421 Week 11

Learning:

• This semester I've learned more about what it means to be a professional who works with children and their families. There are lots of varying homes and families we will come in contact with. We have to try not to judge them or let any judging get in the way of helping that family be successful and happy. I've also gotten to review the laws that deal with Special Education and rights for those with disabilities. I've also thought a lot about what makes a disability a disability. There are labels that come with everything. And which labels are we choosing to represent certain groups? And what makes a label inappropriate or appropriate? I've learned this semester that working in the field of education is more than just working and helping children, but it is about helping their families, too. Families are the closest unit to the child and by helping families we are helping the children.

Quote:

• None

340 Week 11

Learning:

• This last week I had my final home visit. Sister Swenson was there to observe me, which was slightly intimidating. But, the truck tubes I made for Cole are awesome!! He loved playing with them. He made noises into the tubes and was mimicking the noises we made. We also looked at each other from opposite ends of the tube. He rolled balls and trucks through the tubes and saw them come out the other end. There is a red, yellow, blue, and green tube. On each tube are his name, numbers, and cutouts of cars and trains. I'm so proud of them! I should have planned to review the future development and resource plan with mom in a different way. I was thinking I could go over every single thing. But with Cole playing with the tubes, it was awkward to try to go over each page and to play with him, as well. And it was a challenge to transition back and forth, too. So, I eventually just stopped and played with Cole and the tubes. I also emailed the mom a copy of both plans. I hope she likes them! I suggested things to purchase and also ways to implement activities in the home that promote Cole's development. It's been a fun semester getting to know Cole and his mom and learning what makes Cole smile.

Quote:

• I don't have a quote.

340 Week 10

Learning:

• Last week, I learned more about the Future Development Plan and the Future Resource Plan that I will be working on for Cole and his family. His mother doesn't have any concerns or specific areas of interest so I will be basing my plans off of Cole's current development and what his expected development will be in the coming months. So, I will base the plans and suggestions I give on his current levels of performance and what the next step of development will be. We had a good home visit. I brought some tubes and a container for Cole to play with and explore. He spent a decent amount of time putting toys in or through the tubes and then dumping them out.

Quote:

• I took notes but didn't write any quotes down. :(

421 Week 10

Learning:

• I learned from our guest speaker last week. I forgot her name, but she is a Developmental Specialist. I really enjoyed learning from her what her job is like and everything it consists of. She said that she goes on home visits and does a lot of paperwork. She works with families that are low income and families that are high income. She goes into homes and does evaluations on children ages 0-3 and then provides services and a plan for that child and family. She said she likes that once she comes home from work, she is done with work. She also likes that every day is a bit different. She schedules her own visits and in between those times she does paperwork. It sounds like a great job!!

Quote:

• I didn't write any quotes down. :(

HWD:

• http://www.babycenter.com/0_tips-from-breastfeeding-veterans_8478.bc
• The website above provides a list of tips from moms who are breastfeeding or have breastfed their children. The tips are super awesome and it is a quick, simple read!

340 Week 9

Learning:

• I was evaluated by Celeste during my home visit. I learned that I need to involve the mother more and explain to her throughout the session how what we are doing is helping Cole's development. I also learned that the family can get me some materials (PVC pipe) for the activity I am going to make and send home for Cole!

Quote:

• I don't have a quote. :(

421 Week 9

Learning:

• This last week I learned that probably the most important thing we should do as professionals in the field of education and child development is appreciate and respect the families and children we serve. One Family Project presentation impressed me as the individuals in the group expressed their feelings and connection to this family (who isn't real) but who impacted their lives. We should try to sympathize with our families and where possible, empathize.

Quote:

• I don't have one. :(

HWD:

• The video below is about different positions for breastfeeding. This series of videos is awesome.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9kKp3YnNYY&index=3&list=PLlH0Gqjj4t-odOCHsAss_igjDLuWSw0te

340 Week 8

Learning:

• This last week, I spent my visit playing more with Cole. After learning from Sister Swenson that we need to relax and have fun with our babies and families, I decided to follow Cole's lead more and focus on enjoying the visit.
• I followed Cole's lead where he wanted to play. This means that I didn't do the exact activities that I had planned. But, I think this was the best visit we have had so far! I can tell when Cole gets bored or tired of an activity. I then present him with another option or I follow him wherever he goes.

Quote:

• We didn't have class, so I don't have a quote. But I did learn from Cole's mom that a BOB stroller is great and I should consider buying one.

421 Week 8

Learning:

• I learned last week that I need to care for and have compassion for all those I serve. That means I need to be humble and meek and charitable as I work to help families and children in their trials and challenges.

Quote:

• "If thou canst do anything," He said, "Have compassion on us, and help us." (From Sis. Swenson's PPT - I can't remember who it is quoted from.)
• "We need to pray for those who know our children on the other side of the veil." -Sis. Swenson

HWD:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA3RLcNuW_U
• The video above is about breastfeeding and the pain that can come with it - if the baby is not properly latched onto the mother.

340 Week 7

Learning:

• I learned this week that I need to have more fun with my child and parent. Sister Swenson said that we are thinking of our interventions too clinically. What would we do if we went home and were to play with a nephew? How would we act? We should be more playful with our children. 
• I learned that I should plan activities but still follow the child's lead. It can be awkward being in someone else's home and working with their child (who they know best). But, we need to be bold in our play with the children. Some examples of activities I could do with my baby are play peek-a-boo, roll a truck back and forth, and play hide and seek with his toys. We also are going to work on some sign language at our next appointment.

Quote:

• "Play at your appointment!" -Me.

421 Week 7

Learning:

• This week I learned that it is important that we work to help the whole family and not just the child. Siblings, parents, and caregivers need help just as the child with a disability needs help. I also learned that we always want to fix things. And - that's great. But, a lot of the time we need to accept that there is a disability and that we don't need to FIX it. We need to work to provide accommodations. I also learned that when talking to parents about their child, we should speak positively and describe things behaviorally. 

Quote:

• "It's amazing how your relationship changes when you say to the family, 'I don't know.'" Sister Swenson
• "When you're bored, you have to think 'What is my face doing?'" Sister Swenson

HWD:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs7ai466toE
• The video above is really awesome. It explains what happens in the hour after birth (including nursing).

340 Week 6

Learning:

• Last week we had our second home visit! I feel like I don't know what I am doing and it is awkward. Our boy did awesome at his goal! I've been thinking of ways to expand his goal so we have more to work on. He made so much progress in one session. Our goal was for him to bring mom a toy with a verbal prompt and gestural cue. And he did this several times! He just got tired of the activity after a while so we moved to a different location and time ran out soon, anyway. We worked on him bringing a toy over and handing it to someone without a gestural cue (and only with a verbal prompt) and he did it once or twice. It was great!

Quote:

• I can't think of a quote. A quote from my head that sums up the week is: "Babies learn fast."

421 Week 6

Learning:

• This week, I learned about the importance of fathers and the perspectives of children who have siblings with disabilities. I don't think that it's easy for anyone in a family where there is an individual or are individuals with disabilities. And it's tough for each family member in different ways. So, maybe something I can learn from all of this is that I need to be patient with all my students and families. Everyone is going through the grief cycle in some aspect of their lives. I also need to be more intentional in inviting fathers to participate in their children's growth and education. I usually always go to the mother first...and I should be going to the mother and father, not just the mother.

Quote:

• "More people are choosing not to get married in the first place," I think Sister Swenson.

HWD:

• Well my HWD project was getting a little boring to me. I don't think there was enough of the "deeper" in my topic. I think it would AWESOME to be a developmental specialist or early interventionist any by switching my topic I am not saying that this job would be boring or unfit for me. I think I want to research nursing (breastfeeding). I am going to be a mom in the springtime and would love to breastfeed. So I want to research all about breastfeeding: how it works, how to do it, the benefits, what happens in the process with mom and with baby, and other things I don't know about yet. Here's an initial article I found: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/breast-feeding/art-20047138?pg=2

340 Week 5

Learning:

• This week I had my first home visit! I completed the ASQ with the mother and father. Baby was there, too. I'm excited to work with him and this family! There's a lot coming in the next week. I need to write my first intervention plan and decide what we are going to do to help this baby in his development. I think I may administer another test...but I'm not positive. I'm a little overwhelmed with all we have to do in this short time. This first plan is just to find out the baselines or present levels of performance with the child. I need to form goals for the baby (a short and long term) before our next home visit to assess baselines. Also, I'm not sure how much I can say about my baby and family because this is online. So I won't say anything more specific.

Quote:

• "Have baby face mom." -Sister Swenson

421 Week 5

Learning:

•  This week, we learned about the grief cycle and how it plays a role in the parents and families of children with disabilities. It is amazing to me how this grief cycle is ever present. But, I also love how it is OK to be in this cycle. It's normal to feel anger, acceptance, denial, bargaining, and depression. I think as we learn to better recognize what stage we are in (or that someone else is in) we become more compassionate and come up with ways to move forward.

Quote:

• "Where are they at in the grief cycle?" -Sister Swenson 

HWD:

• http://www.earlychildhoodeducationzone.com/intervention-specialist-career/

340 Week 4

Learning:

• We didn't have class this week for 340. But, I contacted my family about scheduling a home visit this week! They haven't responded yet. I was able to make a copy of the assessment that will be given and have an environmental checklist ready for the visit, as well. And - I wrote an intervention plan on a case study from the text! It was fun to think of strategies to use with really little ones to help them meet their goal.

Quote:

• "Do you guys know all that you're supposed to be doing?" -Sister Swenson

421 Week 4

Learning:

• This week, we talked about family systems and the crisis cycle. I think my family is a closed system for most things. I was able to create an eco map for a classmate and see the many different relationships that play a role in her life. And, as she created an eco map for me, I was able to see the many relationships that play a role in who I am. And it was a good reminder that I have so many supports in my life. Throughout this past week, I also was able to recognize where I was at in the crisis cycle.

Quote:

• "Don't talk!" -Sister Swenson

HWD:

• http://work.chron.com/child-developmental-specialist-8910.html

340 Week 3

Learning:

• The smallest things are signs of developmental growth in infants. When babies gaze at something, when their eyes follow something, when they make facial expressions, and when they whine - they are showing developmental growth and ability to express themselves. We write our first plans based on the children and case studies in the textbook within the next week. It'll be fun to come up with ways to help pretend infants meet developmental goals or milestones because we have to think small! Those little things, such as responding with a facial expression, show development and could be something we implement in activities to meet their goals.

Quote:

• "Maybe you go back next week - and he's rolling all over the place." -Sister Swenson

421 Week 3

Learning:

• It is crazy how much our social subsystems affect our lives and who we are. The way that our parents interact, the way our parents raise us, the relationships we have with our siblings, and the relationships we have with others shape who we become. We discussed in class the different kinds of family systems we have. I realized through this discussion that the negative aspects of relationships with my siblings have left a lasting impression.
• Many people have different ideas of what it means to have a disability or an impairment. I think that many disabilities are treated as a medical condition and do need to be fixed. I see this with mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression. I remember learning once that in order to better myself, I needed to be OKAY with having anxiety. I needed to accept it and know that I was going to feel anxious. There's still a sense of....the way I feel isn't okay and I want to fix it, but the first step was to say: "I'm okay knowing that I will be anxious."
• I never realized that it was so important to not only help the family and child (in early intervention) on their child's progress but also to treat all the systems of the family. And that (I imagine) is where community resources come into play.

Weekly Quotes:

• "Siblings are the longest lasting relationships we have." -Sister Swenson
• "Maybe you go back next week - and he's rolling all over the place." -Sister Swenson
• "You will never have success if you don't look at all the systems and treat them." -Sister Swenson

HWD Paragraph:

• https://labor.idaho.gov/dhr/ats/statejobs/jobannouncement.aspx?announcement_no=07803057372

340 Week 2

Learning:

• This week, I learned about what our visits with our families should look like. Rather than a checklist type of meeting, it should be a meeting in which we discuss with the parents what they want their child to be able to do. From there, we discuss the strategies they've tried, what's been successful, and what's not been successful. I also learned what child I will have this semester!!! I'm pretty excited!

Quote:

• "What do you want your child to be able to do?" -Sister Swenson

421 Week 2

Learning:

• What I learned this week are the laws that provide equal access to facilities, jobs, and education. We learned in detail about ADA and IDEA. In the latter half of the week we focused on the services provided to children through IDEA. Services are provided through this law and are implemented in IEP's and IFSP's. 
• What helps me learn the most is coming to class and listening to the conversations. I like hearing what other people have to say, and the experiences we hear from Sister Swenson.
• I am prepared to apply what I've learned. When I am a parent someday and if I have a child with a disability or a child who needs additional help to access the curriculum, I will know what to discuss with the teacher and what steps to take.
• I helped my peers to learn more by making comments in class.

Weekly Quote:

• "Section 504 - doesn't meet IEP eligibility." -my notes

HWD Paragraph:

• I spoke briefly with Sister Swenson about my HWD project. I will be researching what Developmental Specialists do and how to attain this kind of job. I found this article (link below) that gives information on DS's and what their typical day looks like.
• http://www.specialeducationguide.com/teacher-certification/what-early-intervention-specialists-do/

ADA Card:

• Diagnosis: You have a sensory impairment. You have limited feeling in your hands. You will need to cook something while wearing oven mitts."
• I made nachos with oven mitts on. The most challenging part was trying to open little plastic and paper bags of spice to put in the ground beef. I ended up ripping open a plastic bag because I couldn't grab onto the small tabs to open the bag. I also cut onions with oven mitts and opened cans with oven mitts. I had to use a knife to push the tabs on the cans open because I couldn't grab them with my fingers. The onions made me cry so I put swimming goggles on. I'm sure my neighbors thought I looked ridiculous! Warming the nacho cheese on the stove was easy; all I needed to do was stir it with a large wooden spoon. So, there were some simple tasks that required an extra step but there were also some simple tasks that were doable with the mitts on.

421 Week 1

Things I know about families, communities, and professionals:

• There should be respect between the family and professional.
• Professionals should make sure that families feel they are a vital part of the educational progress and development of their child.
• Professionals should listen to families. Families should listen to professionals.
• Professionals should help families learn ways to better help their children developmentally.
• Professionals should help families form goals and follow up on goals for their child's development.
• Professionals should provide families with resources from the community.

What I want to learn:

• I want to learn where to find resources in local communities. I assume that those in the field of childhood development and education have access and more exposure to community resources.
• I want to learn more about being a Developmental Specialist. Is this the same as an Early Interventionist?

Weekly Quote:

• "Love God first and you will learn to love the children you serve." -me.

HWD:

• In the works

340 Week 1

What I currently know about home visits and working with infants/Questions I have:

• A home visit is made for the purpose of getting to know the family and the child. Home visits are also made to help the professional and the parent communicate with each other about the child and his/her progress. During home visits, the professional helps the parent implement techniques that will best help the child. The professional lets the parent take the lead and steps in when the opportunity is prime for instruction and guidance. At a home visit, the professional can see the child in action at home and with his family. Parents must know that professionals are there to help the family learn. Professionals must know that the family knows the child best and that we are there to help the family learn how to help their child. Professionals help families assess current routines and the satisfaction of their home life. Professionals help improve the family's home life where they see a need for improvement.