tell me.” – What Do You Do?

Fading Yourself Out of the Picture…

Is That Even In My Job Description?

Tips for Working with Interpreters

It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You Later!

Supporting Social and Emotional Development: What ALL Early Interventionists Can Do!

Baskin Robbins: How Do I Decide?

Get the Backstory: Validating and Valuing Family Input

EI Awareness Month in VA – The Power of Family Stories

Resource Alert! – Check Out the New Transition Learning Path

The Unspoken Realities of Child Abuse during a Pandemic

Successfully Engaging Caregivers in the Child Outcomes Summary Process Virtually

Call to Action! Service Coordination and Early Intervention – DEC/ITCA Position Statement