Early Intervention Strategies for Success

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

 

Pop Quiz: What is the activity that families report in the literature as the most helpful thing that happens on EI visits?

Answer: Problem-solving

Are you surprised? It makes so much sense when you think about how much you talk with families about their challenges – teaching the 18 month old to sit in the grocery chart, understanding a …

Are you Service Provider A or Service Provider B?

Service Provider A always brings a bag of toys to each visit because this allows her to plan ahead. Having a toy bag ensures that she has the materials that she knows will work, which is great because many children she sees don’t have many toys. The children …

This will come as no surprise to you as an early interventionist…findings from a new study in the online journal JAMA Pediatrics suggest that electronic toys are not so good for toddler communication development. Shocked? I knew you wouldn’t be.
Electronic Toys & Play Interactions
I often found this to be a big challenge on intervention visits …

You’re back at work and facing a daunting task…making up all the visits missed on the previous two snow days. Three of your families live on small back roads that probably won’t see a plow for days. Two others love the snow so you can expect that they’ll want to you to come ready to …

Here’s a question for EI leadership: How do you know if your program is achieving positive outcomes for children and families? 

This question is an intricate one for local system managers and other leaders. The answer lies at the heart of what we do.
Child Outcomes – How Do You Know?
On the surface, you could say, sure we …

After earning a masters degree in education at the University of Kansas, I moved to North Carolina and accepted my first professional position as an Infant-Toddler Specialist providing home based services to infants and toddlers with identified developmental differences or those at risk for future delays.  This opportunity put me directly in the trenches with …

In your busy day, there’s often very little time to stop and really think about what you’re doing. Instead, you just “do” what needs to be done. In Virginia, and in many states, early interventionists (EIs) are working very hard to adopt coaching practices as a means of interacting with families. When you do stop …

I was driving down a narrow back road on my way to a visit when my car simply died. There was no where to pull off the road so, where I stopped was where I stayed. I wasn’t too far from the family’s home so I turned on my emergency flashers and started walking. When …

In Virginia, we’ve spent the past few years working hard to learn about and adopt coaching practices. Six regions in our state have completed two levels of coaching training for master coaches and coaching teams. In total, 84 Master Coaches and 278 coaching team members participated in training and follow-up technical assistance with the coaching gurus, Dr. Dathan …

“Emma runs away every chance she gets. Open a door and she bolts. Try to walk with her into a store and she screams until she wiggles free. We can’t take her anywhere!”

This is how Emma’s mother describes one of the family’s main concerns. Emma’s behavior is difficult for them to manage, and one of …

VCUE Logo, ITC Log, Infant Toddler Connection of Virginia Logo and Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services