Abstract
This column is a forum for those who play an important role in the lives of young children with disabilities and other special needs, to share their passions and reflections on the current state of the field
Chelsea Guillen is the 2011 recipient of the Rose C. Engel Award for Excellence in Professional Practices. Chelsea has been a part of the early intervention field, in a variety of roles including, interventionist, supervisor, professional development, and technical assistance provider, and as a parent and family member.
Early intervention has changed significantly since I began working in the field. One of the most significant changes is the shift from child-centered services to family-focused supports and services. In my opinion, this critical shift finally acknowledged the important role early relationships and experiences have in shaping young children’s development. While we have known this for years, it has been rewarding to see this shift in the way we support families. Early intervention is somewhat unique in its emphasis on the importance of healthy family systems and the individualization of supports that address the unique priorities and resources of the family. While this approach is a great benefit to the families served in early intervention, it makes interventionists’ work even more challenging. Ensuring that interventionists receive the education and training they need to work with the child’s caregivers should be a priority for our field. Tailoring supports to the individual needs of each family can be a difficult set of skills to successfully develop. This skill development can be even more challenging if the interventionist does not have opportunities for collaboration and reflection—two critical factors for professional growth and development. As we continue to move the field forward, we need to consider how these pieces can be expanded within our current systems so that all families have access to interventionists prepared for partnering with families.
A related part of this shift has been the focus on supports and services in natural environments. Although this concept has been in legislation for many years, it has taken a while for interventionists to fully embrace what is implied by this term. It is more than just moving clinic-based services into a family’s living room. It requires listening to families about the challenging aspects of their daily activities, asking questions about what the family enjoys doing together (or would like to enjoy doing together), working together to find strategies that can be embedded in families’ routines, and exploring options for enhancing the family’s participation in their community. Achieving this requires a variety of different skills. It requires strong communication skills, believing in the importance of the knowledge and skills the family possesses, a working knowledge of how child development is linked to functional skills, and learning about the resources in each of the communities that the interventionist serves. It also requires that interventionists have ways to access the information and expertise they do not possess and have enough support that they can be fully engaged each time they visit a family.
I am not suggesting that achieving all of these will be easy. In fact, I frequently hear about the consequences for families and their young children when interventionists are not well trained or fully supported. I am committed, however, to finding ways to enhance these particular aspects of the early intervention field and hope that others will join me in advocating for our needs. I really believe that investments in professional development, collaboration, and reflection will help the early intervention field achieve desired outcomes. That is, families will gain the confidence and competence to meet their own needs so that they can support their children’s development and full participation in home and community life.