Teaming and collaboration are what we DO, right? We use teaming practices everyday as we connect with other professional team members to support the family in achieving their goals for their child. We understand that we’ll do our best work when we collaborate with caregivers as equal team members, valuing their perspectives and priorities on …
Leading from the Middle: The FISH! Philosophy
Posted on May 15, 2018
by
Anne Brager, MS, RN
in All, Engaging Families, Local EI System Management, Practical Strategies, Professional Development, Teamwork
There are many frameworks for leadership but one of my favorite is The FISH! Philosophy. It is a proven way to find joy and energy in our work. The FISH! Philosophy is inspired by a group of fishmongers from Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market. This team is a shining example of how you can create …
There is No TEAM without the Family
Posted on April 17, 2018
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Engaging Families, Practical Strategies, Service Coordination, Teamwork
During the intake visit, Elaine explains the early intervention (EI) process to Jaxon’s parents. First, she tells them that they are an equal and valued part of the EI team and she encourages them to be active participants in all aspects of the process. Then, when Jaxon’s father asks which services his son will receive …
DEC Recommended Practices – Interaction (Part 2)
Posted on February 20, 2018
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, Professional Development
In last week’s post, which was Part 1 in this series, I began trying to translate the DEC Recommended Practices for Interaction into practices we can use with caregivers. Rather than focusing on how we can implement these practices with children, we need to really think about how to help parents, child care providers, siblings, and …
DEC Recommended Practices: Family (Part 1)
Posted on July 27, 2017
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, Service Coordination
Wyatt was just referred to early intervention (EI) and his parents are unsure about what to expect. EI is a new system for them, one full of acronyms, paperwork, and professionals. They are eager to get services in place but are feeling overwhelmed by the process and Wyatt’s new diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Their service coordinator …
DEC Recommended Practices: Assessment (Part 2)
Posted on March 30, 2017
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Assessment, Engaging Families, Practical Strategies, Professional Development
Last month, we considered the first five DEC Recommended Practices under the Assessment strand. Now, let’s look at practices A6-A11. These practices encourage early interventionists to consider information from a variety of sources about the child’s skills and abilities across different routines, activities, and settings and to do this on an ongoing basis. These practices …
DEC Recommended Practices: Assessment (Part 1)
Posted on February 15, 2017
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Assessment, Engaging Families, Practical Strategies, Professional Development
Sofia just coordinated the worst assessment ever. With her head spinning, she takes a moment in her car to reflect on just what went wrong so that she can prevent it from happening again. In a nutshell, here’s what happened:
Sofia had originally met with Max’s father for the intake, who had planned to attend the assessment …
The Teacher Wants You to Pull Mason Out of the Classroom…What Do You Do?
Posted on February 07, 2017
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Coaching Practices, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, Teamwork, What Would You Do?
You are visiting Mason at his child care center for the first time today. When you arrive, you find the classroom to be super busy, with eight toddlers and two adults. After introducing yourself to the lead teacher and the assistant, you explain how EI visits usually work and ask how you can help. You try …
Transition Tips from the Experts – YOU!
Posted on November 10, 2016
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Engaging Families, Practical Strategies, Service Coordination, Teamwork
In September and October, we hosted a Talks on Tuesdays webinar series entitled, Getting from Here to There: Navigating the Transition from Part C to Part B. This series of two webinars focused on guidance for transition from early intervention (Part C) to early childhood special education (Part B). Presenters shared information about transition procedures, practical experiences and strategies …
Watch your EI Lingo!
Posted on September 06, 2016
by
Dana Childress, PhD
in All, Engaging Families, Intervention Visits, Practical Strategies, Teamwork
EI…IFSP…eligibility determination…Part C…outcomes…Part B…huh? Oral motor…abduction…sensory processing…cognition…what???
Okay, so it’s quite clear that we have our own language in early intervention. We have our own lingo (PDF, New Window) and our own technical jargon, and we are quite fluent in our language. This is normal for many fields, right? What may be different for us, though, is …
