BONUS Episode!  Listen as I share my story of how I went through the Early Intervention process after referring my son.  I hope by me sharing my perspective and what I've learned from it will give you some insight into how you interact with families.  Listen as I share a quick self check on how to know if you are coaching and using the practice as it's intended and not what you think it should look like.  

Don't forget to check out the podcast on Instagram @rainbows_rain_podcast

What do you do when what you're doing isn't working?  Progress is really slow or almost immeasurable and you and the caregiver are feeling really discouraged.  Do you start going down a rabbit hole of strategy after strategy; brainstorming with the caregiver on what to do to get him/her to do ABC???  Listen as I discover the answer is sometimes right in front of us.

I'm busting the "Top 10 Coaching Myths/Misconceptions!"  Embrace the struggle because a lot of growth can come from all that rain!  Coaching can be hard but it does work and can work with everyone.  Listen as I address the 10 myths about coaching or as I call them, the 10 reasons coaching can be difficult, and ways to overcome the roadblocks we all face on visits as we work to empower and support families on and in-between visits.

For support and resources check out the Rainbows and Rain website.

Rainbows & Rain has a website!  Check out links to materials and recommended resources I've used to fuel my growth in my Early Intervention Practice.  

Most of us know WHAT coaching is, I want to know more about HOW to do it and do it better!  Working with adults and teaching adults is not something I learned in college!  I'm an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher; no where in my title does it say "adult" but everyday on every visit I am working with at least one adult that is responsible for the learning, growth and development of an infant or toddler.  I've only recently discovered the Adult Learning Principles for Early Intervention visits and I need to know more because through these principles and balanced intervention strategies I think lies the key to HOW to do it better!

What's changed?  How did we go from stormy visits trying strategy after strategy; brainstorming and trying different sensory tools and activities to, "Everything's good - We're doing ok!"  Wait, what?  Let's pause and check in on what's changed and how that happened.  Create awareness with your families by asking these questions in hopes they can identify what has changed so that they can translate it to other routines or aspects of their family life.

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 day work life can make all the difference not only for us but for the caregivers we support. 

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?  In this visit I learned I didn't check in enough because what mom was really asking was, "How are we working on talking?" 

Resources:

"Chart of 11 Skills Toddlers Master Before Words Emerge" from Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP

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 problem solving with caregivers is something we do on almost every single visit.  I reflect on 2 visits I had last week with 2 moms that needed HELP!!  Listen to the 4 step process I try and stick to!

1. Define the Problem

2. Generate Ideas (BRAINSTORM)

3. Chose a Solution

4. Develop and Implement the Plan

Resource: Facilitating a Problem-Solving Approach for Families (handout)

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 next visit?  Do families check-in with you during the week?  What would be the benefits of checking in before the next visit?  In this episode I share tips and tricks from my collective colleagues on how to make joint planning and sharing easiest for everyone!

Resources: 6 Key Ideas on Joint Planning with Parents

YouTube Video: Foundations of Coaching in Early Childhood: Joint Planning