You knock on the door, enter the family’s home and take off your coat. Maybe you take off your shoes, too. And the mother asks, “Can I get you a cup of tea, or a soda, or anything?”
What is your initial response?
Mine was always, “No, thanks. I’m fine.” Then one day I visited with a …
Would You Like a Cup of Tea?
Posted on February 07, 2013
by
Cori Hill
in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Service Coordination, What Would You Do?
Who is the Focus of your Visit? – Adult Learning & Early Intervention
Posted on February 05, 2013
by
Dana Childress, PhD
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 …
How Many Learning Opportunities Can You Spot?
Posted on January 24, 2013
by
Dana Childress, PhD
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 …
Get Him Engaged! – 5 Strategies for Engaging Toddlers with ASD
Posted on January 22, 2013
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies
You’re on a first visit with the family of a toddler who is suspected of having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). You greet the mother and try to say “hi” to the child, but he wanders away to continue his circuit around the room. As you watch, he picks up toys and drops them, dances in front …
Adding Siblings to the Intervention Mix
Posted on January 15, 2013
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies
Rule of thumb…never bring a xylophone to an intervention visit when there are siblings in the mix.
This was one of my biggest rules when I was working in EI and still lugging around a toy bag. Ages ago I had a visit where I brought the xylophone along and the preschool-aged brother of the child …
Can You Compete with Dr. Phil?
Posted on January 08, 2013
by
Cori Hill
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 …
Promoting Family-Centered Practice Through the Use of the Life Participation for Parents (LPP) Questionnaire
Posted on December 18, 2012
by
Kim Lephart
in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies
I typically start my early intervention sessions by asking the family to “brag” about what is new and exciting in their child’s life. Usually, the family will also bring up what activities are challenging for them. If not, I will ask the family what are their concerns? Admittedly, these concerns are more child-focused and less …
7 Specific Questions to Ask When Exploring Family Routines
Posted on December 12, 2012
by
Dana Childress, PhD
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
Dana Childress, PhD
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 …
Videos of Early Intervention in Action – Examples & Resources
Posted on November 13, 2012
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Bridging the Gap, Professional Development
Last week I wrote about strategies for using videotaping during and between EI visits. Here are three fabulous resources to help you think more about the potential use of video to positively impact our work with families:
Results Matter Video Library
Larry Edelman from the University of Coloradco produced these videos and has been a leader in developing short videos for use in …
