What families and professionals in early intervention need to know

This tipsheet was created based on discussions among participants in our Early Childhood Family Support Community of Practice (CoP).

Families need to know

What the disability ‘means’ for their child/family

• What it means for their family’s and child’s future (e.g. Know if their child is going to be okay)
  
• What other families do (e.g. How other families cope with similar situations)
  
• How to connect with experienced families (e.g. How to meet and talk to families who have already been through this)

How to manage time and resources

• How to balance family needs with child needs (e.g. work/economic needs, sibling needs, etc.)
  
• How to manage finances (e.g. programs/services to help with costs, how to get time off from job)
  

About EI services

• What is the role of EI services (e.g. what are they, and what is the goal of providing them)
  
• What other services are available (e.g. health and support)
  
• What are my service options (e.g. Medicaid therapy outside of school)
  
• What do these terms mean and what do these services involve (e.g. what does family-directed mean, what is a transdisciplinary model of delivering services, how is this different, how is this different from the coaching model)
  
• How much service is enough (e.g. Isn’t more always better, why is doctors recommendation for amount of services not followed)
  
• How do I find, or know I have, a qualified provider (e.g. What’s the law say about the qualifications of providers)
  
• Where is the best place for services to be delivered (e.g. why does the EI provider want to come to my home, why an inclusive setting, how do I know my child will do ok with this placement, won’t other kids make fun of him, ect.)
  
• What are my rights and responsibilities (what does entitlement to a multi-disciplinary assessment mean, what is my role on the IFSP team, how do I complain or dispute a decision)
  
• What do other people do (e.g. what are the roles of IFSP team members, what is the role of my service coordinator)
  

Professionals need to know

About the Family

• Their Vision
  
• Their Goals
  
• Their Priorities (e.g importance of connecting to other families)
  
• Their Needs
  
• Their Strengths and Capacities
  
• Their Concerns
  
• Their Culture
  
• Their Home
  
• Their Child (needs, strengths, potential)
  
• Their whole family (members, structure, routine)

About Information and Services

• Services available (what, where, how to get them, etc.)
  
• Other sources of information (e.g. internet, local sources, etc.)

How to communicate with families

• Have available and use multiple methods of providing knowledge (guidebook not enough)
  
• Provide multiple opportunities to learn (information repeated many times)
  
• Elicit/encourage/facilitate vision from family
  
• Connect families with other families who have experience with similar issues