Early Intervention Strategies for Success

Sharing What Works in Supporting Infants & Toddlers and the Families in Early Intervention

 

Consider bath time for these two families:

Quenton’s bath typically happens right after dinner at about 6:15pm. He has his bath with his older brother each night. Bath time typically lasts a good 30 minutes, time enough for his dad to get both boys washed and then have time to play. Quenton’s father typically plays with the …

After knocking three times, you hear someone inside the apartment. You wait a bit, trying to decide whether to knock again. Jessa’s mother hollers that’s she’s coming, then a few seconds later she opens the door. She’s tells you to come on in but you hesitate.

Jessa’s mother is wearing a see-through nightie and nothing else.
What do …

This is the time of year when I can get in a slump. I’ve always loved my jobs in early intervention, but it’s just about now when I get a little jealous of teachers who work in the school system and their countdown til summer break. When I was in grad school eons ago, that …

Miguel is 19 months old and lives with a large family that includes his parents, three older siblings, an aunt, and his grandparents. He qualified for early intervention due to delays in gross motor development and low muscle tone. He’s also showing some slight delays in his expressive communication. During his assessment and subsequent intervention …

Tyler is 20 months old and instead of playing with his toys or using his spoon to feed himself, he quickly throws them as soon as he picks them up. Tyler’s parents tell you that it’s really hard to manage during playdates or when they go out to eat. Tyler also rarely stays still to …

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 …

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 …

Where are your practices on the traditional vs. participation-based continuum?
Wherever you are on the continuum, take some time to examine the similarities and differences between the two interventions, reflect on your own practices, and plan for how to evolve your work to a more evidence-based approach. This brief provides a summary of research by Campbell …

Dustin has been collaborating with Mandy’s family for about 3 months. He typically visits with Mandy’s grandmother every Tuesday at 10am and they play in the living room. Dustin has been doing well with transitioning from bringing toys to the home to using Mandy’s toys. He’s also worked very hard to include Mandy’s grandmother in …

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