Okay, when you read that title, maybe you were curious, wondering if you were going to learn about three new discoveries that will make your job easier. Or, maybe you did a quick eyeroll, thinking “Here we go, the next big ‘thing’ that I need to do.” Either way, I’m glad you’re here. While I’m …
I’ll have Eggs with a Side of Parenting Please
Posted on May 07, 2019
by
Katie Webb
in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies
Parenting Style is Similar to How One Would Purchase Eggs
As a parent and a professional who works with a lot of different families, I have noticed that there are two ways that Moms and Dads parent their child(ren) in this day and time. It appears that parenting style is similar to choosing eggs in the store: …
Self-Actualization: Hello, I am the Parent of a Child with Disabilities
Posted on January 22, 2019
by
El Brown, M.Ed.
in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, Professional Development, Teamwork
We are at the end of our discussion on the levels of awareness of parent of young children with disabilities. We have explored the ostrich phase – a time when a parent has a lack of awareness about disabilities and may not recognize the characteristics of a disability displayed by his or her child. Additionally …
Everyday Leadership: Redefining Leadership in Lollipop Moments
Posted on January 08, 2019
by
Lisa Terry, M.S., M.Ed.
in All, Celebrating Early Intervention, Engaging Families, Professional Development
Drew Dudley believes every person has changed someone’s life not by doing something extraordinary but rather through the everyday simple actions of being a leader. These actions can be so small a person may not even recall it in his or her memory. Mr. Dudley presents this inspiring Ted Talk on everyday leadership.
Take 6 minutes …
Normalization – The Hope Phase
Posted on December 18, 2018
by
El Brown, M.Ed.
in All, Engaging Families, Practical Strategies, Professional Development
We are nearing the end of our discussion on the levels of awareness of parents of young children with disabilities. We have explored the ostrich phase – a time when a parent has a lack of awareness about disabilities and may not recognize the characteristics of a disability displayed by their child. Additionally, we have …
An Early Interventionist’s Internal Struggle
Posted on November 28, 2018
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Professional Development, What Would You Do?
I’ve been thinking a lot about routines-based intervention lately. In particular, I’ve been thinking about (and experiencing) what happens when a family doesn’t invite you into their daily routines. What do you do when the space the family makes available to you is small? Not physical space, but family life space. When the only activity …
An Invisible Bridge – Collaborating with Language Interpreters
Posted on October 30, 2018
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, Teamwork
You know the feeling…wishing you could speak the family’s language so you can build that strong relationship that’s so important in early intervention (EI). It can be challenging to coach a family when you have a language barrier, but a good interpreter can help you overcome that challenge. I recently met a new colleague with …
DEC Recommended Practices: Transition
Posted on October 16, 2018
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Engaging Families, Practical Strategies, Service Coordination, Teamwork
Transition is a hefty topic here in Virginia, and I bet it’s probably a hefty topic in other states as well. Transition, and all of the requirements that go along with it, can be overwhelming to all members of the IFSP team. In VA, we often hear from service coordinators that transition is hard – …
Special Designation: A Parent’s Aha Moment
Posted on October 10, 2018
by
El Brown, M.Ed.
in All, Engaging Families, Practical Strategies, Professional Development
In our previous discussion about the levels of awareness for parents of young children with disabilities, we explored the ostrich phase – a time when a parent has a lack of awareness about disabilities and may not recognize the characteristics of a disability displayed by their child.
Today, we are going to explore and discuss a …
The Parent Seems Uncomfortable…What Do You Do?
Posted on September 06, 2018
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in Adult Learning, All, Coaching Practices, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, What Would You Do?
Maybe you’ve felt this before…you are on a visit and it’s the parent’s turn to practice using an intervention strategy. Perhaps you just modeled it, or you and the parent came up with an idea and want to give it a try. When you ask the parent if she’d like to try it, she averts …
