Early Intervention Strategies for Success

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

 

You Sat in a Wet Spot Again…What Do You Do?

Posted on February 21, 2013 by in All, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, What Would You Do?

If you haven’t sat in a wet spot yet on a visit, the chances are very likely that you will someday. It just comes with the territory of working with infants and toddlers in natural environments. With infants with reflux, potty-training toddlers and little ones roaming the house with sippy cups, family pets, and other …

Third Visit in a Row and No One Answers the Door…What Do You Do?

Posted on February 14, 2013 by in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, Service Coordination, What Would You Do?

Knock, knock…wait…knock again…check your watch…knock again…wait…leave a note because no one’s home. This is the third no-show in a row and you drove 35 minutes to get to the home. Sigh. What do you do?

It’s easy to get frustrated when a family no-shows, especially when you see a pattern of missed visits. It’s also easy …

Who is the Focus of your Visit? – Adult Learning & Early Intervention

Posted on February 05, 2013 by in Adult Learning, All, Bridging the Gap, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies

When you walk in the door to a family’s home, who is the focus of your visit? Who are you there to work with?

These might seem like two very straight-forward questions, but think about them for a moment. The early intervention world revolves around the infant or toddler with the developmental delay or disability, the little person …

I Don’t Have Any Concerns Because She’s Perfect How She Is…What Do You Do?

Posted on January 31, 2013 by in All, Engaging Families, Service Coordination, What Would You Do?

You meet the family of a newborn baby girl who has just been diagnosed with Down syndrome. You ask the baby’s father about how his daughter is doing and he replies that he doesn’t have any concerns because she’s perfect just how she is. He says he thinks she’ll be just fine. His wife fidgets as …

DOs and DON’Ts – Mentoring Students in EI Programs

Posted on January 30, 2013 by in All, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, Teamwork

A new student walks into your office and sits down on the first day of her practicum. You begin your orientation about your program, starting with an overview of early intervention. You start by discussing Part C of IDEA and about halfway through your explanation, the student politely interrupts and asks…”What’s Part C again?” Yikes.

If you are student …

How Many Learning Opportunities Can You Spot?

Posted on January 24, 2013 by in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, What Would You Do?

Imagine that you’re on a visit and you observe this mother and child playing together with their stacking rings. This is a game that they play often and that the child really enjoys. Let’s pretend that this child qualified for EI with global developmental delays. His IFSP outcomes address priorities such as learning to crawl from …

You’re on a Visit and the Children are Sick…What Do You Do?

Posted on January 10, 2013 by in All, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, What Would You Do?

You’ve been in a home working with a family for about 15 minutes when the child’s older brother walks into the room, sneezes on you, and sits on your lap. The child feels like he has a fever, has very runny nose and is coughing. The mother tells you that he’s been sick since yesterday and …

Can You Compete with Dr. Phil?

Posted on January 08, 2013 by in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies

How many times has this happened to you? You arrive for your EI visit to a family’s home and find that the large screen TV is on and a favorite show is airing. Perhaps it is a beloved cartoon for the child, or maybe it is the mother’s favorite talk show host. Is the father …

7 Specific Questions to Ask When Exploring Family Routines

Posted on December 12, 2012 by in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies

Ask any 3 families what bathtime is like for their child, and you’ll get 3 different responses. For one family, bathtime might be a long, fun, wet playtime each night for the parent and child. For another, it might be a very busy time of bathing 3 young children, getting them in and out of …

Strategies for Encouraging RECEPTIVE Communication Development

Posted on December 04, 2012 by in All, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies

Today we host our monthly Talks on Tuesdays webinar and our topic is “Addressing the Receptive Language Skills of Young Children” with Dr. Corey Cassidy. The webinar will be archived and a fantastic tip sheet will be posted within the next few days on our Talks on Tuesdays page on the VA EI Professional Development Center site …

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