You call Rordan’s mother for your monthly contact to check on services and ask her how things are going. She sheepishly tells you that Rordan has made little progress with his crawling and that she doesn’t think he likes physical therapy much. When you ask why she thinks he doesn’t like it, she tells you that …
The Baby Cries During Every Intervention Visit…What Do You Do?
Listening to the Family’s Story
Consider this quote: “When we know the facts about people, we know what they are. When we know their stories, we know who they are.” (John Quincy Adams)
We gather tons of facts in early intervention. We ask exhaustive and often intrusive questions about medical history, resource needs, financial information, priorities for the child’s development, daily routines, etc. …
Helping Toddlers Pay Attention Who are Constantly On the Move
You’ve probably met Isaiah before. In his child care classroom, his teacher struggles to keep him at the table long enough to complete the finger painting activity or to finish his meal. He’s constantly on the move, climbing and pulling toys off the shelf. At home, his parents find it challenging to play with him …
Xavier’s Grandma Thinks He’ll Talk When He’s Ready…What Do You Do?
When you first meet Xavier’s family, you learn that he and his mother live with her parents. Xavier’s grandmother “keeps” him during the day while his mom is at work. Xavier’s mother is very interested in early intervention but her mother is not. The grandmother thinks that he will talk when he’s ready and that there is nothing …
Three New EI Videos! – Your “Must Watch” for the Day
Here in VA, we are so excited to release our new video series entitled Early Intervention: A Routines-Based Approach! These videos were professionally produced, are less than 7 min each, and are available for FREE on our professional development website or on our YouTube site. I’m going to give you a quick description of each video below. I encourage you …
It’s Almost Time for School!
Transition (noun): The process of change from one form, state, style or place to another.
Summer is quickly drawing to a close and in your community, if it hasn’t already happened, soon a big transition will occur for many families. The new school year will begin with new teachers, new classrooms, and new friends. But what …
“It’s Not You, It’s Me” – Navigating The Parent/Provider Breakup
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
So, I’m at the office and I can’t help but overhear a Service Coordinator on the phone with an early intervention provider making the call – you know, the break up call. She tried everything to soften the news – scheduling conflict, goodness of fit, it’s not you, the family thinks …
Sticky Note Heaven – Helping Families Remember Strategies Between Visits
Years ago when my son and I were receiving EI for his torticollis, I found myself surprised about how hard it was to remember to use the strategies that the PT and I practiced during our visits. She taught me to use TAMO techniques and positioning strategies and shared other ideas that I was eager to …
3 “Rules to Live By” When Writing IFSP Outcomes & Goals
There are many “rules to live by” when developing IFSP outcomes, and some of these rules vary from state to state. In Virginia, our IFSP includes both long-term outcomes and short-term goals; in other states, only long-term outcomes are included. When you have to write both, it can be tricky to make sure that outcomes and …
Don’t Let the “What Ifs…” Keep You From Using Routines-Based Practices!
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 …