Finally…some sunshine and warm weather! This time of year is a perfect time to break your floor play habit and get up and move around. Taking early intervention outdoors does not have to mean that you just move your bottom from the living room floor to a blanket of toys out in the grass, which …
Time to Take Early Intervention Outside!
But Everyone Else Still Brings Toys…
Are you Service Provider A or Service Provider B?
Service Provider A always brings a bag of toys to each visit because this allows her to plan ahead. Having a toy bag ensures that she has the materials that she knows will work, which is great because many children she sees don’t have many toys. The children …
The Challenge of Electronic Toys on Visits
This will come as no surprise to you as an early interventionist…findings from a new study in the online journal JAMA Pediatrics suggest that electronic toys are not so good for toddler communication development. Shocked? I knew you wouldn’t be.
Electronic Toys & Play Interactions
I often found this to be a big challenge on intervention visits …
Using Baby Steps to Address Challenging Behaviors during Real Routines
“Emma runs away every chance she gets. Open a door and she bolts. Try to walk with her into a store and she screams until she wiggles free. We can’t take her anywhere!”
This is how Emma’s mother describes one of the family’s main concerns. Emma’s behavior is difficult for them to manage, and one of …
Adult Learning Principle #3: Active Practice and Participation are Key!
Your tire just went flat. You pull over to the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, to try to accomplish something you’ve never done before. No, it’s not call AAA…you’re going to change the tire yourself. Thank goodness you have a good signal out here because you use your phone to look …
Ditch the Animal Sounds! – Who’s Ready for the Next Talks on Tuesday?!
It is hard to believe but it is almost May! The final Talk of the two-part series, entitled “Ditch the Animal Sounds: Writing Appropriate Outcomes that Lead to Effective Implementation,” will be presented live on May 5th! In anticipation of the upcoming webinar, I am excited to share with you just a few of the …
Address the Language: The Speech will Follow!
Joey is 25 months old. He was referred to his local early intervention intake coordinator by his parents secondary to their concerns about his intelligibility and inability to effectively communicate his needs or wants. They reported that he uses approximately 15 words but “talks in such a garbled manner” that both parents and Joey’s older …
Watch Me! – Using Modeling as a Caregiver Teaching Tool
Lynn meets Devon and his mother, Janae, at the grocery store for their visit this week. When she arrives, she finds them trying to walk into the store. They are struggling because Devon is having a tantrum and Janae is trying to carry him while he kicks and screams. Lynn goes up to them and asks if …
Wait…Isn’t that Outcome TOO Specific?
Have you been sitting in an IFSP meeting and heard another team member say “Wait…isn’t that outcome too specific?” or “If we put one specific routine in there, does that mean that’s the only way we work on this outcome?”
If these questions sound familiar, then read on (or watch the video blog on this topic) because by the …
Adult Learning Principle #4: Practicing Intervention Strategies in Real-Time
Think about it. How did you learn to drive? Sure, you read the driving manual, went to a driver’s ed class, and you probably talked about driving a lot. Before getting behind the wheel, you’d observed people driving for years. Was reading, talking about the new skill, and observing someone doing it enough to prepare …