We all have times when we leave visits feeling like it went great because we were able to successfully engage the caregiver. Other times, we leave visits feeling defeated and wondering what we could have done differently or if the caregiver may not be completely on board with early intervention yet. Honestly, there are a multitude of reasons we make this assumption and it may be far from the truth. Maybe we need to listen better, build a stronger rapport, or simply do a better job providing information by being more intentional and reflective with the caregiver about his or her beliefs and interactions with the child. Caregivers are equipped with their own knowledge and expectations of the world (and early intervention) and we have to respect that as we provide support. With that said, we also want to help caregivers learn so that they can use intervention strategies successfully with their children. This can be a careful dance.

Creating Cognitive Dissonance

This is where we bring in our secret weapon as we help caregivers reflect on (and possibly change) how they promote their child’s development. One strategy we can use to facilitate this reflection is called creating cognitive dissonance.

Learn more about cognitive dissonance. The article states:

“According to cognitive dissonance theory, there is a tendency for individuals to seek consistency among their cognitions (i.e., beliefs, opinions). When there is an inconsistency between attitudes or behaviors (dissonance), something must change to eliminate the dissonance. In the case of a discrepancy between attitudes and behavior, it is most likely that the attitude will change to accommodate the behavior.”

In other words, cognitive dissonance creates a conflict in your brain where you engage in a behavior that does not reflect your actual beliefs. When people are in a state of cognitive dissonance, there is an urge to resolve the conflict. This happens quite frequently when people are faced with making decisions.

How You Can Create Cognitive Dissonance to Help Caregivers Learn

Let’s visit Natasha to see how she implements this strategy in practice. 

Natasha provides services to Christine (mother) and Sebastian (father) and their two-year-old, Isaiah. Isaiah has very few words. He tends to get frustrated frequently which really upsets his parents. Isaiah’s parents have both have expressed the stress it places on them as a family. Natasha has observed Isaiah becoming emotionally overwhelmed when he wants to communicate a message to his parents, but they do not understand him. 

Natasha has approached Christine and Sebastian about using sign language. When she brought it up initially, they were adamant against sign language because they want him talking. Natasha wanted to discuss using sign language again, but decided to be more intentional and reflective with Christine and Sebastian. Here is how the conversation went:

Natasha: How are Isaiah’s tantrums today?

Christine: It has been really bad. I know he is trying to tell me something, but it takes me so long to figure out what he wants. By the time I do, he has already spiraled out of control. 

Sebastian: Today, he wanted more cereal and we thought he wanted a drink. 

Natasha: What do you think is causing these outbursts?

Christine: It is definitely when we do not understand. When I can figure it out right away, he is fine. 

Sebastian: It is like he is frustrated when he cannot talk.

Natasha: Tell me if I understand you correctly. He is getting frustrated when you do not understand him.

Christine and Sebastian (simultaneously): Yes!

Natasha: I wonder what we can do to help eliminate some of that frustration while he is building his vocabulary.

Sebastian: I am not sure anymore.

Natasha: I know previously, we talked about using some signs and you were not sure if it would help. Sign language can be a bridge to using words. It is used as a strategy to help reduce frustration so you can understand what Isaiah wants and model the appropriate words. I want to be clear, though, that sign language is always used with words. Once Isaiah is confident using his words, he will stop using the signs because he will replace them with words. It sounds like you really want to reduce his frustration (parent belief?). What would you think about trying a couple signs and seeing how it goes (behavior)?

Christine (pausing in thought): …..I do want to help Isaiah learn to talk. 

Sebastian: I guess we were worried he would never talk and only sign. 

Christine: I see what you are saying. I think we can try sign language if it will help him.

Natasha: It is something to try. If it does not help, we can try something else.

I am sure many of you have encountered a situation like this. Natasha created cognitive dissonance in her discussion with Christine and Sebastian by having them reflect on their beliefs versus behavior. When we create cognitive dissonance, caregivers must reflect on their beliefs and decide whether or not they will change their behavior. 

What are some other situations where creating cognitive dissonance may be helpful?

Add your ideas in the comments below!

The post Creating Cognitive Dissonance as a Learning Strategy 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.