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.

You’ve got 30 minutes until your next visit. Sure, you could pull over in a parking lot and scroll through your email or social media, or maybe return that text that will take you about 10 seconds to type…OR you could listen to the new podcast, EI on the Fly: A Podcast about All Things Early Intervention!

I’m pretty excited about this new project. Podcasting has been a fun new world for me, both to learn about and listen to. Last year, Emily Webb, with the Massachusetts Early Intervention Training Center, emailed me to ask if I’d be interested in collaborating on a podcast. We both work in EI professional development, both have been EI practitioners, and, as it turns out, have both experienced EI from the parent perspective. It sounded like a new adventure so, of course, I said yes!

Our First Series: Functional Assessment

Over the past year, Emily and I have recorded the Functional Assessment series, which will include eight episodes. Episodes will be released monthly on Podbean, but are also available on iTunes and Google Podcasts. Here’s a sneak peak at what’s coming:

Episode 1 – What is Functional Assessment and Why Does It Matter? (Run time: 32:37)
Episode 2 – Intentional Observation (Run time 30:44)
Episode 3 – Asking Meaningful Questions
Episode 4 – Active Listening
Episode 5 – Implicit Bias
Episode 6 – Functional Assessment and the Initial IFSP
Episode 7 – Ongoing Functional Assessment
Episode 8 – What Functional Assessment Means to Supervisors, Practitioners, and Families

We’ve released the first two episodes so far. Episode 1 provides an introduction to functional assessment (FA). We define FA and introduce important concepts (PDF, New Window) such as conducting observation, asking meaningful questions, using active listening, and learning about how children interact and learn during daily activities. We talk about what ongoing FA should look like, compare it to traditional assessment, consider examples, and think about how to integrate it into your work with families.

In Episode 2, we dive into the first component of functional assessment: observation. We define observation in the context of early intervention and consider how it helps us “watch to listen and learn.” We discuss observation during the initial evaluation/assessment and service delivery, emphasizing how observation helps us gather functional information about children, how they interact with family members, and what interests and motivations them – all without inferring meaning or judgement. We’ll also review tips for helping families understand the importance of observation.

The Car’s Great but How Else Can You Use the Podcast?

Here are a few more ideas:

For individual practitioners: Rather than blocking another time slot to get something else done, pair the podcast with another activity. Catch an episode while driving to work, preparing breakfast or dinner, or maybe even while taking a walk or cleaning your house (fun!). It’s easily accessible through apps on your phone, and can be downloaded to listen to later.

For System Managers and Directors of EI programs: Plan for a group discussion during your next staff meeting. Email out the episode link before the meeting with an open-ended discussion question as food for thought. Blast the link out by email to the service coordinators and service providers in your system. It’s another free resource that we hope programs will find easy to use!

I’ll be writing posts about the individual episodes in the coming months to give you additional ideas on how to dig into the topics yourself or with your staff. We hope you’ll subscribe and stay tuned for future episodes.

Teaser: Emily tells some great stories about her experiences as a mom receiving EI that really put FA in context – you won’t want to miss them!

PS: A huge and special thanks to Jeanne (VA) and Laura (MA) who are the technical specialists behind-the-scenes helping us with producing and posting the episodes!

The post EI on the Fly Podcast: Ready to Learn about Functional Assessment in Your Car? appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.

Logan’s annual IFSP review is underway and you are excited to celebrate his progress. You’ve been working with his family for a year so you’ve seen the steady pace at which Logan continues to develop. When he first entered early intervention, he was only two months old and doing most of the things a two-month-old needed to do. Now that he’s 14 months old, his delays appear more significant but you want his parents to remain hopeful so you and your colleagues explain the assessment results, celebrating his gains and acknowledging the next skills to come.

When the team discusses the child outcomes summary process, the service coordinator uses the Decision Tree (PDF, New Window) as a guide. Because of his age and slow but steady progress, Logan is showing very early skills when compared to his same age peers, which sounds very different from the discussion the team had last year. You want to help Logan’s parents understand why this is, but then another team members drops this question:

“So what do we think? Is Logan a 1 or a 2 now?”

“OMG,” you think, “Logan is NOT a number!” Now what do you do?

Children are Not Numbers on the Decision Tree

This is an important point that ALL team members need to understand. The discussion about the child outcomes and the Decision Tree (PDF, New Window) should never include labeling a child with a number. It should be about using the information you have to make an informed decision as a team that describes Logan’s development according to the three global child outcomes (“global” because these are outcomes we’d like to see for all children during their early childhood years).

During the meeting, the team describes the child’s development using summary statements on the Decision Tree, not numbers (see the Child Outcomes Booklet (PDF, New Window) for more info). The numbers on the Decision Tree can be thought of as categories that describe skill development related to the child outcomes – not categories of children. For example, “Category 1” includes a summary statement (or description) that tells us that Logan has “very early skills in this area. This means that [Logan] has the skills we would expect for a much younger child.” This does NOT mean that “Logan is a 1.” While the service coordinator does have to report a number for each outcome in documentation back at the office, and these numbers are referred to as “child ratings” according to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), it’s a really good idea to let go of the idea that the child outcomes discussion results in a number for the child. Let. It. Go.

Here’s why: If you hold this belief, even an underlying belief in linking a child to a number, then you will convey this belief to the family. No parent wants their infant or toddler rated or numbered. It can be hard enough for a parent to hear the age equivalency scores from the assessment tool. Parents must be involved in the child outcomes discussion, and we want them to understand the process – a process that, admittedly, can be hard to explain.

The Words You Use Matter – Tips for Developing Your Script

The words you use to explain this process matter. Yes, some parents may be mentally exhausted by the time you get to this discussion, but that does not mean you should sugarcoat it, skip it, or hurry through it, which can be tempting to do. It can also be tempting to let the professional team members discuss the process without much explanation for the parent. To avoid this, try these tips:

1. Write down a sample script for how you can explain the process to all team members (including and especially the parent) without assigning the child a number, then let a colleague read it and give you feedback.
2. Read it out loud to yourself and see how it sounds.
3. Listen to how others explain the process and “borrow” their words.
4. Ask families who are already enrolled in your program what they understood about the child outcomes discussion from their initial or annual IFSP meeting.

Here’s a big one: Dig in a bit and reflect – Are you the team member who asked about a child’s “number” at an assessment or IFSP meeting? If you are, then it’s a good thing to recognize that now and commit to a change in thinking for your next assessment or IFSP meeting.

There is No Need to Pick a Number at the Meeting

How you explain the process will likely differ from your colleague’s script and that’s okay. The words you use may change a bit with each meeting depending on your style, the team with whom you work, the family’s understanding and learning needs, etc. The important point here is to think about the message you (and your team members) convey with the child outcomes process. There is no need to “pick a number” for a child during the meeting, but there is a need to be accurate, respectful, and sensitive while helping all team members understand, participate in the process, and identify summary statements to describe the child’s development.

Open the door for this discussion with your team members using the questions here, or share your thoughts by adding a comment below:

How do you explain the child outcomes discussion process to families? What are your go-to phrases to help all team members understand?

If a team member tries to pick a number at the meeting, what could you say in response?

For more information, check out these resources:

Virginia’s Child Outcomes Booklet (PDF, New Window)

Virginia’s System for Determining Child Progress (OSEP Child Outcomes)

Decision Tree Tutorial Video

The post Logan is Not a Number! – Explaining the Child Outcomes Process appeared first on Early Intervention Strategies for Success.