Early Intervention Strategies for Success

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

 

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Don’t Let the “What Ifs…” Keep You From Using Routines-Based Practices!

Posted on July 23, 2013 by in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, Professional Development

We’re really good, in early intervention, at the “what ifs…” – especially when it comes to adopting new practices. When a practice feels unfamiliar or even contrary to how we were trained, it’s so easy to jump to the “what ifs” and feel like there are many reasons not to use the new information. Often, though …

Being Playful vs Playing with Toys…What’s the Difference?

Posted on May 28, 2013 by in All, Bridging the Gap, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies

Pick a visit, any visit. Walk in the door and…what are you most likely to see? What’s the most common activity to occur on a visit?

Well, the title of this post surely gave it away, but you are very likely to see the provider and child playing with toys. Why? Why do we still find ourselves sitting on …

Baby Massage: Essential Tool for Practitioners – Part II

Posted on May 23, 2013 by in All, Engaging Families, Practical Strategies

Baby Massage Instruction
My last article discussed some of the many benefits of baby massage and how practitioners could use it to improve functional skills in babies, educate parents, and enhance our overall practice. In this article I provide an overview of some baby massage strokes.  I would like to reiterate the importance of demonstrating the …

Baby Massage: Essential Tool for Practitioners – Part I

Posted on May 07, 2013 by in All, Engaging Families, Practical Strategies

“Massaging your baby is a very special way to let them know they are safe, loved and understood. A daily massage lays the foundation for a lifetime of self esteem for your baby and good communication between the two of you.”

-Vilma McClure Founder, The International Association of Infant Massage Instructors.
The first communication a baby receives …

What are Your A-Ha Moments from Coaching Training?

Posted on May 03, 2013 by in All, Intervention Visits, Professional Development

These past two weeks, we have had the pleasure of hosting Dr. M’Lisa Shelden and Dr. Dathan Rush from the Family Infant and Preschool Program (FIPP) Center for the Advanced Study of Excellence (CASE) in Early Childhood and Family Support Practices for coaching training in two regions of Virginia. Both trainings went exceptionally well and involved lots …

Using Pausing to Encourage Development: Examples from Real Visits

Posted on April 23, 2013 by in All, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies

Examples of using pausing to encourage development are more powerful than me describing why this technique works so let’s start with a few examples from real intervention visits:
Sandy
One day on a visit with Sandy and her nurse, we played with Sandy’s favorite toy and assisted her as she activated it.  Sandy had multiple disabilities and difficulty with communication. After she …

How to Get from “I just want him to walk” to a Measurable IFSP Outcome

Posted on April 16, 2013 by in All, IFSP Development, Practical Strategies

Figuring out how to measure IFSP outcomes is always the elephant in the room when talking about writing IFSPs. Individualizing outcomes, measuring them, taking the time to make sure they reflect family priorities, trying to write them so that they will meet requirements and make the insurance company happy (at least in Virginia)…all of these important …

Peek-A-Boo! – Strategies to Teach Object Permanence

Posted on March 21, 2013 by in All, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies

The baby is in the high chair and you cover her snack with a bowl. Does she look under the bowl to find her goldfish crackers? Or maybe she drops her green ball on the floor. Does she look for it? Or does she just cry because her snack or favorite toy has disappeared?

It all …

You Can Teach Anything with Bubbles & a Ball!

Posted on March 12, 2013 by in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies

If you work with infants and toddlers,  you know the mesmerizing qualities of bubbles and the unlimited possibilities of a simple ball. Bubbles and balls are staples in many families’ homes so you don’t need to bring them with you to intervention visits;  you just ask the parent if they have one or the other …

To Give Homework or Not To Give Homework…

Posted on February 26, 2013 by in All, Bridging the Gap, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies

Think about this for a moment. How many people can truly say that they LOVED getting homework when they were in school? Very few of us (okay, I might be one of those people but still…). Just the word “homework” has stressful emotions attached to it for many people, even though it was an important part …

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