Virginia Early Intervention Professional Development Center

Virginia Specific Information

Based on what they learned during training, EI practitioners from the Tidewater and Valley regions shared these questions that they will use with families during IFSP outcome development to learn about what is important to families, about families’ routines, etc.

Good Questions TIDEWATER Will Ask Families To Develop Quality Outcomes

Good Questions VALLEY Will Ask Families To Develop Quality Outcomes

Good Questions ABINGDON REGION Will Ask Families to Develop Quality Outcomes

Good Questions RICHMOND Will Ask Families to Develop Quality Outcomes

Good Questions ROANOKE Will Ask Families to Develop Quality Outcomes

Handouts and Documents

The Decision Tree: Child Indicator Seeds for Success
Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia

These one-page handouts address questions, provide information, and describe strategies to help early intervention team members integrate the child outcome indicators into their practices. Access the following handouts by visiting the Tools of the Trade page and opening the 2014 archive.

Writing an Honest, Balanced and Meaningful IFSP Narrative (Oct 2014)
Identifying Strategies, Activities, and the Necessary Supports and Services to Achieve IFSP Outcomes (Apr 2014)
Using Assessment Findings to Develop Individualized Functional Outcomes (Mar 2014)
Tips for Engaging Families in Child Indicator Discussions (Jan 2014)

Quick Reference Guide – Want to Write a Good IFSP Outcome?

This quick reference guide was developed by the ITC and distributed to local system managers, service coordinators, and service providers in meetings and trainings across the state. This guide provides a 3-part format for writing outcomes based on Robin McWilliam’s work: Acquisition statement, Context, and Criterion for measurement. Please request permission for use or distribution outside of the Infant & Toddler Connection of VA system.

Tell Us About Your Child

This handout can be used to help families prepare for IFSP meetings and share information about their child and their priorities for their child’s development. The information gathered with this handout can be very useful in the development of IFSP outcomes and individualized intervention strategies.

Journal Articles

Tips and Techniques for Developing Participation-Based IFSP Outcome Statements
BriefCASE, March 2009 | M’Lisa L. Shelden and Dathan Rush

This BriefCASE contains strategies to assist early intervention practitioners in understanding how to write family-centered Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) outcome statements, which are participation-based and family-focused or child-focused and related to child learning within the context of everyday opportunities. (Please note that while the tips in this BriefCASE are very useful for writing participation-based outcomes, the outcome examples may not reflect the practices we use in Virginia for making outcomes measurable.)

Woods, J. J., & Lindeman, D. P. (2008). Gathering and giving information with families. (external website) Infants & Young Children, 21(4), 272-284. (external website)

This article examines the importance of exchanging information with families to support IFSP development. A framework and strategies are discussed to support a shared process that helps families understand the intervention process.

eLearning, Presentations, and Webinars

eLearning

Writing Functional IFSP Outcomes and Goals
VA’s Integrated Training Collaborative
Partnership for People with Disabilities at VCU

This module focuses on tips and strategies for developing well-written IFSP outcomes and goals, including key characteristics, rules of thumb, and a format for what to include in an outcome or goal. Time to complete: 30 minutes

Presentations and Training Curricula

Developing High Quality, Function IFSP Outcomes and IEP Goals – Training Package (external website)
Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center

This training package includes an introductory video, a set of 6 fully scripted PowerPoint presentations, handouts, activities and supplemental materials, and information about how states have used and adapted the materials.

Enhancing Recognition of High Quality, Functional IFSP Outcomes: A Training Activity for Infant and Toddler Service Providers (external website)
Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center

This training activity guide was created to support participants’ understanding of the criteria needed to develop and write high quality, participation-based Individualized Family Plan (IFSP) outcomes. This guide includes information that can be used to define high quality, participation-based IFSP outcomes and guidance for three activities.

Building the Legacy for Our Youngest Children with Disabilities: A Training Curriculum on Part C of IDEA 2004
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Module 5: Procedures for IFSP Development, Review, and Evaluation (external website)
Module 5 takes a detailed look at what the Part C regulations require in terms of the procedures used to develop, review, and evaluate a child’s IFSP.

Module 6: Content of the IFSP (external website)
Module 6 takes a detailed look at the content that must be included in each child’s IFSP, according to the Part C regulations. Each module includes a slide show, trainer’s guide, handouts and activity sheets for participants. These modules are part of a training curriculum that covers the early intervention process. Visit the site to see the full list of modules.

Tools

Checklist of Family-Centered Practices and the IFSP
VA’s Coaching Facilitation Guide

This checklist can be used to evaluate the use of family-centered practices and the IFSP. Service coordinators, providers, and administrators can use this tool when reviewing IFSPs to determine if these practices are present and to make suggestions for improvement.

Checklist - Key Characteristics of Well-Written IFSP Outcomes
VA Integrated Training Collaborative

This checklist can be used to critique an IFSP outcome or goal by comparing it to the key characteristics of well-written outcomes which are described in this tool.

Enhancing Recognition of High-Quality, Functional IFSP Outcomes and IEP Goals (external website)
National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC)

This document includes training activities designed to build understanding of the criteria needed to develop and write high quality, participation-based IFSP outcomes and IEP goals. Activity instructions, lists of materials, and rating tools are included.

Guidance for Reviewing IFSP Narratives

This resource provides questions that can be used when reviewing completed IFSP narrative to ensure quality data for child indicators measurement and reporting.

IFSP and Outcome Development Case Studies
Integrated Training Collaborative | Partnership for People with Disabilities

These early intervention child and family case studies were developed for preservice and inservice training. Each case study includes information about a family, a complete IFSP, and additional guidance for activities.

Learning Bytes about IFSP Development

Learning bytes are brief learning activities that supervisors, faculty, or other leaders can use to facilitate professional development with staff and students. These activities are designed to be of short duration and include instructions, handouts, links, worksheets and answer keys (as needed) to help you facilitate the activity with small or large groups. The learning bytes below focus on topics related to developing the IFSP. Visit the Learning Bytes page to review or download the learning bytes or look for additional activities.

Learning Bytes about Writing IFSP Outcomes

Learning bytes are brief learning activities that supervisors, faculty, or other leaders can use to facilitate professional development with staff and students. These activities are designed to be of short duration and include instructions, handouts, links, worksheets and answer keys (as needed) to help you facilitate the activity with small or large groups. The learning bytes below focus on topics related to writing IFSP outcomes and goals. Visit the Learning Bytes page to review or download the learning bytes or look for additional activities.

Outcomes to Goals to Strategies (external website)
Example Outcomes to Goals to Strategies (external website)
Tools for Early Steps Teams

These tools can be used to help teams write family-centered, functional outcomes, goals, and specific strategies to help families encourage development.

Videos

Benefits of Training in Developing Family-Centered IFSP Outcomes (YouTube, video)

Autumn, a local system manager, talks about her experience and the benefits to her local system that she noted following regional training in outcome development.

Jennifer Describing the IFSP and Outcomes (YouTube, video)

Hear how Jennifer, a developmental services provider from the I&TC of Virginia Beach, describes the IFSP and outcomes.

Lily’s Assessment & IFSP Development (YouTube, video)

This video features an assessment and IFSP team conducting a real-world assessment and initial IFSP development meeting with Lily and her grandmother. The process used by the professional team members to summarize the assessment findings using the three OSEP child outcomes as a framework is highlighted. The open-ended questions used to facilitate the IFSP outcome development process are also highlighted.

To help trainers, faculty, and supervisors use this video for professional development, a Video Reflection Guide is also available, which includes summaries of the video sections and reflection questions which can be used to guide discussion.

Websites and Programs

Writing the IFSP for your Child
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (external website)

This page provides an overview of the IFSP for parents including what is included in an IFSP, who develops it, and what happens after the IFSP is developed.

Virginia Early Intervention
Professional Development Center

IFSP & Outcome Development

Click the tabs below to review the resources.

Available Resources