Session Descriptions

Birth to Three: Working Together to Serve Children and Their Families

December 4–16, 2019 | Online Conference

These pre-recorded lectures are on-demand and last only an hour, so you can listen to them whenever time permits!

Providing Early Intervention Services Under IDEA Part C: Requirements for SLPs
Sharon Ringwalt, PhD 

This session will examine the basic components and requirements of Part C (Early Intervention) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The speaker will discuss the elements of the regulation as they apply to speech-language pathologists. This session will also provide a brief outline of the sessions that make up the conference.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• describe the principles underlying IDEA as they apply to services for infants and toddlers and their families
• apply the steps of the early intervention process to your work with infants and toddlers and their families
• select evidence-based practices for your work with infants and toddlers and their families

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Intervention and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Intervention.

Using Capacity-Building Practices in Caregiver Coaching for Early Intervention
Juliann J. Woods, PhD, CCC-SLP

As early intervention providers increasingly emphasize parent- or caregiver-implemented interventions using coaching, they need flexible and effective strategies to promote caregiver capacity. Capacity building occurs when early intervention providers foster caregivers’ confidence and competence to enhance their child’s learning and accomplish family-identified outcomes in everyday routines. This session will explore how SLPs and audiologists can strengthen the caregiver–child relationship so that caregiver-implemented interventions produce positive outcomes for both the child and caregiver.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• review practices you already use and identify additional practices that promote collaborative, family-centered, and capacity-building interactions
• identify five strategies to integrate into your current work to enhance family-centered and capacity-building practices
• use a home-visiting checklist to support integration of practices that are family-centered and capacity-building

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Working With Families and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Working With Families.

The State of Telepractice for Delivering Early Intervention Services
Arlene Stredler-Brown, PhD, CCC-SLP

Telepractice is becoming a recognized platform for delivering family-centered early intervention services. However, many providers and Part C Service Coordinators are not comfortable with this service delivery approach. This session will review recent literature supporting telepractice as an effective, satisfactory delivery option and explore the obstacles related to the use of telepractice for the early intervention population.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• state common concerns about the use of telepractice
• identify the growing evidence that supports the use of telepractice with young children and families in early intervention programs
• describe the processes undertaken by state early intervention programs and nonprofit agencies as they adopt and fund telepractice
• summarize the attitudes toward telepractice of parents, service coordinators, providers, and administrators

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Intervention and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Intervention.

Early Intervention Primary Service Provision in Natural Environments
Naomi Younggren, PhD

Primary service provision in natural environments is a service delivery approach that is increasingly used with young children and families in early intervention. This team approach—where one professional is identified as the primary provider for the family and receives coaching support from other team members—can present challenges for some professionals and families due to the extension or release of more traditional roles. This session will explore some foundational underpinnings of the delivery model and discuss its key components for successful implementation, including how children learn in their natural environments, how family-centered practices are integral to intervention, and how principles of adult learning are critical to making intervention successful.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• describe to families and caregivers how children learn in the context of natural environments
• explain how primary service provision aligns with children’s learning, natural environments, family-centered practices, and adult learning principles
• identify processes for determining the most likely primary service provider
• delineate practices that support the use of a primary service provider (e.g., role release/extension/assistance, team communication strategies, joint visits, and shared responsibility for outcomes)

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Intervention and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Intervention.

Infants and Children With Complex and Special Health Care Needs
Jennifer Casteix, MS, CCC-SLP

This session will discuss the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment where many children with complex or special health care needs start their lives, and explore the early intervention services these children may require. The session will describe some of the causes of the need for specialized care—including genetic and rare disorders, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder/fetal alcohol syndrome (FASD/FAS)—and discuss ways that SLPs can support these children and their families.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• describe characteristics of a young child with complex or special health care needs
• name two possible outcomes seen in young children diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome as babies
• list ways SLPs can support families after they have left the NICU

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Atypical Child Development and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Atypical Child Development.

Earlier Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Linda R. Watson, EdD, CCC-SLP

The majority of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not diagnosed until after age 3, meaning they and their caregivers miss the critical opportunity to access intervention during a developmental period when effective services can have a dramatic impact on their lives. This session will discuss how SLPs can contribute to earlier diagnoses of ASD by engaging with a broad range of service providers in routine ASD screening of infants and toddlers. The session will also explore the steps for sharing screening results with families and guiding them to appropriate follow-up services after a positive screening.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• use at least two different screening tools that are sensitive to ASD symptoms in infants and toddlers
• explain to a family caregiver what a positive screening means and what recommended next steps are
• discuss with a family caregiver potential barriers to accessing recommended services and how these barriers might be overcome

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Atypical Child Development and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Atypical Child Development.

Working With Preverbal Infants and Toddlers Toward Early Speech
Rhea Paul, PhD, CCC-SLP

Toddlers with a range of communication disorders can be minimally verbal past the age at which children typically begin speaking. This session will describe an integrated approach using AAC and interventions that target vocalizations to increase expressive language and speech production in young children who are minimally verbal or nonverbal.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• create an assessment plan for a toddler who is not speaking
• explain to parents how AAC and speech-focused activities work together to enhance early communication
• coach parents on techniques for eliciting vocalizations and early speech behaviors in toddlers who are preverbal
• create a list of activities that integrate emergent literacy with communication (e.g., dialogic storybook reading) for parents to use

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Intervention and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Intervention.

Feeding and Swallowing Disorders in Toddlers
Memorie M. Gosa, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-S

Feeding and swallowing skills evolve during the first 3 years of life. This session will explore the resources needed for effective identification and management of feeding and swallowing disorders in toddlers.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• name the seven evaluation areas for clinical feeding assessment in toddlers
• describe the intervention options available to treat feeding and swallowing disorders in toddlers

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Atypical Child Development and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Atypical Child Development.

Supporting Children and Families Transitioning Out of Early Intervention
Mary Louise Peters, MEd, MS

Transitioning out of early intervention services can be confusing for families and professionals who support them; the process is often fraught with misconceptions about requirements, entrenched practices, and emotional reactions. This session will discuss the regulations related to transitioning out of IDEA Part C services and identify evidence-based, family-centered, and responsive practices that can help SLPs effectively collaborate with young children, their families, and other professionals for smooth and successful transitions.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• summarize state and federal regulations, eligibility requirements, and resources for IDEA Part C transitions
• describe the key steps in the transition process from IDEA Part C to other services or out of services entirely
• identify evidence-based practices for working with families on the transition out of IDEA Part C services
• describe ways to incorporate the perspectives of the child and family with your professional expertise—and the expertise of other professionals—in your work with families transitioning out of early intervention services

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Working With Families and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Working With Families.

Feeding and Speech Interventions for Young Children With Cleft Lip and Palate
Maia Braden, MS, CCC-SLP

Cleft lip and/or palate is the most common birth anomaly, affecting 1 in 700 live births, but SLPs who work in early intervention often report limited training and comfort with this population. This session provides an overview of cleft conditions from birth to 3 years. The speaker will discuss feeding challenges and interventions, surgical timeline, and speech and language development and interventions for infants and toddlers with cleft lip and/or palate.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• describe how cleft palate impacts breast and bottle feeding, and describe what is needed in a feeding system for a child with this birth anomaly
• explain how speech sound acquisition prior to palate repair may differ from typical speech sound development
• identify two ways to support speech development in toddlers post-palate repair

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Intervention and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Intervention.

AAC for Early Intervention: Myths and Realities
MaryAnn Romski, PhD, CCC-SLP, and Rose A. Sevcik, PhD

This session will provide an overview of myths—widely held but false beliefs—that have hampered the use of AAC in early intervention services (e.g., that a child must be a certain age to benefit from AAC, or that AAC hinders or stops speech development). The presenters will provide evidence to refute these common myths and discuss strategies for how to debunk them.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify myths that hamper AAC service delivery to young children receiving early intervention services
• implement strategies to debunk these myths

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Intervention and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Intervention.

Core Competencies for Early Interventionists
Toby Long, PhD, PT, FAPTA

Part C (Early Intervention) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) emphasizes a team-based model and provides for professional development programs to develop the skills and knowledge of service providers. This session will describe the process used to identify and develop effective team-based, interprofessional competencies and discuss their use in practice, with the goal of enhancing outcomes for young children and their families. The session will discuss common and discipline-specific competencies and identify challenges to and solutions for incorporating the competencies into practice.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify activities to promote interprofessional personnel standards for early intervention providers
• identify the common and discipline-specific competencies for providers who serve young children and their families in early intervention programs
• describe opportunities for interprofessional education to enhance child and family outcomes

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Working With Families and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Working With Families.

Supportive Early Intervention Practices for Young Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Catherine Cronin Carotta, EdD, CCC-SLP

This session will introduce a model for implementing early childhood education and assessment practices for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The presenter will use classroom and home-based video samples to demonstrate how adapting the physical learning environment, addressing the emotional climate, selecting learning formats, and using language facilitation techniques can benefit all children.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify four components of the developmentally appropriate practices model
• identify three ways to modify the auditory environment to ensure auditory access
• identify three benefits of using the auditory-visual continuum practices with children who are deaf or hard of hearing
• identify four communication strategies to support children who are deaf or hard of hearing

The Illinois Early Intervention Training Program has approved this recorded session for 1 hour of EI credential credit in the area of Intervention and the corresponding live chat for 1 hour of credit in the area of Intervention.