Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Focus on Family-Professional Partnership 2
Using What We Know About Early Intervention 2
About This Book 3
1 What Is Early Intervention? Understanding Early Intervention in Action 6
Early Intervention: A Definition 6
Who Is Eligible for Early Intervention? 7
Early Intervention Legislation: A Brief History 8
Six Concepts of Early Intervention 8
Six Components of the Early Intervention Process 10
Family-Professional Partnership: Keys to Collaboration 15
2 What's at the Heart of Early Intervention? Emphasizing Families and Relationships 19
Why Focus on the Family? 20
Family Priorities 22
Family Relationships: Trusted Interactions 23
The Family-Professional Relationship 25
The Big Picture: Related Policies and Accountability Requirements 33
Summary: What's at the Heart of Early intervention? 35
3 What's Already Happening? Valuing Child and Family Strengths for Learning 36
What Abilities Are Infants and Toddlers Learning? 37
Strengths of Everyday Learning Experiences 40
The Unique Strengths of Each Child 45
Ways of Partnering: Keys to Collaboration 46
The Big Picture: Related Policies and Accountability Requirements 50
Summary: What's Already Happening? 51
4 What's Going On? Making It All Make Sense 52
Tying It All Together 53
How Will I Know Service Coordination Is Working? 58
Keys to Collaboration 59
What's in the Community? 63
The Big Picture: Related Policies and Guidelines 67
Summary: What's Going On? 68
Tips for Making It All Make Sense (Service Coordination) 68
5 What Comes First? Assessing the Child, Important People, and Particular Places 70
What Is Assessment? 72
Shaping the Assessment: Family Vision, Priorities, and Outcomes 72
Constructing a True Developmental Picture 75
Answering the Big Questions 83
Keys to Collaboration 86
The Big Picture: Related Policies and Guidelines 88
Summary: What Comes First? 89
Tips for Assessing the Child, Important People, and Particular Places (Assessment) 89
6 What Will We Do? Planning the Blueprint for Success 91
Expected Outcomes: What and Why 92
Family-Professional Collaboration: Where and When 97
Family-Professional Partnership Process: Who and How 100
Purposeful Planning-Keys to Collaboration 105
The Big Picture: Related Policies and Guidelines 107
Summary: What Will We Do? 108
Tips for Planning the Blueprint for Success (Planning Interventions) 108
7 What Do We Do? Learning Together as a Family-Professional Partnership 110
Family-Professional Partnership: Keys to Collaboration 111
Where Intervention Visits Occur 115
Child Participation and Learning Strategies 119
Family Confidence and Abilities with Child Outcomes 120
Family Confidence and Abilities with Family Outcomes 126
Are Interventions Working? 126
Summary: What Do We Do? 128
Tips for Learning Together (Home Intervention Visits) 128
8 Where Else? Joining the Community 129
Routine Activities in the Community 129
A Community for All Children 131
Summary: Where Else? 137
Tips for Joining the Community (Community Intervention Visits) 137
9 What Next? Considering Now… and Later 138
Early Intervention: A Positive Future 139
Early Intervention Transitions 141
Transition as a Part of Early Intervention 144
Transitioning From Early Intervention 146
The Big Picture: Related Policies and Guidelines 149
Summary: What Next? 149
Tips for Considering Now…and Later (Future and Transition Planning) 150
10 What Can Be Done? Using the Guidebook 151
Individual Family-Professional Partnerships 152
Family and Professional Development Opportunities 154
Early Intervention Systems and Program Support 157
Summary: What Can Be Done? 160
Conclusion: Family-Professional Partnerships Going Forward 161
Appendix A Acronyms 162
Appendix B Glossary 163
Appendix C Family Preparation Questions 166
Appendix D Professional Preparation Questions 172
Appendix E Family-Professional Partnership Checklists 178
Appendix F Internet Resources 185
References 187
Index 201
About the Author 213
