![\"Elderly](\"https:\/\/www.veipd.org\/earlyintervention\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/shutterstock_61378315-200x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\nHow many of you remember the TV sitcom, \u201cWho\u2019s the Boss?\u201d that aired in the mid-80\u2019s? The basic premise was a role reversal of common stereotypes when a former National League baseball player moves with his daughter to an upscale Connecticut community to become a housekeeper to a high-powered executive and her son.\u00a0 Typical television drama ensues as the woman and the man recognize that traditional roles including \u201cman as the breadwinner\/woman as the homemaker\u201d and \u201cboss\/employee\u201d relationships cannot always be so clearly delineated.<\/p>\n
In my work with families, I frequently considered, \u201cWho\u2019s the boss?\u201d As an early interventionist, it became clear to me early in my career that learning HOW a family functions provided critical information that impacted my interactions with that family. Identifying that key decision-maker in each family helped to guide me as I established rapport, worked to build the family\u2019s trust, and enhanced my ability to support the families confidence and competence.<\/p>\n
Consider these real-life scenarios:<\/p>\n
A Kurdish family immigrated to the United States after being religiously and politically persecuted in their country of origin. Recently after their arrival, the doctor informed the family that their 12 month old daughter was showing some signs of developmental delays and referred the family to early intervention.\u00a0 With the assistance of an interpreter, an IFSP was developed and services began. During one of my earliest visits as the developmental specialist, the family informed me that we were going to call the maternal grandmother in Kurdistan to talk about what I was doing.(Oh, and by the way, the grandmother spoke no English and the family had very limited English.) With lots of gestures, creativity, and good humor, the family and I connected to the grandmother across the world and discussed the child\u2019s early intervention outcomes and services. The child\u2019s mother eagerly waited for the grandmother to approve the plan they had put in place for this child and their family. \u201cWho\u2019s the Boss?\u201d<\/p>\n
I had visited this family\u2019s home for approximately three months to provide developmental services and service coordination for \u201cSammy.\u201d On every visit, a woman (not the mother) sat on the sofa and observed our sessions.\u00a0 I tried my best to figure just who she was. I introduced myself at the start of each visit hoping she would reciprocate. I even tried, \u201cI don\u2019t believe I got your name.\u201d It was not that she was unfriendly. She often just jumped in the conversation and never quite answered my question. AWKWARD! Finally one day I arrived for a visit and the \u201csofa lady\u201d was not there. I took the opportunity to ask the mother her name. It turned out that this woman was the next-door-neighbor.\u00a0 As the mother talked, it quickly became clear to me how important this neighbor was to this family. She was a friend and confidant to this mother. She often played an aunt-like role to Sammy. She helped the family with managing their household and their budget. \u201cWho\u2019s the Boss?\u201d<\/p>\n
Do you have a story when you identified an unsuspected key decision-maker?<\/strong><\/p>\n How did this new information impact your interactions with that family and with \u201cthe boss?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" How many of you remember the TV sitcom, \u201cWho\u2019s the Boss?\u201d that aired in the mid-80\u2019s? The basic premise was a role reversal of common stereotypes when a former National League baseball player moves with his daughter to an upscale Connecticut community to become a housekeeper to a high-powered executive and her son.\u00a0 Typical television […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[139,10,11,12,14,16,17],"tags":[37,48,50,58,59,62,64,67,68,79,86,87,95,104,112,115,125],"class_list":["post-1472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all","category-engaging-collaborating-with-families","category-ifsp-development","category-intervention-visits","category-practical-strategies-for-intervention","category-service-coordination","category-teamwork-2","tag-collaboration","tag-early-childhood","tag-early-intervention","tag-families","tag-family-centered-practices","tag-home-visits","tag-ifsp","tag-implementation","tag-infants","tag-natural-environment","tag-parent-professional-partnership","tag-parents","tag-relationships","tag-service-coordination-2","tag-strategies","tag-teamwork","tag-toddlers","clearfix"],"yoast_head":"\n