Am I Coaching? A Podcast for Early Interventionists

How often do you disconnect and recharge your energy levels?  Do you find yourself reflecting this time of year on your day to day practices as an Early Interventionist?  Why do I do what I do?  I reflect on my practice and discover there are things I'm doing I'm not satisfied with.  Do you find the energy you bring to a home visit spreads to others during the visit?  Simple changes in our day to...

To quote Winnie the Pooh, "Tut-tut, it looks like rain!"  A cloud moves in after six months of visits when mom wants to know WHO is going to work on talking and WHEN are we going to work on talking?!?  If my brain was a vehicle I just hit the emergency break during this visit.  We check for understanding with our students but how often do we check for understanding with our parents and caregivers?...

How do we engage families and caregivers in the problem solving process?  Parents and caregivers often come to us seeking solutions to problems they face multiple times a day, making day to day routines and activities sometimes very difficult!  Do you give suggestions and solutions you think will work or do you engage caregivers in finding their own solutions and developing a plan?  Facilitating p...

Tackling the topic of Assistive Technology with families when our priorities as educators or therapists don't necessarily align with the priorities of families.  How do we meet family needs?  What is our responsibility when our idea doesn't match the parent/caregiver's idea of what to do?  What do you do?!?!  

How do you share information with families?  The pandemic forced many of us to think of new and different ways to communicate with families.  Joint Planning should happen at the end of every visit and reviewed on, or sometimes before, the next visit.  It's one of the simplest questions we ask, "What do you want to work on between now and our next visit?"  Do you check-in with families before your...

The IFSP tells the story of the child/family.  But how good are we at writing that story down and focusing that story into family specific outcomes/goals?  I'm working on my own skills as I write each family's unique story.  Do you find yourself on auto pilot at IFSP meetings listening to parents express the same concerns for their child?  How can we dig deeper into the story behind the concerns t...

If you had to describe the mission of Early Intervention what would it be?  I reflect on what empowers parents to do what we know they can do?  I reference stories both rainy and sunny about how I tried, failed and succeeded at empowering the parents I work with.  How do we as Early Interventionists fill the gap between parents feeling they need help to them feeling empowered?  Resources: The Art...

Practice makes progress with our families and with our students!  When can you seize those opportunities to practice?  How can you invite parents/caregivers to practice on visits?  I share a story about my son Sam who received Early Intervention services and a conversation I had with colleagues about this topic.  Parents/caregivers need practice as much as our students do. Both parents and childre...

In this episode I reflect on my emotions and process from moving towards a coaching model and away from the idea that "intervention comes from a bag."  I reflect on, "Why am I bringing what I'm bringing."  "What am I going to do if I don't have my bag!"  Listen to a story about a mom who needed help understanding sensory and how I got mom to "buy into" using something she's never used before.  Wha...

Joint planning is what connects each visit to the next.  Hear how this mom took action and ownership of how she was going to use a new visual cue with her daughter and what I didn't say that lead her to figuring out a way that was going to be easiest for her to implement!  You can never know enough about a family's routines.  It's sometimes the "micro routines" where we find the key to implementin...

Embrace the struggle (or the rain) it's how we grow!  This special episode links to the previous episode (Great Expectations).  Did mom leave the room again?  Was the joint plan followed?  Listen as I try and go back to basics in order to move forward with this family.  Am I really following mom's priorities?  How good are you at planning for the next visit?  Planning will be key with this family!

What are your expectations for parents and caregivers on visits? Do you know what they expect from you? How are we communicating these expectations? What happens when the parent or caregiver leaves the room? Are they avoiding the visit, do they have something more pressing happening at the moment? I reflect on a second visit I’ve had with a mom and son and how mom will leave us during the visit. L...

Weathering the storms during a visit! I reflect on a visit where I am walking into a storm. He’s mad and wants the phone; mom is trying to set limits and saying no however just as we get over one storm another one is brewing. How do I balance my support? Who do I engage with…child, parent?? What is my role? What is the plan? These things and more are thundering through my head as I try and support...

Forget the Chicken Soup! Feedback feeds the soul! Today’s visit taught me how important it is to share our feedback with our families. To affirm to them what they are doing is making a difference in their child’s life. Sometimes they need to hear it so bad that they are willing to snowplow their driveway to ensure you’re coming (as if snow in Minnesota could stop a home visit)!

What better way to start the first episode of the podcast than to begin with a very first visit with a family! Mom wants him to say, "please." "He won't say please!" "Why won't he say please!" How do you move parents to get off the hamster wheel of doing the same thing but not getting anywhere? Hear how I tried and stay tuned to see if I succeed with this mom and her persistence with "please."