Sharing What Works in Supporting Infants & Toddlers and the Families in Early Intervention
“Come look at his knees,” a concerned parent asked me.
The toddler climbed off the couch and ran, no, barreled towards me.
“Look! When he stands, his knees are touching! What’s wrong with his legs?”
“He’s 2-years-old, right?” I asked.
“Yes,” said the mom.
“Nothing, this is typical knee alignment for his age. Let me explain…”
Parents are most concerned about …
“Jesse keeps standing up in the shopping cart. He won’t hold my hand in the parking lot either. How can I keep him safe?”
Jesse’s mom is desperate for advice. She’s struggling because, with Jesse’s developmental delays, he’s not yet understanding simple instructions very well. He also has a toddler’s typical strong will. If you were Jesse’s service …
Consider bath time for these two families:
Quenton’s bath typically happens right after dinner at about 6:15pm. He has his bath with his older brother each night. Bath time typically lasts a good 30 minutes, time enough for his dad to get both boys washed and then have time to play. Quenton’s father typically plays with the …
About 30 min into your first visit with Mason’s family, his father asks “Will he ever walk?” Mason had a stroke shortly after he was born which affected the left side of his body. He is just under two years old and is beginning to sit with very little support. His father is an athlete …
It’s Thursday, the week’s almost over, and I bet you were just thinking…man, I sure wish I had a few ideas to help (insert child’s name) use his hands to play! 🙂
You may be supporting an infant or toddler who has cerebral palsy or another neurological condition that causes increased muscle tone. If the child has tightly fisted …
We could call this one the “what’s in it for me?” principle. We know how we are…as adults, we usually pay attention to information that is most relevant to our current situation. We tend to remember information that is most immediately useful, skills that get our needs met, and strategies that we can practice right …
On your first visit you ask, “Is Tyler saying any words?”
“Oh sure, Tyler has lots of words! He can say ball, mama, doggie, outside. He probably says 20-30 words!” his mother replies.
When you ask for more information, you realize that Tyler’s words are almost exclusively said in imitation after his mom prompts him. He only has 2 words that …
Okay, be honest. Have you ever:
recommended that a family go buy books;
explained the importance of sorting colored teddy bears into matching bowls; or
listed “placing shapes in a 3-piece form puzzle” as an outcome on the IFSP.
If you answered yes to any of these, well, then you’re in the same boat as me …
Miguel is 19 months old and lives with a large family that includes his parents, three older siblings, an aunt, and his grandparents. He qualified for early intervention due to delays in gross motor development and low muscle tone. He’s also showing some slight delays in his expressive communication. During his assessment and subsequent intervention …
During the assessment, the professional team members notice some soft neurological signs in Seiko’s development, such as an indwelling thumb, slight scissoring of her legs, and low muscle tone in her trunk. Seiko was referred to early intervention by her pediatrician because she is 14 months old and not yet sitting or crawling. According to her …
