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Summer 2004 Vol. 10, No.2 Providing quality care and education for all children NNaattuurraall EEnnvviirroonnmeennttss TOC All Together Now! is published three times per year. Letters, contributions, subscription requests, or reprint requests should be sent to All Together Now! 521 South Greensboro Street, Suite 100 Carrboro NC 27510 919.966.0059 • FAX 919.843.5784 email Molly_Weston@unc.edu www.fpg.unc.edu/~atn 23,500 copies of All Together Now! were printed at a cost of 42¢ each. 3 Concept Implementing Infant-Toddler Services in Natural Environments by Pat Wesley 6 Policy Update Child Protective Services/Early Intervention: New Collaboration by Karen Takas 7 PFI Faces by Molly Weston 8 Research Early Grade Retention: Is It Worth It? by Diane Early PhD, et als 10 10 Books Reviews by Molly Weston 12 Trainings Calendar of Training Events 14 Family Focus Some Things Never Change by Debra Downey 16 Feature Making Memories at Fit For Fun by Molly Weston 20 Ask PFI Community Opportunities—Get Going Now! by Susan Dean 22 KidSeen&Heard KidSpeak 24 Programs Reaching the 5 Stars The latest programs to receive 5 stars Editor’s Notes Sometimes my work carries over into my personal life.You know how it goes. Soon after I returned from Wilmington where I did the inter-view for this issue’s feature article, I was telling some friends about the wonderful children’s play space I had just visited.Not only did they look at me as if I were from Mars, they asked the question, “Why would anybody spend that much money on a place to play?” The best answer to that question well known in the early childhood environment is, “The most important work for young children is play.” As early child care professionals, you know how play strengthens chil-dren’s abilities and learning. They develop social skills, language, fine and gross motor skills, cause and effect rationale, reasoning, imagina-tion, memory—and the list continues! Not only does play bring educa-tional benefits, it brings pure joy—both to the child and to the adult who’s there to witness and participate in that first tower that doesn’t fall, the first ball that makes it in the basket, and the realization that “just because I can’t see it, it doesn’t mean it’s not there.” Play joyously with the young children you encounter every day. After all, it’s one of the biggest perks in your job! —Molly A publication of Partnerships for Inclusion Pat Wesley, Director Editor Molly Weston Designer Gina Harrison Photographer Don Trull Proofreaders Dave Sanel Editorial Board & Contributing Agencies Kathy Baars NC Public Schools Early Childhood/Exceptional Children Karen Chester NC Interagency Coordinating Council for Children Ages Birth to Five with Special Needs Mabel Dillard Family Support Network Karen Ferguson NC Division of Child Development Gina Harrison FPG Child Development Institute Katherine Laveck NC Division of Early Childhood, a division of the Council for Exceptional Children Ron Moore Head Start Duncan Munn Early Intervention Branch Pat Wesley FPG Child Development Institute In the last issue of ATN! we described natural environments and talked about why they are good for young children. In this article we will explore ways of imple-menting services in natural environments and evaluating these services. A variety of strategies can be used to develop, deliver, and support services within everyday routines, activities, and places.Let’s look at some strategies for developing new oppor-tunities in natural environments, first contacts with families, child evaluation, and IFSP development. Keys for successful delivery in natural environments One of the driving forces behind natural environments is the philosophy of having the services fit the child and the family rather than requiring the people to fit the services. By following this philosophy from the initial contact with the family and continu-ing through the entire process of service delivery, early intervention providers build on the strengths of the child and family. The focus of early intervention is on the child’s functional participation in daily routines and activities and, for infants and toddlers, on the family’s participation in a variety of community activities that are natural for them, including those that occur in the home. The family and the early intervention provider write an Indi-vidual Family Services Plan (IFSP) that reflects their concerns and priorities for the child. The development of the IFSP follows a collaborative process of w identifying child outcomes, w understanding the family’s routines and daily activities,support network,and community, w determining which child outcomes can be addressed best through which family routines and activities, and w identifying services and supports that can be provided within those routines and activities to maximize the child’s opportunities to learn through the natu-ral experiences of daily life. w A good Individual Education Plan (IEP) for children ages three to five years should reflect many of these features. It is almost always necessary for early intervention providers to expand their services to include consultation with other early childhood service providers and adults in the community to help them, as well as the child’s parents, to facilitate learning opportunities for the child in Implementing Infant-Toddler Services in Natural Environments by Pat Wesley Pat is director of Partnerships for Inclusion. She has worked in the early childhood field for more than 25 years. She and her family live in Chatham County. Concept ALLTOGETHERNOW! 3 natural settings. Ideally, the philosophy of providing early intervention services, including assessment, as part of the routines and daily activities of children and families should be embedded in agencies’written materials related to early intervention, and in all planning discus-sions with families and service providers. It is also promoted through public aware-ness strategies and activities. New opportunities How can early intervention providers enhance the service system at the commu-nity level to increase opportunities in natural environments? w Identify key players who could contribute ideas about the delivery of services in natural environments such as families, early interventionists, thera-pists, child care providers (center and home), and staff of community agencies who serve all children. In North Carolina, such people may serve on Local and Regional Interagency Coordi-nating Councils. w Involve these key people in planning and conducting a community forum about the benefits to children and families of provid-ing services in a way that does not disrupt, but rather makes the most of their every-day routines, activities, and locations. w Identify what resources exist in the community that could include young children with special needs and what additional resources are needed. Identify which resources are used already and if there are other resources of which people may not be aware. w Work with community groups to estab-lish new inclusive opportunities such as toddler story time at the public library, stroller- or wheelchair-accessible nature trails, wee-ones swim time at the public pool, infant-toddler play equipment at the community parks, and other recre-ational activities. w Provide opportunities for community and agency professionals and families to share the experiences, successes, and challenges they encounter as they deliver or receive services. w Compare notes with other early inter-vention programs, staff, and leaders from different communities. w Identify what resources are needed to include children with special needs and their families in naturally occurring community opportunities (such as assis-tive technology, materials or curriculum adaptations, and equipment). w Identify fiscal and policy barriers to intervention practices in natural envi-ronments. w Develop a plan to coordinate early inter-vention outcomes and activities with the goals and activities of programs in the community at large. w Create and sustain opportunities for professionals in early care and educa-tion as well as in early intervention to receive training together to support all children’s learning. Contacts with families How can early intervention providers convey the essence of natural environ-ments to families? How can they gather information about the family’s typical routines and activities that can be used to determine where, when, and how services and supports will be delivered? w Meet with families at a time and loca-tion convenient to them. w Before the meeting, provide them with information about early intervention services, making sure that all written materials provide examples of how serv-ices can be embedded within typical routines, activities, and places. w Revise intake forms to reflect the natural flow of conversation between the profes-sional and family.Consider ways that the form can facilitate discussion about the 4 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 family’s concerns, routines, and ideas about their child. w Think about the information needed from the family. Is there a way to obtain needed details about the pregnancy, birth, and medical history without asking the family during the first contact with them? Doing so relieves the family from having to repeat information they have provided before. w Ask questions about • what a typical day is like • activities the family enjoys at home • the child’s favorite activities and toys • the types of community outings that are typical for the family • opportunities the child has to interact with other children • the child’s strengths and challenges • how the family thinks their child learns best • what is most enjoyable/most challenging • what has been tried that works/doesn’t work �� where the family wants to spend time with the child • what questions the family hopes the child’s evaluation will address • anything else the family wants to add to give a complete picture of their child. ALLTOGETHERNOW! 5 Child evaluation Early intervention providers should talk with the family about where they and their child would feel most comfortable having the evaluation conducted. Ideally, a travel-ing evaluation team could visit the child at home or in another setting familiar to the child. Begin the evaluation process with a discussion of the family’s responses to questions about typical routines and activities. Ask the family if anything has changed since the last contact with the family. Explain to the family how the evaluation activities will relate to the family’s concerns and to the child’s functioning in daily life. Describe to the family several ways they can participate in the evalua-tion. For example, they may want to initi-ate an evaluation activity, or be present in the same room with the child. Gain as much information as possible with the least disruption of the child’s play. Do not repeat assessments or portions of assessments that have been completed recently by other providers. Use toys and materials that are familiar or comforting to the child and allow time for the children to explore them. Depending on how the family chooses to participate in the evaluation, provide an ongoing explanation of each evaluation activity during the evaluation, including specifics about what area of concern is being addressed. Link the evaluation activity to skills needed in daily activities. Talk with the family about the evaluation process.Ask the family at the beginning of the evaluation and throughout the process whether the child seems to be having a typical day in terms of his abilities and interactions. Ask if there is anything the child did or did not do during the evaluation that surprises the family.Discuss the desired outcomes for the child in real life situations. Conclusion By working with children and families in the environments that are most natural for them,we increase our chances of being responsive to their strengths and needs. ATN! Families can give information that will help to include services in their child’s most comfortable and natural environment. 6 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 Some major changes have occurred in federal legislation that will have a signifi-cant impact on early intervention in North Carolina. The legislation is the Child Abuse, Prevention, and Treatment Act (CAPTA). Specifically, the law stipulates that chil-dren under three years of age with substantiated abuse and neglect be referred for early intervention services. Similar provisions will be in the reautho-rization of Part C of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).This has additional implications for us at Together We Grow, the state Infant-Toddler Program, since such children are auto-matically eligible for services under the atypical development category. About 30% of such children are already being served by early intervention. However, given the total number of chil-dren with substantiated abuse and neglect in North Carolina, estimates indicate an additional 5,100 will be referred to early intervention over the next year. To prepare for these expectations, the Early Intervention Branch is chairing, with the Division of Social Services, an interagency planning team.The team will develop recom-mendations in the following areas: w identification of possible service providers w recommended practices in referral, screening/evaluation, and service deliv-ery procedures, and w infrastructure issues such as personnel development and child & program data needs. Activities and services will begin in August according to a phase-in plan,with all coun-ties participating by May 2005. The Plan is a joint Proposal issued by the Divisions of Social Services and Public Health in collaboration with Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina, The North Carolina Inter-agency Coordinating Council, and the Child Protective Services/Early Intervention New Collaboration by Duncan Munn Duncan E. Munn Head of Early Intervention Services, NC Division of Public Health. Policy ALLTOGETHERNOW! 7 Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services. At the local level, there will be extensive collaboration between the county Departments of Social Services (DSS) and the Children’s Developmental Services Agencies (CDSA). National research shows that children benefit greatly from early intervention. If child care providers, physicians, or other individuals in the community, suspect child abuse or neglect is occurring, they should contact their county DSS. If the agency reaches a finding of “substanti-ated” or “in need of services” for a child, this agency can then offer a variety of services and supports. With parental permission, the child is referred to the CDSA for a comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation. Based on this evaluation, child and family goals and activi-ties are set out in the Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP). If the child is in a child care setting, staff from that program are included as part of the IFSP team. Persons with questions, ideas, or recom-mendations regarding this plan should call Duncan Munn at 919.715.7500 exten-sion 251. They can also call JoAnn Lamm, with the Department of Social Services, at 919.733.4622 or email her at JoAnn.Lamm@ncmail.net. If you suspect child abuse or neglect , report it immediately to Child Protective Services, the local police department, or the Department of Social Services. Within 48 hours of a finding of “substantiated” or “in need of services” for a child under three years of age, DSS will refer the child to Early Intervention Services. For more information on how and where to file a report, call the National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-Child®). ATN! NC Division of Public Health, WCHS, Early Intervention Branch Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina NC Division of Social Services NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, & Substance Abuse Services North Carolina Interagency Coordinating Council Early Intervention & NC’s Infants & Toddlers with Substantiated Abuse & Neglect: GETTING STARTED Hispanic, or Native American children. Retention rates among special education students were higher than among non-special education students. Costs It is easy to think that retention has no costs—special appropriations are not required, and there is generally no mention of the impact of retention when discussing per child appropriations during budget deliberations. In fact, however, retaining children is expensive.A retention decision obligates state and local governments to an additional year of education for each retained child at a cost of more than $7500.Multiplying $7500 by the number of children retained (22,343 children in 2001–02) equals more than $170 million—a huge expense often made without discussion of alternatives that might cost less or be more effective. Grade retention research Extensive research on retention in grade indicates: by Diane Early, FPG Child Development Insti-tute, UNC-CH; Mary Bush-nell, NC Child Care Resource and Referral Network; Richard Clifford, FPG Child Devel-opment Institute, UNC-CH; Engin Konanc, NC Department of Public Instruc-tion; Kelly Maxwell, FPG Child Development Institute, UNC-CH; Sharon Palsha, FPG Child Development Institute and School of Education, UNC-CH; and Lucy Roberts, NC Department of Public Instruction Early Grade Retention Is it worth it? Research 8 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 Early childhood leaders across North Carolina are concerned with grade retention in early elementary school. Often, the choice seems to be between retaining children who are not succeeding or passing them on to the next grade with their peers. In this article we’ll highlight trends in retention in kindergarten through third grade in North Carolina and discuss the implications of and alterna-tives to this practice. Retention over time Rates of retention in the early grades in North Carolina have risen steadily during the past decade,more than doubling since 1992. This means that 22,343 children were retained in kindergarten through third grade in 2001–2002. Kindergarten and first graders are most likely to be retained. Retention rates have increased dramatically for all grades during the past 10 years. Boys in North Carolina were more likely to be retained than girls (4.7% of girls were retained compared to 6.3% of boys).Asian and white children had lower rates of retention than African American, ALLTOGETHERNOW! 9 w Retention in the early elementary grades, especially before second grade, is harmful. Students retained in first grade have been found to do worse academi-cally and socially compared to other low-performing students who were not retained. Negative effects have also been found for kindergartners who were retained. w Retention should entail specific inter-ventions targeted towards a student’s weaknesses. Research has shown that retention in itself does not positively affect achievement. w In several studies, students who were retained in school were more likely to drop out compared to similar low-performing students who were not retained. Students who are retained tend to continue their low academic perform-ance, to dislike school, and to be older than their classmates. These factors taken together may alienate students and lead to school dropout. Research Conclusion: Retention in the early elementary grades generally does not have long-term benefits for students and may have unintended negative consequences. For more information about this research see the NCERC report at http://erc.north-carolina. edu/docs/publications/social-promo. pdf. Alternatives to retention Schools can implement several effective interventions to help low-achieving students: w Employ assessment tools to identify children who need extra support as soon as possible so that interventions are in place early, usually within the first quar-ter of the school year. w Create teams of regular education teach-ers, special education teachers, and other specialists to develop interventions that work in the child’s regular classroom. Team members can use the child’s Personalized Education Plans [PEP] to guide and coordinate their work. w Establish procedures for regular communication among team members and coordinate regular and special education staff to support student achievement. w Inform parents as soon as problems are identified and encourage their active involvement in designing the child’s PEP, especially in identifying strategies they can implement at home. w Offer after school support by using volunteers to augment regular school personnel. w Offer enriched summer experiences as a way for students to catch up and have concentrated instruction in a smaller setting. Key to successful summer programs is presenting material in new ways to maintain student interest and meet the needs of children with various learning styles. w Provide intensive early literacy experi-ences for all children, with a special emphasis on those who begin school with few literacy experiences. w Provide intensive training on a particu-lar intervention, such as Reading Recov-ery or Math Grade Strategies for all staff members about interventions for low-achieving students. w Make connections with community resources such as area community colleges and universities to help support low-achieving students. When volun-teers from the community are involved, they are trained so that they approach instruction in a way that is consistent with the philosophy of the school. w Encourage a “can-do” attitude to try to do everything possible to avoid student failure. Encourage staff members to never give up on children who are strug-gling to succeed. To learn more about this early school reten-tion, visit www.fpg.unc.edu/~pir. ATN! 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% African American Asian Hispanic Native American Mixed Ethnicity White Percent Retained Male Female Ethnicity and gender were strong early retention factors in North Carolina’s Class of 2002. Beach Is to Fun by Pat Brisson illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa Henry Holt ISBN 0-8050-7315-9 Remember those tests where you had to figure out the relationships of words to each other? This beautifully illustrated rhyming book will give youngsters a head start on thinking about words. One spread has a swimming pool full of kids with one mom in the foreground rubbing a child with a towel. Two birds are flying by (one is perched on a startled boy’s head). The poem reads,“Water is to wet as towel is to dry. Arm is to swim as wing is to fly.” Imagine the delight when a youngster finishes that sentence for you! The Making of My Special Hand by Jamee Riggio Heelan, OTR/L illustrated by Nicola Simmonds Peachtree ISBN 1-56145-186-X Madison was born without a left hand. This is the story of how she was fitted with an electric prosthesis, or helper hand. When she was just a toddler she met Jamee, an occupational therapist (and the author) and Jack, a prosthetist who made the hand for her.Madison tells all the steps involved in getting the new hand—from making the mold through fitting the hand to teaching Madison to use it and teaching Mom to care for it.Because Madison is the narrator, this is a book that even very young children can understand. I’ll bet even most adults will learn something too! 10 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 Looking after Louis by Lesley Ely illustrated by Polly Dunbar Albert Whitman & Company ISBN 0-8075-44757-8 Sometimes inclusion just meets the letter of the law. Fortunately for Louis, who has autism,he’s in a class where other children are sensitive and his teacher encourages his success. The story’s narrator is the young girl who sits by him. She tells us,“I look after him,” even though he has an aide. When Sam, the soccer star, accepts Louis’s overtures toward his classmates, Miss Owlie makes accommodations for the group that would astonish Maria Shriver. Looking after Louis is the Rain-man for preschoolers! Grandpa’s Surprise by Rosalind Beardshaw Bloomsbury Children’s Books ISBN 1-58234-934-7 When Stanley’s friend Jack gets a new tricycle, he not only refuses Stanley a ride, he taunts him with his new toy. Grandpa remembers the days of soap box derbies, and he and Stanley build a beauty from an old wooden crate, the wheels from Stan-ley’s stroller, and some leftover paint.After Stanley, Grandpa and Bert the dog test drive the new go-kart, all the glamour has worn off Jack’s new trike and he’s now willing to share. The marvelous illustra-tions add much to the written words of this delightful book. books ALLTOGETHERNOW! 11 by Molly Weston To check out books reviewed in All Together Now! contact the NC Early Intervention Library 517 West Fleming Dr., NC School for the Deaf Morganton NC 28655 828.432.5267 email ncei.library@ncmail.net www.ncei-eclibrary.org The Learning Power of Laughter by Jackie Silberg Gryphon House ISBN 0-87659-268-X What’s more beautiful than the sound of chil-dren’s laughter? Ideas from the ever-creative Jackie Silberg will help you stimulate learning through laughter. Children will giggle their way through body awareness, cognitive thinking, dramatic play, and observation— just to name a few areas.Making learning fun is what it’s all about! The Very Best Daddy of All by Marion Dane Bauer illustrated by Leslie Wu Simon & Schuster ISBN 0-689-84178-7 The narrator of this delightful poetic trib-ute to daddies recognizes all the special things fathers do—from protecting their families to comforting cries and combing hair. The illustrations depict wild animal fathers with their babies, until the very last pages where the reader sees “the very best” daddy with his very happy son. Construction Countdown by K. C. Olson illustrated by David Gordon Henry Holt ISBN 0-8050-6929-8 This rhyming countdown book is perfect in many ways—concept of numbers, colors, and recognition of things in today’s streets and neighborhoods. I especially like the “surprise ending” that will give teachers an idea about how to incorporate books into several curriculum areas. Something Might Happen by Helen Lester illustrated by Lunn Munsinger Houghton Mifflin ISBN 0-18-25406-4 Twitchly Fidget (a lemur) worries about everything. He won’t participate in any of the activities that entice his friends because he envisions all sorts of horrible results. Fortunately, Twitchly Fidget’s Aunt Bridget Fidget comes for a vidgit, er-r, a visit! Aunt Bridget’s no-nonsense attitude gives Twitchly the impetus to try new things—and he finds he likes them! If you know a Twitchly Fidget, maybe this lucky lemur can be of help! Missing Rabbit by Roni Schotter illustrated by Cyd Moore Clarion Books ISBN 0-618-03432-3 Kara and Rabbit move from Papa’s house to Mama’s house every week, but one day, Kara decides to leave Rabbit to look after Papa. Then she wants him back. It’s no better when she decides to leave Rabbit to look after Mama. Adults reading the tale realize right away that it’s a story about the effect of divorce on children. Hopefully, children will recognize that even though their parents may have two places to live, the children will always have a loving home with each of them. 12 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 September 16–18 The Art of Gentle Touch Asheville Emma Miller 828.631.9933 October 26–28 PFI On-Site Model of Consultation Initial Training Black Mountain Brenda Coleman 919.962.7364 Dave Sanel 919.843.8041 November 8–10 PFI On-Site Model of Consultation Initial Training Salter Path Brenda Coleman 919.962.7364 Dave Sanel 919.843.8041 November 17–19 PFI On-Site Model of Consultation Initial Training Asheboro Brenda Coleman 919.962.7364 Dave Sanel 919.843.8041 2005 Jan. 13, Feb. 10, Mar. 10, Apr. 14, May 12 PFI On-Site Model of Consultation Follow-Up Seminars Hickory & Salter Path Brenda Coleman 919.962.7364 Dave Sanel 919.843.8041 • Training events are subject to change. • Call the contact number before attending any training events. trainings ATN! Trainings Change When ATN! began, there was no central directory of training events and the internet was in its infancy. Now information about workshops and trainings are available many places. On-line registration is a key tool for many of you. Because ATN! is printed only three times per year, our information is sometimes out of date by the time you receive it.With this in mind, we will no longer publish training information in this spot in our magazine. Our next issue will list websites and phone listings for organizations that have current information on train-ings, conferences, and events that may interest our readers. If your organization would like to be listed as a source of events, please email your listing to Molly_Weston@unc.edu. ALLTOGETHERNOW! 13 Early Intervention Organizational Changes Recent data show that child care centers are the fastest growing source of referrals of children under three with suspected special needs to early intervention services.This is an exciting development in identi-fying children early! Child care center staff are important partners in working with children who have special needs in many ways—referral, planning, and carrying out services. Recent statewide changes in how early intervention services are organized have resulted in more direct procedures for where such children under three years of age should be referred. Formerly these referrals went to the Area Mental Health Center. Effective July 1, such referrals should go to the Children’s Developmental Services Agency (CDSA), formerly known as the Developmental Evaluation Center.The CDSA is responsible for evaluating children referred and working with other community providers such as child care centers in developing and carrying out intervention plans for chil-dren who meet the eligibility requirements. North Carolina’s CDSAs are below. Asheville . . . . . . . . . . . .828.251.6091 Boone . . . . . . . . . . . . .828.265.5391 Charlotte . . . . . . . . . . .704.336.7100 Concord . . . . . . . . . . . .704.786.9181 Cullowhee . . . . . . . . . .828.227.7490 Durham . . . . . . . . . . . .919.560.5600 Elizabeth City . . . . . . .252.338.4044 Fayetteville . . . . . . . . . .910.486.1605 Greensboro . . . . . . . . .336.334.5601 Greenville . . . . . . . . . . .252.328.4480 Hickory . . . . . . . . . . . .828.466.5594 Morganton . . . . . . . . . .828.438.6263 New Bern . . . . . . . . . . .252.514.4770 Raleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . .919.662.4600 Rocky Mount . . . . . . . .252.443.8858 Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . .910.997.9240 Shelby . . . . . . . . .704.480.5440 x 210 Wilmington . . . . . . . . .910.251.5817 Winston-Salem . . . . . . .336.774.2400 Useful Web Sites Charlotte AHEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cltahec.org Division TEACCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.teacch.com Early Childhood Link at UNC . . . . . . . . . . .www.cdl.unc.edu/link/trainmenu.htm Early Childhood Low Incidence NetworK (LINK) . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ec-link.org Exceptional Children's Assistance Center . . . . . . . . .www.ecac-parentcenter.org FPG Child Development Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.fpg.unc.edu Family Support Network of North Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . .fsnnc.med.unc.edu North Carolina Partnership for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ncsmartstart.org NC Division of Child Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ncchildcare.net NC Early Intervention Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ncei-eclibrary.org NC Healthy Start Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.NCHealthyStart.org NC Immunization Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.immunizenc.com Parent Training & Information Center . . . . . . . . . . . www.ecac-parentcenter.org/ Partnerships for Inclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.fpg.unc.edu/~pfi Smart Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.calsplus.net/ncpc Teaching Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.teachingbooks.net TelAbility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.TelAbility.org Together We Grow Training Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ncei.org/ei/index.html US Consumer Products Safety Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cpsc.gov Wake AHEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.wakeahec.org 14 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 It’s hard to believe that my son turned 10 in March. Having two adult daughters, it is not so much the aging process but the challenges we have faced and the strides he has made that amaze me.We reached a milestone this year. For the first time, we celebrated his birthday with a party with friends and peers in a community setting. To most, that’s not a big deal. To me, it is a reminder that all the skills we have worked on for the last five and a half years are becoming a part of who he is. Our beginning is one of those horror stories about the delay of a child getting early intervention. It’s one of a parent’s communicating to physicians about concerns surrounding that child’s devel-opment and not being taken seriously, and being given the “wait and see” advice. The early years Unlike his sisters, my son CJ was a modern-day baby. I had a diary of prebirth pictures and videos.We knew he was a boy. At the urging of my physician, we had an amniocentesis done—and everything looked good. I had my first C-section when CJ decided the way he was lying for the last nine and a half months was no longer comfortable and he was ready for the world. I can still remember the day I took this beautiful little boy home. He was dressed in a newborn tux outfit! His nursery was in black and white stripes with a dalma-tions border, and he had enough clothes to last him to 18 months. I was excited to have another opportunity to embark on this journey of shaping a young life. CJ was a wonderful baby—he was bright and had us laughing all the time. One of his older siblings had been identified as “gifted,” so when CJ began speaking in full sentences at nine months, we were sure we had a little genius.He had some peculiar tendencies, but we respected the individualities and idiosyn-crasies of our children. Little did I know that this perfect world— along with his language—would disap-pear shortly after CJ’s first birthday. I would spend the next three and a half FamilyFocus Some Things Never Change by Debra Downey Debra lives in Wilm-ington with CJ and daughter Vikki, who works with exceptional children. Debra works part-time with the Family Support Network of SENC, the Advisory Council for Special needs, and the Student Support Team Process Improvement Committee. This article is dedi-cated to my mom, Gloria Alphair Williams. I wish she could see CJ now. Thanks,Mom! teacher, it worked. CJ is now in fourth grade, sharing a para-educator with three other students. He wants to be an ento-mologist when he grows up. Would early intervention have made a difference? We still struggle with speech, sensory issues and behaviors. Even with the remarkable progress he has made, I know if we had started earlier, the journey would have been different. Conclusion Some things never change. CJ is still a beautiful young man.He is still bright—a genius in his areas of interest. He is still funny, a trait I predicted would get him in trouble in school, and it does! There are those who still question my parenting skills. Even in my darkest days, my glass has always been half full. The only thing that has changed is that now I understand the reasons for his uniqueness and I have the tools and support to make our lives the best they can be. ALLTOGETHERNOW! 15 years in search of someone to validate my concerns about his atypical behavior and language loss. I was given a myriad of reasons for his behavior: “Boys develop later.”“You’re probably spoil-ing him. If he doesn’t ask for food, just withhold it and he will ask when he gets hungry.”“You need to get this child under control, before he gets totally out of control.” “He’s so bright, there is nothing the matter with him.” At age four, CJ had a speech evaluation which concluded that his language was delayed or absent. The journey Life sometimes takes you where you hadn’t planned to go. Shortly after his speech evaluation, I received a call notify-ing me that my mom had advanced cancer and needed someone to be in the home with her. This event was the catalyst that had me leave our home in Georgia and return to Wilmington.Driving north on I- 95, I had no idea that during the next year I would be saying goodbye to my mom, to my marriage of 24 years, and to the dreams I had for my son. At this point in our lives, I realized it was important to determine whether a glass was half full or half empty. One afternoon I made a phone call that would change our lives. This call, to the Exceptional Chil-dren’s Office resulted in a referral to the Developmental Evaluation Center (now Children’s Developmental Services Agency), who, in turn, referred me to TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped CHildren). In one afternoon, I had a possible reason for my son’s language loss and peculiar behavior— AUTISM. This was a bittersweet victory. It validated that this wasn’t a bad parenting issue, but now I was confronted with something that would affect every aspect of CJ’s life—and mine—and for which there was no cure. From this day on, I would be known affec-tionately as “CJ’s mom.” There would be countless meetings and mountains of papers. I would have a new circle of friends, new beliefs, greater wisdom and knowledge. I would master the art of pick-ing my battles, finding humor in every-thing, and keeping going lest I be run over by this little powerhouse. CJ The only word to describe CJ is amazing.He spent one year at the Child Development Center in a TEACCH model classroom. During that year his language reappeared (though disordered), he was toilet trained, his tantrums decreased, and he was moved into a classroom with typical peers.We were able to get a slot which provided speech, occupational therapy,and someone to work one-on-one with him. We opted for inclusion his kindergarten year, and with the help of Karen LaRue, his At 14, CJ is still bright, funny, and amazing. ATN! 16 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 by Molly Weston Molly is editor of ATN! She lives with her husband and Old English Sheep-dog in Apex and works from PFI’s Carrboro office. Feature Kathy instigated a playgroup for her son during her lunch hour. She invited several mothers and their children in her neigh-borhood to join the group. One of those mothers was Mary Albanese (now assis-tant director at Fit For Fun). One of the major criteria for this play-group, and what made it special, was that adults would play, actively, with their chil-dren. Another goal would be that parents could meet and talk with other parents. “We met on Tuesdays and Fridays during my lunch hour,” Kathy recalled. “Because we were borrowing space at the Art Center, we had to clean up all the toys when we left. Even when we grew and moved to space at the college [UNC-Wilmington],we were guests.We still had to pack up every-thing at the end of our sessions.” Finally, in 1999, a building was designated for Fit For Fun.“I have to pinch myself every time I come to work because this is such a dream come true!" Can you imagine better memo-ries for a child than playing with a caring adult? Lucky for the children of Wilming-ton, that vision has grown from a dream to a reality at the only play space of its kind in the world. Fit For Fun is a city recre-ational department’s wonderland for youngsters birth to five. Director Kathy Kittleson says, “We’re just part of creating a good memory for children from the very beginning. The more good memories a child has, they better off she is!" Today’s 4000 square foot space with art, quiet play, and snack rooms off a huge play area composing half a building is a far cry from the twice weekly play group which met in the town’s Art Center in 1986. Fit For Fun embodies everything Kathy, a recreational therapist, who once coordi-nated Wilmington’s Special Olympics and worked with Start with the Arts, had ever hoped for young children. Making memories at Fit For Fun The story in this space is usually about a child care program. In this issue, we are featuring a City of Wilmington recreational program where parents, nannies, grandparents, and other adults can bring young children, ages birth to five, to play in a safe, developmentally appropriate space just for them. It capitalizes on the motivating nature of play to engage children in explor-ing their world, creating meaning, and expressing their ideas, and it encourages their parents to be active participants in their child’s growth and development. One goal of the program is to promote the inclusion of children with special needs. ALLTOGETHERNOW! 17 Philosophy Kathy’s premise for parents is that they can say,“I can build this in to my day and know I have spent this creative time with my child.” Fit For Fun is not a child care center—it’s a place much like a park, where adults bring children to play and they stay with them while they are playing. Unlike parks, Fit For Fun objectives encourage and expect adults to play with the children in their care. Themes and associated activities change weekly to further stimulate creative fun for children and adults. Special events every month draw in groups from area child care programs such as Head Start. Fit For Fun staff are conscious of using developmentally appropriate toys and activities for children and for respecting the needs of the individual child. Mary explained, “Every day is different. Maybe the same things are here, but every child takes and interprets it differently. We’re strong on everyone playing with children and parents talking with other parents!” The facility Even entering the building for the first time, children know this is their place— from the colorful toys to the child-sized house to the pool of balls. Everything is suited for exploration. A thick, spongy, green rubber mat covers the interior of the activity room so that even tumbles don’t hurt. The walls are carpeted up to three feet to cushion collisions from riding toys. Once the wiggles are out, children can move into the art room, where low tables hold materials for activities related to the week’s theme. Tiled floors (and walls) made for easy clean up prohibit warnings of “be careful, don’t spill.”Actually, spilling is anticipated—otherwise the water table wouldn’t be full with bubbly water and pouring toys and the easels wouldn’t be equipped with paints in all colors. A certified art teacher comes in once a week to help with planning structured activities for three- to five-year-olds. “We include basic first step art techniques,” Kathy said, “creating, painting, stroking, pasting, patting.” Although the children can take everything home, some choose to leave some of their projects on display. A small playroom houses a puppet theater, dramatic play area, and blocks and manipulatives to stimulate fine motor skills. “Sometimes we set up a farm or town in there,” Kathy said, “all sorts of things to stimulate imagination and foster language.We try to recognize that all chil-dren have different interests.This is a nice area for kids to come and think after having run, run, run for awhile.” A small dining room boasts low tables and chairs and a cabinet with iced juice boxes and cookies for refueling the energy-burning children.Nearby, toddler- Playing with Mom or Dad, making friends, having fun—what could be better for tots? sized bathrooms answer the question every kid asks after (or during eating)! Program options When the high-energy music starts,many of the children migrate toward one end of the playroom. They know that Mary Albanese is ready to take them through some stimulating songs, dances, and group activities. On the day of our visit, it was pouring rain outside. Inside, too, it was pouring rain—but this rain was silvery mylar strips. Mary invited the adults to help her “rain” the strips on the excited children. Soon kids had joined the fun and were throwing strips, letting it rain around them. All children were welcome in the activities, but no one was coerced into joining. Several children, in fact, watched the play, while continuing their own amusements across the room. When they chose to join the group, they were welcomed without fanfare. Choice for children is important to Mary, a former Children’s Developmental Center (CDC) teacher. “One of the nicest things about our program is convenience.There’s no set time for classes or activities. Folks can come when it suits their schedule. And everybody can come—all abilities and disabilities.” Kathy added,“I noticed a child who came in one day was wearing a hearing aid.I just went and lowered the volume of the music so he wouldn’t have interference with his hearing.” Making modifications is just part of the day, a natural element of inclu-siveness. The program is so inclusive that we couldn’t even schedule a visit to high-light inclusion.Kathy was definite.“Some-times I don’t even know which kids have special needs, and I don’t even know all the therapists who work with kids here.” All kids together Physical therapist Beth Riegler loves seeing clients at Fit For Fun. “It’s great here. Kids [with special needs] can pattern after others. Gabrielle [who weighed only a pound and a half at birth] took her first steps a week ago and stood at length for the first time here. I come here because kids need other kids and experiences. Some-times things are very hard and challeng-ing, and being distracted by other kids who are doing those things influences them to do them too. “I like bringing parents here because they are isolated at home, and so often they are steered into the medical model of therapy. This is a fun place and they can come on their own and meet other families. It’s frus-trating for parents to try to do therapy when the child is bored at home. Having kids in this atmosphere—it’s just amazing! At home, from the coffee table to the couch is just two feet, but from the ball bin to the playhouse is eight feet.” Obviously, combin-ing therapy with play is a good thing. “I often meet an OT [occupational thera-pist] here and we work with several chil-dren at the same time.Over there is a phys- Fit for Fun 302 South 10th Street Wilmington, NC 28401 910.341.4630 Staff Director Asst. Director & Recreation Coordinator Recreation Specialist - Art Instructor Administrative support staff Equipment manager Hours 9-12 & 1–5, M-F; 9-12 Saturdays Cost Children $3.50/session Adults free Private parties 1:00 & 3:00 Saturdays $100 for 8 children, staff plans entire party Summer Tot Camp (with parents) $50 per week T-Shirt, swimming, supplies Awards 2001 NC Recreation & Parks Conference Award 2002 NC Therapeutic Recreation Division Award Funding Operating budget - City of Wilmington Friends of Fit for Fun Corporate sponsors Typical population 30 children/day 65–100 children for special events 18 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 Mylar strips even sound like rain! car wash; Toddler Olympics: Everybody Wins included water works; Healthy Me featured vegetables from our community; Big Hugs, Warm Hearts included lunch donated by local restaurants. Mary’s eyes lighted when she spoke of the Grandparents’ Tea. “We have many chil-dren whose grandparents live outside the state, so we invite those who visit during the Thanksgiving holidays to a tea. We also invite the Foster Grandparents to this function. The inter-generational aspect is really neat. We decorate with roses and serve tiny crumpets on doileys and give out little booklets the kids have made.We ask the kids,"What do you call your grand parents?" What are your favorite things to do with your grandparents? Introduce your grandparents.” Expanding Fit For Fun Having something good is one thing; being able to tell others how to get it is another. “We have presented a workshop on our program at the NC Recreation Park Kathy said, “but I am willing to set up ALLTOGETHERNOW! 19 ical therapist in the school system. She's here with her two kids and her husband.” It’s not just children of stay-at-home parents who benefit from Fit For Fun. “We have classes coming in regularly,” Kathy said, “Head Start, child care programs, Smart Start, Parents as Teachers. Even the health department brings in classes from the county who need experience in playing with chil-dren.” At any time,we’ll have parents, grand-parents, baby sitters, nannies, and neighbors playing and having fun with a special child. Special programs If Fit For Fun weren’t special enough on its own, Kathy, Mary, and the rest of the staff (which includes an art director, a part-time administrative assistant,and a host of volun-teers from the middle school across the street and folks from Foster Grandparents) also host private birthday parties, a Summer Tot Camp, and special days. Every month has a theme with related activities—Home Town: set up a mini-town with pizza store, post office, bakery, appointments with people in other cities to talk about and visit their community.” “It’s very important to have an ‘umbrella’ organization when starting a program like this. Several factors must be considered: w programming w insurance w safe facility w cleanliness w space w willingness to play, and w staff. “Staff is absolutely essential! They must provide a leadership quality, know how to address customers, know what to say to preschoolers and their families, and above all else, they must be dedicated, educated [particularly in child development], and creative.” Kathy looks forward to expanding the Fit For Fun program. Her goal is to help parents and children make wonderful memories across North Carolina! ATN! Even the most indulgent parents don’t encourage painting arms at home. Pretend tea is pretty good, huh, Dad? 20 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 The concept of providing services to young children with special needs in their most natural environment is not new, but it is receiving much attention in our state at this time. Summer is here, and families with young children have more opportu-nities than ever for enjoying community activities together.From camps and sports to the performing arts, choices abound for lessons and outings! With early intervention placing an increased focus on natural environments these days, many parents have questions about appropriate activities and settings for young children with special needs. Q:What types of activities are appropriate for my child with special needs and how can I find out which experiences will work best for him? A: The answer is, any place or activity that is suitable for typically developing chil-dren can be adapted to be suitable for children with special needs. You and your child’s early intervention provider most likely will be able to help him learn and develop in a variety of places. The important thing is to consider the routines and activities you typically enjoy together. If you go to a park on a regular basis, for example, think about using that outing as a time to work with your child’s service provider. Together you can identify which goals it makes sense to work on there. Anything could fit—from language to to physical therapy! Q: My daughter, who has a physical disability, wants to take dance lessons. How do I go about finding a program for her? A: Taking dance lessons is something many young children enjoy. When trying to find a program for your daughter, you may want to visit and observe some of the programs in your area. Some of the things you will want to find out are: w what types of classes are offered (tap, ballet, jazz, clogging, etc), w what ages are enrolled, w how large are the classes, w how long are the classes and w how often do they meet. You will want to interview the teacher(s) AskPFI by Susan Deans Susan is an inclusion specialist for Partner-ships for Inclusion in the Eastern Region. She lives with her family in Whiteville. Community Opportunities Get going now! to find out if they have any experience working with children who have special needs.You may also want to ask how flex-ible they are in regard to things like incor-porating specialized equipment or making modifications in instruction. Be prepared to describe your daughter’s enthu-siasm about dance and her general abilities. Also be prepared to answer the teacher’s questions about how to best accommodate your child. Q: My son made a new friend at school who uses a walker and has some speech prob-lems. I think he may have cerebral palsy. My son wants to invite his friend to come over to our house to play. How do I prepare for his visit? A: When preparing for this visit, the first thing I would suggest is that you call the friend’s parents to issue the invita-tion and to express your eagerness to learn more about their son. Explain to his parents that you want the visit to be fun for both children and that you have a few questions.Ask things like: w what activities does he enjoy, w what things are difficult or frustrating for him, w what will he need help with, and w does he have any special medical or dietary concerns you should watch. Don’t be embarrassed to ask these ques-tions. Most parents love to talk about their children and parents of children with special needs are no different. ALLTOGETHERNOW! 21 Asking questions, observing classes, and watching teachers’ rapport with students is important when finding a match for all children’s extra curricular activities—not just for children with special needs! ATN! Seen&Heard KidSpeak Win a Children’s Book! If you’d like to share a story or photo with the readers of All Together Now!, send your selec-tions (200 words or fewer, please) to MollyWeston, Editor All Together Now! 521 S. Greensboro St., Suite 100 Carrboro NC 27510 molly_weston@unc.edu If your story or photo is used in ATN! you’ll receive a copy of one of the books reviewed in that issue. A year or so ago, we had a three-year-old named Madeleine at our Child Develop-ment Lab who really felt the heat and humidity of the eastern North Carolina summers. One day out on the play-ground she asked for a drink of water. She looked ready to melt, hair damp and sticking to her head. She said, “Ms. Nan, I’m so hot, even my HAIR is thirsty.” (I think she was right.) and When we were grad students at the Erik-son Institute, a classmate used this to explain the egocentric stage of child devel-opment— the “it’s all about me” stage: Sounds of distress came from the room where her two- and four-year-old chil-dren were playing. The two-year old was crying, and when mom asked what had happened, the four-year old explained, “It all started when he hit me back!” NanLee, Lecturer Department of Child Development & Family Relations East Carolina University Greenville,NC 22 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 No autographs today, please! You just gotta stop and smell the roses! We’re delighted to welcome Libby Wilson to our team as a Western Region inclusion specialist! Libby joined PFI in April and she’s hit the road running with both feet! She’s already begun work-shops and consultations. A Shelby native, she lives in Arden (south of Asheville). She has taught at Asheville- Buncombe Tech in the early childhood program. Libby is well known both in and outside North Carolina, having worked in private family therapy, in children’s group homes in California and North Carolina, and as a classroom observer and teacher interviewer across the nation. After grad-uating from Winthrop College, she gained her masters in social work from the University of Tennessee. Libby also has her B-K certification.Welcome, Libby! Rhodus Riggins, Jr. left PFI last summer to pursue other interests. We’re happy to announce that he found the pull of PFI was just too powerful, and he rejoined our team in May. Rhodus has taken his place as a inclusion specialist in the Central Region. He is work-ing from the Carrboro office. A native of South Carolina, Rhodus now enjoys his new home in Burlington. He finds the short commute to Carrboro “an opportunity to gather his thoughts.” Welcome, home, Rhodus! ALLTOGETHERNOW! 23 ATN! One New, One Familiar PFI Faces… Barium Springs LCWagner Family & CDC Boone ASU CHDC Chapel Hill Carrboro Elem. P-K /HS Ephesus Elementary P-K/HS Rashkis Elem. PK/HS Charlotte Babies in a Basket Chandler Christian FCCH Easter Seals UCP Irwin & Carol Belk DC Endhaven Elem.ASEP First Ward ASEP Highland Renaissance ASEP Hope Haven CDC Lambs of Grace Lincoln Heights Elem ASEP Lucy Gist HS & DC Oakhurst Slem. School ASEP Reedy Creek Elem.ASEP Statesville Road Elem.ASEP Clinton Dogwood Circle HS Roseboro HS Conover Shuford Elem. Preschool Woodlawn Baptist CDC Currituck Bell’s Island Day Care Durham Carolyn’s Luv & Care DC Christian Learning Ctr. Close Attention DC Danita’s Quality Care Greater Works CDC Fayetteville Campbell Terrace HS Ruzie CC Gastonia Deaton Ave HS Goldsboro Pikeville HS Greensboro Doreen’s CCC Irene’s CC Services Marge’s Place, Inc. Tender Love & Care, Inc. Grimesland S & B Learning Tree High Point Kathy’s Christian CC Jacksonville AJSE CCC Granny’s Lil Angels Jamestown Robbins’ Nest FCC King Kind Elementary School Lucky Ducks CC Knightdale Amazing Babies CC Program Laurenburg Cuddly Care FCC Home Laurinburg HDS Lawsonville Lawsonville Elementary PS Lenoir Terri’s Tiny Tots Lexington Around the Clock DCH First Reformed UCC CDC Von’s Kids Inc Too Lumberton Cottonwood Pre-Elem. Marion McDowell High CC Maxton Wonder World DCH Monroe Marvin Elem.ASP New Salem Elem School ASP Sardis Elem.ASP Mooresville Park View School PS Programs Morganton Hopewell Baptist PS/ASC Kozy Kids Morven God Is Love Children Ctr. New Bern Child Care Network #77A Newton Balls Creek Elem. Kid Connection Pisgah Forest Friendship Corner Pittsboro Central Carolina CC Preschool Kids First Raleigh Frankie Lemmon Sch & DC Project Enlightenment Reidsville Naye’s Luv-N-Care Roanoke Rapids White Oak Parent/Child Ctr. Rocky Mount Little Kings & Queens HDC Selma Growing Together Shelby Killi’s Little Angels ECDC #2 Smithfield Lisa Pittman’s DCH Snow Hill God’s Little Angels Heavenly Angels Christian CC Spruce Pine Mitchell Co. More at Four Tarboro Reading Rainbow Warsaw Little Blessing CC Webster SW Comm. College CDC Westfield Francisco Elem PS Wilson Wee School CDC Winston-Salem Kelly’s DC Little Geniuses LC Mama Raquel’s DCH Moni’s CC & Learning Smiling Faces CC & Learning Tonya’s TIny Tots Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit No. 177 Chapel Hill NC 27599-1100 Addressee: Please share ATN! with your colleagues. Reaching the5Stars 521 S. Greensboro Street • Ste. 100 Carrboro NC 27510-2341 New 5-Star Programs Programs awarded January through April 2004 or not previously listed. Please note: Partnerships for Inclusion does not compile this list. It comes from the Division of Child Development.
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Full Text | Summer 2004 Vol. 10, No.2 Providing quality care and education for all children NNaattuurraall EEnnvviirroonnmeennttss TOC All Together Now! is published three times per year. Letters, contributions, subscription requests, or reprint requests should be sent to All Together Now! 521 South Greensboro Street, Suite 100 Carrboro NC 27510 919.966.0059 • FAX 919.843.5784 email Molly_Weston@unc.edu www.fpg.unc.edu/~atn 23,500 copies of All Together Now! were printed at a cost of 42¢ each. 3 Concept Implementing Infant-Toddler Services in Natural Environments by Pat Wesley 6 Policy Update Child Protective Services/Early Intervention: New Collaboration by Karen Takas 7 PFI Faces by Molly Weston 8 Research Early Grade Retention: Is It Worth It? by Diane Early PhD, et als 10 10 Books Reviews by Molly Weston 12 Trainings Calendar of Training Events 14 Family Focus Some Things Never Change by Debra Downey 16 Feature Making Memories at Fit For Fun by Molly Weston 20 Ask PFI Community Opportunities—Get Going Now! by Susan Dean 22 KidSeen&Heard KidSpeak 24 Programs Reaching the 5 Stars The latest programs to receive 5 stars Editor’s Notes Sometimes my work carries over into my personal life.You know how it goes. Soon after I returned from Wilmington where I did the inter-view for this issue’s feature article, I was telling some friends about the wonderful children’s play space I had just visited.Not only did they look at me as if I were from Mars, they asked the question, “Why would anybody spend that much money on a place to play?” The best answer to that question well known in the early childhood environment is, “The most important work for young children is play.” As early child care professionals, you know how play strengthens chil-dren’s abilities and learning. They develop social skills, language, fine and gross motor skills, cause and effect rationale, reasoning, imagina-tion, memory—and the list continues! Not only does play bring educa-tional benefits, it brings pure joy—both to the child and to the adult who’s there to witness and participate in that first tower that doesn’t fall, the first ball that makes it in the basket, and the realization that “just because I can’t see it, it doesn’t mean it’s not there.” Play joyously with the young children you encounter every day. After all, it’s one of the biggest perks in your job! —Molly A publication of Partnerships for Inclusion Pat Wesley, Director Editor Molly Weston Designer Gina Harrison Photographer Don Trull Proofreaders Dave Sanel Editorial Board & Contributing Agencies Kathy Baars NC Public Schools Early Childhood/Exceptional Children Karen Chester NC Interagency Coordinating Council for Children Ages Birth to Five with Special Needs Mabel Dillard Family Support Network Karen Ferguson NC Division of Child Development Gina Harrison FPG Child Development Institute Katherine Laveck NC Division of Early Childhood, a division of the Council for Exceptional Children Ron Moore Head Start Duncan Munn Early Intervention Branch Pat Wesley FPG Child Development Institute In the last issue of ATN! we described natural environments and talked about why they are good for young children. In this article we will explore ways of imple-menting services in natural environments and evaluating these services. A variety of strategies can be used to develop, deliver, and support services within everyday routines, activities, and places.Let’s look at some strategies for developing new oppor-tunities in natural environments, first contacts with families, child evaluation, and IFSP development. Keys for successful delivery in natural environments One of the driving forces behind natural environments is the philosophy of having the services fit the child and the family rather than requiring the people to fit the services. By following this philosophy from the initial contact with the family and continu-ing through the entire process of service delivery, early intervention providers build on the strengths of the child and family. The focus of early intervention is on the child’s functional participation in daily routines and activities and, for infants and toddlers, on the family’s participation in a variety of community activities that are natural for them, including those that occur in the home. The family and the early intervention provider write an Indi-vidual Family Services Plan (IFSP) that reflects their concerns and priorities for the child. The development of the IFSP follows a collaborative process of w identifying child outcomes, w understanding the family’s routines and daily activities,support network,and community, w determining which child outcomes can be addressed best through which family routines and activities, and w identifying services and supports that can be provided within those routines and activities to maximize the child’s opportunities to learn through the natu-ral experiences of daily life. w A good Individual Education Plan (IEP) for children ages three to five years should reflect many of these features. It is almost always necessary for early intervention providers to expand their services to include consultation with other early childhood service providers and adults in the community to help them, as well as the child’s parents, to facilitate learning opportunities for the child in Implementing Infant-Toddler Services in Natural Environments by Pat Wesley Pat is director of Partnerships for Inclusion. She has worked in the early childhood field for more than 25 years. She and her family live in Chatham County. Concept ALLTOGETHERNOW! 3 natural settings. Ideally, the philosophy of providing early intervention services, including assessment, as part of the routines and daily activities of children and families should be embedded in agencies’written materials related to early intervention, and in all planning discus-sions with families and service providers. It is also promoted through public aware-ness strategies and activities. New opportunities How can early intervention providers enhance the service system at the commu-nity level to increase opportunities in natural environments? w Identify key players who could contribute ideas about the delivery of services in natural environments such as families, early interventionists, thera-pists, child care providers (center and home), and staff of community agencies who serve all children. In North Carolina, such people may serve on Local and Regional Interagency Coordi-nating Councils. w Involve these key people in planning and conducting a community forum about the benefits to children and families of provid-ing services in a way that does not disrupt, but rather makes the most of their every-day routines, activities, and locations. w Identify what resources exist in the community that could include young children with special needs and what additional resources are needed. Identify which resources are used already and if there are other resources of which people may not be aware. w Work with community groups to estab-lish new inclusive opportunities such as toddler story time at the public library, stroller- or wheelchair-accessible nature trails, wee-ones swim time at the public pool, infant-toddler play equipment at the community parks, and other recre-ational activities. w Provide opportunities for community and agency professionals and families to share the experiences, successes, and challenges they encounter as they deliver or receive services. w Compare notes with other early inter-vention programs, staff, and leaders from different communities. w Identify what resources are needed to include children with special needs and their families in naturally occurring community opportunities (such as assis-tive technology, materials or curriculum adaptations, and equipment). w Identify fiscal and policy barriers to intervention practices in natural envi-ronments. w Develop a plan to coordinate early inter-vention outcomes and activities with the goals and activities of programs in the community at large. w Create and sustain opportunities for professionals in early care and educa-tion as well as in early intervention to receive training together to support all children’s learning. Contacts with families How can early intervention providers convey the essence of natural environ-ments to families? How can they gather information about the family’s typical routines and activities that can be used to determine where, when, and how services and supports will be delivered? w Meet with families at a time and loca-tion convenient to them. w Before the meeting, provide them with information about early intervention services, making sure that all written materials provide examples of how serv-ices can be embedded within typical routines, activities, and places. w Revise intake forms to reflect the natural flow of conversation between the profes-sional and family.Consider ways that the form can facilitate discussion about the 4 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 family’s concerns, routines, and ideas about their child. w Think about the information needed from the family. Is there a way to obtain needed details about the pregnancy, birth, and medical history without asking the family during the first contact with them? Doing so relieves the family from having to repeat information they have provided before. w Ask questions about • what a typical day is like • activities the family enjoys at home • the child’s favorite activities and toys • the types of community outings that are typical for the family • opportunities the child has to interact with other children • the child’s strengths and challenges • how the family thinks their child learns best • what is most enjoyable/most challenging • what has been tried that works/doesn’t work �� where the family wants to spend time with the child • what questions the family hopes the child’s evaluation will address • anything else the family wants to add to give a complete picture of their child. ALLTOGETHERNOW! 5 Child evaluation Early intervention providers should talk with the family about where they and their child would feel most comfortable having the evaluation conducted. Ideally, a travel-ing evaluation team could visit the child at home or in another setting familiar to the child. Begin the evaluation process with a discussion of the family’s responses to questions about typical routines and activities. Ask the family if anything has changed since the last contact with the family. Explain to the family how the evaluation activities will relate to the family’s concerns and to the child’s functioning in daily life. Describe to the family several ways they can participate in the evalua-tion. For example, they may want to initi-ate an evaluation activity, or be present in the same room with the child. Gain as much information as possible with the least disruption of the child’s play. Do not repeat assessments or portions of assessments that have been completed recently by other providers. Use toys and materials that are familiar or comforting to the child and allow time for the children to explore them. Depending on how the family chooses to participate in the evaluation, provide an ongoing explanation of each evaluation activity during the evaluation, including specifics about what area of concern is being addressed. Link the evaluation activity to skills needed in daily activities. Talk with the family about the evaluation process.Ask the family at the beginning of the evaluation and throughout the process whether the child seems to be having a typical day in terms of his abilities and interactions. Ask if there is anything the child did or did not do during the evaluation that surprises the family.Discuss the desired outcomes for the child in real life situations. Conclusion By working with children and families in the environments that are most natural for them,we increase our chances of being responsive to their strengths and needs. ATN! Families can give information that will help to include services in their child’s most comfortable and natural environment. 6 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 Some major changes have occurred in federal legislation that will have a signifi-cant impact on early intervention in North Carolina. The legislation is the Child Abuse, Prevention, and Treatment Act (CAPTA). Specifically, the law stipulates that chil-dren under three years of age with substantiated abuse and neglect be referred for early intervention services. Similar provisions will be in the reautho-rization of Part C of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).This has additional implications for us at Together We Grow, the state Infant-Toddler Program, since such children are auto-matically eligible for services under the atypical development category. About 30% of such children are already being served by early intervention. However, given the total number of chil-dren with substantiated abuse and neglect in North Carolina, estimates indicate an additional 5,100 will be referred to early intervention over the next year. To prepare for these expectations, the Early Intervention Branch is chairing, with the Division of Social Services, an interagency planning team.The team will develop recom-mendations in the following areas: w identification of possible service providers w recommended practices in referral, screening/evaluation, and service deliv-ery procedures, and w infrastructure issues such as personnel development and child & program data needs. Activities and services will begin in August according to a phase-in plan,with all coun-ties participating by May 2005. The Plan is a joint Proposal issued by the Divisions of Social Services and Public Health in collaboration with Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina, The North Carolina Inter-agency Coordinating Council, and the Child Protective Services/Early Intervention New Collaboration by Duncan Munn Duncan E. Munn Head of Early Intervention Services, NC Division of Public Health. Policy ALLTOGETHERNOW! 7 Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services. At the local level, there will be extensive collaboration between the county Departments of Social Services (DSS) and the Children’s Developmental Services Agencies (CDSA). National research shows that children benefit greatly from early intervention. If child care providers, physicians, or other individuals in the community, suspect child abuse or neglect is occurring, they should contact their county DSS. If the agency reaches a finding of “substanti-ated” or “in need of services” for a child, this agency can then offer a variety of services and supports. With parental permission, the child is referred to the CDSA for a comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation. Based on this evaluation, child and family goals and activi-ties are set out in the Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP). If the child is in a child care setting, staff from that program are included as part of the IFSP team. Persons with questions, ideas, or recom-mendations regarding this plan should call Duncan Munn at 919.715.7500 exten-sion 251. They can also call JoAnn Lamm, with the Department of Social Services, at 919.733.4622 or email her at JoAnn.Lamm@ncmail.net. If you suspect child abuse or neglect , report it immediately to Child Protective Services, the local police department, or the Department of Social Services. Within 48 hours of a finding of “substantiated” or “in need of services” for a child under three years of age, DSS will refer the child to Early Intervention Services. For more information on how and where to file a report, call the National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-Child®). ATN! NC Division of Public Health, WCHS, Early Intervention Branch Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina NC Division of Social Services NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, & Substance Abuse Services North Carolina Interagency Coordinating Council Early Intervention & NC’s Infants & Toddlers with Substantiated Abuse & Neglect: GETTING STARTED Hispanic, or Native American children. Retention rates among special education students were higher than among non-special education students. Costs It is easy to think that retention has no costs—special appropriations are not required, and there is generally no mention of the impact of retention when discussing per child appropriations during budget deliberations. In fact, however, retaining children is expensive.A retention decision obligates state and local governments to an additional year of education for each retained child at a cost of more than $7500.Multiplying $7500 by the number of children retained (22,343 children in 2001–02) equals more than $170 million—a huge expense often made without discussion of alternatives that might cost less or be more effective. Grade retention research Extensive research on retention in grade indicates: by Diane Early, FPG Child Development Insti-tute, UNC-CH; Mary Bush-nell, NC Child Care Resource and Referral Network; Richard Clifford, FPG Child Devel-opment Institute, UNC-CH; Engin Konanc, NC Department of Public Instruc-tion; Kelly Maxwell, FPG Child Development Institute, UNC-CH; Sharon Palsha, FPG Child Development Institute and School of Education, UNC-CH; and Lucy Roberts, NC Department of Public Instruction Early Grade Retention Is it worth it? Research 8 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 Early childhood leaders across North Carolina are concerned with grade retention in early elementary school. Often, the choice seems to be between retaining children who are not succeeding or passing them on to the next grade with their peers. In this article we’ll highlight trends in retention in kindergarten through third grade in North Carolina and discuss the implications of and alterna-tives to this practice. Retention over time Rates of retention in the early grades in North Carolina have risen steadily during the past decade,more than doubling since 1992. This means that 22,343 children were retained in kindergarten through third grade in 2001–2002. Kindergarten and first graders are most likely to be retained. Retention rates have increased dramatically for all grades during the past 10 years. Boys in North Carolina were more likely to be retained than girls (4.7% of girls were retained compared to 6.3% of boys).Asian and white children had lower rates of retention than African American, ALLTOGETHERNOW! 9 w Retention in the early elementary grades, especially before second grade, is harmful. Students retained in first grade have been found to do worse academi-cally and socially compared to other low-performing students who were not retained. Negative effects have also been found for kindergartners who were retained. w Retention should entail specific inter-ventions targeted towards a student’s weaknesses. Research has shown that retention in itself does not positively affect achievement. w In several studies, students who were retained in school were more likely to drop out compared to similar low-performing students who were not retained. Students who are retained tend to continue their low academic perform-ance, to dislike school, and to be older than their classmates. These factors taken together may alienate students and lead to school dropout. Research Conclusion: Retention in the early elementary grades generally does not have long-term benefits for students and may have unintended negative consequences. For more information about this research see the NCERC report at http://erc.north-carolina. edu/docs/publications/social-promo. pdf. Alternatives to retention Schools can implement several effective interventions to help low-achieving students: w Employ assessment tools to identify children who need extra support as soon as possible so that interventions are in place early, usually within the first quar-ter of the school year. w Create teams of regular education teach-ers, special education teachers, and other specialists to develop interventions that work in the child’s regular classroom. Team members can use the child’s Personalized Education Plans [PEP] to guide and coordinate their work. w Establish procedures for regular communication among team members and coordinate regular and special education staff to support student achievement. w Inform parents as soon as problems are identified and encourage their active involvement in designing the child’s PEP, especially in identifying strategies they can implement at home. w Offer after school support by using volunteers to augment regular school personnel. w Offer enriched summer experiences as a way for students to catch up and have concentrated instruction in a smaller setting. Key to successful summer programs is presenting material in new ways to maintain student interest and meet the needs of children with various learning styles. w Provide intensive early literacy experi-ences for all children, with a special emphasis on those who begin school with few literacy experiences. w Provide intensive training on a particu-lar intervention, such as Reading Recov-ery or Math Grade Strategies for all staff members about interventions for low-achieving students. w Make connections with community resources such as area community colleges and universities to help support low-achieving students. When volun-teers from the community are involved, they are trained so that they approach instruction in a way that is consistent with the philosophy of the school. w Encourage a “can-do” attitude to try to do everything possible to avoid student failure. Encourage staff members to never give up on children who are strug-gling to succeed. To learn more about this early school reten-tion, visit www.fpg.unc.edu/~pir. ATN! 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% African American Asian Hispanic Native American Mixed Ethnicity White Percent Retained Male Female Ethnicity and gender were strong early retention factors in North Carolina’s Class of 2002. Beach Is to Fun by Pat Brisson illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa Henry Holt ISBN 0-8050-7315-9 Remember those tests where you had to figure out the relationships of words to each other? This beautifully illustrated rhyming book will give youngsters a head start on thinking about words. One spread has a swimming pool full of kids with one mom in the foreground rubbing a child with a towel. Two birds are flying by (one is perched on a startled boy’s head). The poem reads,“Water is to wet as towel is to dry. Arm is to swim as wing is to fly.” Imagine the delight when a youngster finishes that sentence for you! The Making of My Special Hand by Jamee Riggio Heelan, OTR/L illustrated by Nicola Simmonds Peachtree ISBN 1-56145-186-X Madison was born without a left hand. This is the story of how she was fitted with an electric prosthesis, or helper hand. When she was just a toddler she met Jamee, an occupational therapist (and the author) and Jack, a prosthetist who made the hand for her.Madison tells all the steps involved in getting the new hand—from making the mold through fitting the hand to teaching Madison to use it and teaching Mom to care for it.Because Madison is the narrator, this is a book that even very young children can understand. I’ll bet even most adults will learn something too! 10 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 Looking after Louis by Lesley Ely illustrated by Polly Dunbar Albert Whitman & Company ISBN 0-8075-44757-8 Sometimes inclusion just meets the letter of the law. Fortunately for Louis, who has autism,he’s in a class where other children are sensitive and his teacher encourages his success. The story’s narrator is the young girl who sits by him. She tells us,“I look after him,” even though he has an aide. When Sam, the soccer star, accepts Louis’s overtures toward his classmates, Miss Owlie makes accommodations for the group that would astonish Maria Shriver. Looking after Louis is the Rain-man for preschoolers! Grandpa’s Surprise by Rosalind Beardshaw Bloomsbury Children’s Books ISBN 1-58234-934-7 When Stanley’s friend Jack gets a new tricycle, he not only refuses Stanley a ride, he taunts him with his new toy. Grandpa remembers the days of soap box derbies, and he and Stanley build a beauty from an old wooden crate, the wheels from Stan-ley’s stroller, and some leftover paint.After Stanley, Grandpa and Bert the dog test drive the new go-kart, all the glamour has worn off Jack’s new trike and he’s now willing to share. The marvelous illustra-tions add much to the written words of this delightful book. books ALLTOGETHERNOW! 11 by Molly Weston To check out books reviewed in All Together Now! contact the NC Early Intervention Library 517 West Fleming Dr., NC School for the Deaf Morganton NC 28655 828.432.5267 email ncei.library@ncmail.net www.ncei-eclibrary.org The Learning Power of Laughter by Jackie Silberg Gryphon House ISBN 0-87659-268-X What’s more beautiful than the sound of chil-dren’s laughter? Ideas from the ever-creative Jackie Silberg will help you stimulate learning through laughter. Children will giggle their way through body awareness, cognitive thinking, dramatic play, and observation— just to name a few areas.Making learning fun is what it’s all about! The Very Best Daddy of All by Marion Dane Bauer illustrated by Leslie Wu Simon & Schuster ISBN 0-689-84178-7 The narrator of this delightful poetic trib-ute to daddies recognizes all the special things fathers do—from protecting their families to comforting cries and combing hair. The illustrations depict wild animal fathers with their babies, until the very last pages where the reader sees “the very best” daddy with his very happy son. Construction Countdown by K. C. Olson illustrated by David Gordon Henry Holt ISBN 0-8050-6929-8 This rhyming countdown book is perfect in many ways—concept of numbers, colors, and recognition of things in today’s streets and neighborhoods. I especially like the “surprise ending” that will give teachers an idea about how to incorporate books into several curriculum areas. Something Might Happen by Helen Lester illustrated by Lunn Munsinger Houghton Mifflin ISBN 0-18-25406-4 Twitchly Fidget (a lemur) worries about everything. He won’t participate in any of the activities that entice his friends because he envisions all sorts of horrible results. Fortunately, Twitchly Fidget’s Aunt Bridget Fidget comes for a vidgit, er-r, a visit! Aunt Bridget’s no-nonsense attitude gives Twitchly the impetus to try new things—and he finds he likes them! If you know a Twitchly Fidget, maybe this lucky lemur can be of help! Missing Rabbit by Roni Schotter illustrated by Cyd Moore Clarion Books ISBN 0-618-03432-3 Kara and Rabbit move from Papa’s house to Mama’s house every week, but one day, Kara decides to leave Rabbit to look after Papa. Then she wants him back. It’s no better when she decides to leave Rabbit to look after Mama. Adults reading the tale realize right away that it’s a story about the effect of divorce on children. Hopefully, children will recognize that even though their parents may have two places to live, the children will always have a loving home with each of them. 12 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 September 16–18 The Art of Gentle Touch Asheville Emma Miller 828.631.9933 October 26–28 PFI On-Site Model of Consultation Initial Training Black Mountain Brenda Coleman 919.962.7364 Dave Sanel 919.843.8041 November 8–10 PFI On-Site Model of Consultation Initial Training Salter Path Brenda Coleman 919.962.7364 Dave Sanel 919.843.8041 November 17–19 PFI On-Site Model of Consultation Initial Training Asheboro Brenda Coleman 919.962.7364 Dave Sanel 919.843.8041 2005 Jan. 13, Feb. 10, Mar. 10, Apr. 14, May 12 PFI On-Site Model of Consultation Follow-Up Seminars Hickory & Salter Path Brenda Coleman 919.962.7364 Dave Sanel 919.843.8041 • Training events are subject to change. • Call the contact number before attending any training events. trainings ATN! Trainings Change When ATN! began, there was no central directory of training events and the internet was in its infancy. Now information about workshops and trainings are available many places. On-line registration is a key tool for many of you. Because ATN! is printed only three times per year, our information is sometimes out of date by the time you receive it.With this in mind, we will no longer publish training information in this spot in our magazine. Our next issue will list websites and phone listings for organizations that have current information on train-ings, conferences, and events that may interest our readers. If your organization would like to be listed as a source of events, please email your listing to Molly_Weston@unc.edu. ALLTOGETHERNOW! 13 Early Intervention Organizational Changes Recent data show that child care centers are the fastest growing source of referrals of children under three with suspected special needs to early intervention services.This is an exciting development in identi-fying children early! Child care center staff are important partners in working with children who have special needs in many ways—referral, planning, and carrying out services. Recent statewide changes in how early intervention services are organized have resulted in more direct procedures for where such children under three years of age should be referred. Formerly these referrals went to the Area Mental Health Center. Effective July 1, such referrals should go to the Children’s Developmental Services Agency (CDSA), formerly known as the Developmental Evaluation Center.The CDSA is responsible for evaluating children referred and working with other community providers such as child care centers in developing and carrying out intervention plans for chil-dren who meet the eligibility requirements. North Carolina’s CDSAs are below. Asheville . . . . . . . . . . . .828.251.6091 Boone . . . . . . . . . . . . .828.265.5391 Charlotte . . . . . . . . . . .704.336.7100 Concord . . . . . . . . . . . .704.786.9181 Cullowhee . . . . . . . . . .828.227.7490 Durham . . . . . . . . . . . .919.560.5600 Elizabeth City . . . . . . .252.338.4044 Fayetteville . . . . . . . . . .910.486.1605 Greensboro . . . . . . . . .336.334.5601 Greenville . . . . . . . . . . .252.328.4480 Hickory . . . . . . . . . . . .828.466.5594 Morganton . . . . . . . . . .828.438.6263 New Bern . . . . . . . . . . .252.514.4770 Raleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . .919.662.4600 Rocky Mount . . . . . . . .252.443.8858 Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . .910.997.9240 Shelby . . . . . . . . .704.480.5440 x 210 Wilmington . . . . . . . . .910.251.5817 Winston-Salem . . . . . . .336.774.2400 Useful Web Sites Charlotte AHEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cltahec.org Division TEACCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.teacch.com Early Childhood Link at UNC . . . . . . . . . . .www.cdl.unc.edu/link/trainmenu.htm Early Childhood Low Incidence NetworK (LINK) . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ec-link.org Exceptional Children's Assistance Center . . . . . . . . .www.ecac-parentcenter.org FPG Child Development Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.fpg.unc.edu Family Support Network of North Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . .fsnnc.med.unc.edu North Carolina Partnership for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ncsmartstart.org NC Division of Child Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ncchildcare.net NC Early Intervention Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ncei-eclibrary.org NC Healthy Start Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.NCHealthyStart.org NC Immunization Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.immunizenc.com Parent Training & Information Center . . . . . . . . . . . www.ecac-parentcenter.org/ Partnerships for Inclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.fpg.unc.edu/~pfi Smart Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.calsplus.net/ncpc Teaching Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.teachingbooks.net TelAbility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.TelAbility.org Together We Grow Training Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ncei.org/ei/index.html US Consumer Products Safety Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cpsc.gov Wake AHEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.wakeahec.org 14 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 It’s hard to believe that my son turned 10 in March. Having two adult daughters, it is not so much the aging process but the challenges we have faced and the strides he has made that amaze me.We reached a milestone this year. For the first time, we celebrated his birthday with a party with friends and peers in a community setting. To most, that’s not a big deal. To me, it is a reminder that all the skills we have worked on for the last five and a half years are becoming a part of who he is. Our beginning is one of those horror stories about the delay of a child getting early intervention. It’s one of a parent’s communicating to physicians about concerns surrounding that child’s devel-opment and not being taken seriously, and being given the “wait and see” advice. The early years Unlike his sisters, my son CJ was a modern-day baby. I had a diary of prebirth pictures and videos.We knew he was a boy. At the urging of my physician, we had an amniocentesis done—and everything looked good. I had my first C-section when CJ decided the way he was lying for the last nine and a half months was no longer comfortable and he was ready for the world. I can still remember the day I took this beautiful little boy home. He was dressed in a newborn tux outfit! His nursery was in black and white stripes with a dalma-tions border, and he had enough clothes to last him to 18 months. I was excited to have another opportunity to embark on this journey of shaping a young life. CJ was a wonderful baby—he was bright and had us laughing all the time. One of his older siblings had been identified as “gifted,” so when CJ began speaking in full sentences at nine months, we were sure we had a little genius.He had some peculiar tendencies, but we respected the individualities and idiosyn-crasies of our children. Little did I know that this perfect world— along with his language—would disap-pear shortly after CJ’s first birthday. I would spend the next three and a half FamilyFocus Some Things Never Change by Debra Downey Debra lives in Wilm-ington with CJ and daughter Vikki, who works with exceptional children. Debra works part-time with the Family Support Network of SENC, the Advisory Council for Special needs, and the Student Support Team Process Improvement Committee. This article is dedi-cated to my mom, Gloria Alphair Williams. I wish she could see CJ now. Thanks,Mom! teacher, it worked. CJ is now in fourth grade, sharing a para-educator with three other students. He wants to be an ento-mologist when he grows up. Would early intervention have made a difference? We still struggle with speech, sensory issues and behaviors. Even with the remarkable progress he has made, I know if we had started earlier, the journey would have been different. Conclusion Some things never change. CJ is still a beautiful young man.He is still bright—a genius in his areas of interest. He is still funny, a trait I predicted would get him in trouble in school, and it does! There are those who still question my parenting skills. Even in my darkest days, my glass has always been half full. The only thing that has changed is that now I understand the reasons for his uniqueness and I have the tools and support to make our lives the best they can be. ALLTOGETHERNOW! 15 years in search of someone to validate my concerns about his atypical behavior and language loss. I was given a myriad of reasons for his behavior: “Boys develop later.”“You’re probably spoil-ing him. If he doesn’t ask for food, just withhold it and he will ask when he gets hungry.”“You need to get this child under control, before he gets totally out of control.” “He’s so bright, there is nothing the matter with him.” At age four, CJ had a speech evaluation which concluded that his language was delayed or absent. The journey Life sometimes takes you where you hadn’t planned to go. Shortly after his speech evaluation, I received a call notify-ing me that my mom had advanced cancer and needed someone to be in the home with her. This event was the catalyst that had me leave our home in Georgia and return to Wilmington.Driving north on I- 95, I had no idea that during the next year I would be saying goodbye to my mom, to my marriage of 24 years, and to the dreams I had for my son. At this point in our lives, I realized it was important to determine whether a glass was half full or half empty. One afternoon I made a phone call that would change our lives. This call, to the Exceptional Chil-dren’s Office resulted in a referral to the Developmental Evaluation Center (now Children’s Developmental Services Agency), who, in turn, referred me to TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped CHildren). In one afternoon, I had a possible reason for my son’s language loss and peculiar behavior— AUTISM. This was a bittersweet victory. It validated that this wasn’t a bad parenting issue, but now I was confronted with something that would affect every aspect of CJ’s life—and mine—and for which there was no cure. From this day on, I would be known affec-tionately as “CJ’s mom.” There would be countless meetings and mountains of papers. I would have a new circle of friends, new beliefs, greater wisdom and knowledge. I would master the art of pick-ing my battles, finding humor in every-thing, and keeping going lest I be run over by this little powerhouse. CJ The only word to describe CJ is amazing.He spent one year at the Child Development Center in a TEACCH model classroom. During that year his language reappeared (though disordered), he was toilet trained, his tantrums decreased, and he was moved into a classroom with typical peers.We were able to get a slot which provided speech, occupational therapy,and someone to work one-on-one with him. We opted for inclusion his kindergarten year, and with the help of Karen LaRue, his At 14, CJ is still bright, funny, and amazing. ATN! 16 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 by Molly Weston Molly is editor of ATN! She lives with her husband and Old English Sheep-dog in Apex and works from PFI’s Carrboro office. Feature Kathy instigated a playgroup for her son during her lunch hour. She invited several mothers and their children in her neigh-borhood to join the group. One of those mothers was Mary Albanese (now assis-tant director at Fit For Fun). One of the major criteria for this play-group, and what made it special, was that adults would play, actively, with their chil-dren. Another goal would be that parents could meet and talk with other parents. “We met on Tuesdays and Fridays during my lunch hour,” Kathy recalled. “Because we were borrowing space at the Art Center, we had to clean up all the toys when we left. Even when we grew and moved to space at the college [UNC-Wilmington],we were guests.We still had to pack up every-thing at the end of our sessions.” Finally, in 1999, a building was designated for Fit For Fun.“I have to pinch myself every time I come to work because this is such a dream come true!" Can you imagine better memo-ries for a child than playing with a caring adult? Lucky for the children of Wilming-ton, that vision has grown from a dream to a reality at the only play space of its kind in the world. Fit For Fun is a city recre-ational department’s wonderland for youngsters birth to five. Director Kathy Kittleson says, “We’re just part of creating a good memory for children from the very beginning. The more good memories a child has, they better off she is!" Today’s 4000 square foot space with art, quiet play, and snack rooms off a huge play area composing half a building is a far cry from the twice weekly play group which met in the town’s Art Center in 1986. Fit For Fun embodies everything Kathy, a recreational therapist, who once coordi-nated Wilmington’s Special Olympics and worked with Start with the Arts, had ever hoped for young children. Making memories at Fit For Fun The story in this space is usually about a child care program. In this issue, we are featuring a City of Wilmington recreational program where parents, nannies, grandparents, and other adults can bring young children, ages birth to five, to play in a safe, developmentally appropriate space just for them. It capitalizes on the motivating nature of play to engage children in explor-ing their world, creating meaning, and expressing their ideas, and it encourages their parents to be active participants in their child’s growth and development. One goal of the program is to promote the inclusion of children with special needs. ALLTOGETHERNOW! 17 Philosophy Kathy’s premise for parents is that they can say,“I can build this in to my day and know I have spent this creative time with my child.” Fit For Fun is not a child care center—it’s a place much like a park, where adults bring children to play and they stay with them while they are playing. Unlike parks, Fit For Fun objectives encourage and expect adults to play with the children in their care. Themes and associated activities change weekly to further stimulate creative fun for children and adults. Special events every month draw in groups from area child care programs such as Head Start. Fit For Fun staff are conscious of using developmentally appropriate toys and activities for children and for respecting the needs of the individual child. Mary explained, “Every day is different. Maybe the same things are here, but every child takes and interprets it differently. We’re strong on everyone playing with children and parents talking with other parents!” The facility Even entering the building for the first time, children know this is their place— from the colorful toys to the child-sized house to the pool of balls. Everything is suited for exploration. A thick, spongy, green rubber mat covers the interior of the activity room so that even tumbles don’t hurt. The walls are carpeted up to three feet to cushion collisions from riding toys. Once the wiggles are out, children can move into the art room, where low tables hold materials for activities related to the week’s theme. Tiled floors (and walls) made for easy clean up prohibit warnings of “be careful, don’t spill.”Actually, spilling is anticipated—otherwise the water table wouldn’t be full with bubbly water and pouring toys and the easels wouldn’t be equipped with paints in all colors. A certified art teacher comes in once a week to help with planning structured activities for three- to five-year-olds. “We include basic first step art techniques,” Kathy said, “creating, painting, stroking, pasting, patting.” Although the children can take everything home, some choose to leave some of their projects on display. A small playroom houses a puppet theater, dramatic play area, and blocks and manipulatives to stimulate fine motor skills. “Sometimes we set up a farm or town in there,” Kathy said, “all sorts of things to stimulate imagination and foster language.We try to recognize that all chil-dren have different interests.This is a nice area for kids to come and think after having run, run, run for awhile.” A small dining room boasts low tables and chairs and a cabinet with iced juice boxes and cookies for refueling the energy-burning children.Nearby, toddler- Playing with Mom or Dad, making friends, having fun—what could be better for tots? sized bathrooms answer the question every kid asks after (or during eating)! Program options When the high-energy music starts,many of the children migrate toward one end of the playroom. They know that Mary Albanese is ready to take them through some stimulating songs, dances, and group activities. On the day of our visit, it was pouring rain outside. Inside, too, it was pouring rain—but this rain was silvery mylar strips. Mary invited the adults to help her “rain” the strips on the excited children. Soon kids had joined the fun and were throwing strips, letting it rain around them. All children were welcome in the activities, but no one was coerced into joining. Several children, in fact, watched the play, while continuing their own amusements across the room. When they chose to join the group, they were welcomed without fanfare. Choice for children is important to Mary, a former Children’s Developmental Center (CDC) teacher. “One of the nicest things about our program is convenience.There’s no set time for classes or activities. Folks can come when it suits their schedule. And everybody can come—all abilities and disabilities.” Kathy added,“I noticed a child who came in one day was wearing a hearing aid.I just went and lowered the volume of the music so he wouldn’t have interference with his hearing.” Making modifications is just part of the day, a natural element of inclu-siveness. The program is so inclusive that we couldn’t even schedule a visit to high-light inclusion.Kathy was definite.“Some-times I don’t even know which kids have special needs, and I don’t even know all the therapists who work with kids here.” All kids together Physical therapist Beth Riegler loves seeing clients at Fit For Fun. “It’s great here. Kids [with special needs] can pattern after others. Gabrielle [who weighed only a pound and a half at birth] took her first steps a week ago and stood at length for the first time here. I come here because kids need other kids and experiences. Some-times things are very hard and challeng-ing, and being distracted by other kids who are doing those things influences them to do them too. “I like bringing parents here because they are isolated at home, and so often they are steered into the medical model of therapy. This is a fun place and they can come on their own and meet other families. It’s frus-trating for parents to try to do therapy when the child is bored at home. Having kids in this atmosphere—it’s just amazing! At home, from the coffee table to the couch is just two feet, but from the ball bin to the playhouse is eight feet.” Obviously, combin-ing therapy with play is a good thing. “I often meet an OT [occupational thera-pist] here and we work with several chil-dren at the same time.Over there is a phys- Fit for Fun 302 South 10th Street Wilmington, NC 28401 910.341.4630 Staff Director Asst. Director & Recreation Coordinator Recreation Specialist - Art Instructor Administrative support staff Equipment manager Hours 9-12 & 1–5, M-F; 9-12 Saturdays Cost Children $3.50/session Adults free Private parties 1:00 & 3:00 Saturdays $100 for 8 children, staff plans entire party Summer Tot Camp (with parents) $50 per week T-Shirt, swimming, supplies Awards 2001 NC Recreation & Parks Conference Award 2002 NC Therapeutic Recreation Division Award Funding Operating budget - City of Wilmington Friends of Fit for Fun Corporate sponsors Typical population 30 children/day 65–100 children for special events 18 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 Mylar strips even sound like rain! car wash; Toddler Olympics: Everybody Wins included water works; Healthy Me featured vegetables from our community; Big Hugs, Warm Hearts included lunch donated by local restaurants. Mary’s eyes lighted when she spoke of the Grandparents’ Tea. “We have many chil-dren whose grandparents live outside the state, so we invite those who visit during the Thanksgiving holidays to a tea. We also invite the Foster Grandparents to this function. The inter-generational aspect is really neat. We decorate with roses and serve tiny crumpets on doileys and give out little booklets the kids have made.We ask the kids,"What do you call your grand parents?" What are your favorite things to do with your grandparents? Introduce your grandparents.” Expanding Fit For Fun Having something good is one thing; being able to tell others how to get it is another. “We have presented a workshop on our program at the NC Recreation Park Kathy said, “but I am willing to set up ALLTOGETHERNOW! 19 ical therapist in the school system. She's here with her two kids and her husband.” It’s not just children of stay-at-home parents who benefit from Fit For Fun. “We have classes coming in regularly,” Kathy said, “Head Start, child care programs, Smart Start, Parents as Teachers. Even the health department brings in classes from the county who need experience in playing with chil-dren.” At any time,we’ll have parents, grand-parents, baby sitters, nannies, and neighbors playing and having fun with a special child. Special programs If Fit For Fun weren’t special enough on its own, Kathy, Mary, and the rest of the staff (which includes an art director, a part-time administrative assistant,and a host of volun-teers from the middle school across the street and folks from Foster Grandparents) also host private birthday parties, a Summer Tot Camp, and special days. Every month has a theme with related activities—Home Town: set up a mini-town with pizza store, post office, bakery, appointments with people in other cities to talk about and visit their community.” “It’s very important to have an ‘umbrella’ organization when starting a program like this. Several factors must be considered: w programming w insurance w safe facility w cleanliness w space w willingness to play, and w staff. “Staff is absolutely essential! They must provide a leadership quality, know how to address customers, know what to say to preschoolers and their families, and above all else, they must be dedicated, educated [particularly in child development], and creative.” Kathy looks forward to expanding the Fit For Fun program. Her goal is to help parents and children make wonderful memories across North Carolina! ATN! Even the most indulgent parents don’t encourage painting arms at home. Pretend tea is pretty good, huh, Dad? 20 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 The concept of providing services to young children with special needs in their most natural environment is not new, but it is receiving much attention in our state at this time. Summer is here, and families with young children have more opportu-nities than ever for enjoying community activities together.From camps and sports to the performing arts, choices abound for lessons and outings! With early intervention placing an increased focus on natural environments these days, many parents have questions about appropriate activities and settings for young children with special needs. Q:What types of activities are appropriate for my child with special needs and how can I find out which experiences will work best for him? A: The answer is, any place or activity that is suitable for typically developing chil-dren can be adapted to be suitable for children with special needs. You and your child’s early intervention provider most likely will be able to help him learn and develop in a variety of places. The important thing is to consider the routines and activities you typically enjoy together. If you go to a park on a regular basis, for example, think about using that outing as a time to work with your child’s service provider. Together you can identify which goals it makes sense to work on there. Anything could fit—from language to to physical therapy! Q: My daughter, who has a physical disability, wants to take dance lessons. How do I go about finding a program for her? A: Taking dance lessons is something many young children enjoy. When trying to find a program for your daughter, you may want to visit and observe some of the programs in your area. Some of the things you will want to find out are: w what types of classes are offered (tap, ballet, jazz, clogging, etc), w what ages are enrolled, w how large are the classes, w how long are the classes and w how often do they meet. You will want to interview the teacher(s) AskPFI by Susan Deans Susan is an inclusion specialist for Partner-ships for Inclusion in the Eastern Region. She lives with her family in Whiteville. Community Opportunities Get going now! to find out if they have any experience working with children who have special needs.You may also want to ask how flex-ible they are in regard to things like incor-porating specialized equipment or making modifications in instruction. Be prepared to describe your daughter’s enthu-siasm about dance and her general abilities. Also be prepared to answer the teacher’s questions about how to best accommodate your child. Q: My son made a new friend at school who uses a walker and has some speech prob-lems. I think he may have cerebral palsy. My son wants to invite his friend to come over to our house to play. How do I prepare for his visit? A: When preparing for this visit, the first thing I would suggest is that you call the friend’s parents to issue the invita-tion and to express your eagerness to learn more about their son. Explain to his parents that you want the visit to be fun for both children and that you have a few questions.Ask things like: w what activities does he enjoy, w what things are difficult or frustrating for him, w what will he need help with, and w does he have any special medical or dietary concerns you should watch. Don’t be embarrassed to ask these ques-tions. Most parents love to talk about their children and parents of children with special needs are no different. ALLTOGETHERNOW! 21 Asking questions, observing classes, and watching teachers’ rapport with students is important when finding a match for all children’s extra curricular activities—not just for children with special needs! ATN! Seen&Heard KidSpeak Win a Children’s Book! If you’d like to share a story or photo with the readers of All Together Now!, send your selec-tions (200 words or fewer, please) to MollyWeston, Editor All Together Now! 521 S. Greensboro St., Suite 100 Carrboro NC 27510 molly_weston@unc.edu If your story or photo is used in ATN! you’ll receive a copy of one of the books reviewed in that issue. A year or so ago, we had a three-year-old named Madeleine at our Child Develop-ment Lab who really felt the heat and humidity of the eastern North Carolina summers. One day out on the play-ground she asked for a drink of water. She looked ready to melt, hair damp and sticking to her head. She said, “Ms. Nan, I’m so hot, even my HAIR is thirsty.” (I think she was right.) and When we were grad students at the Erik-son Institute, a classmate used this to explain the egocentric stage of child devel-opment— the “it’s all about me” stage: Sounds of distress came from the room where her two- and four-year-old chil-dren were playing. The two-year old was crying, and when mom asked what had happened, the four-year old explained, “It all started when he hit me back!” NanLee, Lecturer Department of Child Development & Family Relations East Carolina University Greenville,NC 22 Vol. 10, No. 2 • Summer 2004 No autographs today, please! You just gotta stop and smell the roses! We’re delighted to welcome Libby Wilson to our team as a Western Region inclusion specialist! Libby joined PFI in April and she’s hit the road running with both feet! She’s already begun work-shops and consultations. A Shelby native, she lives in Arden (south of Asheville). She has taught at Asheville- Buncombe Tech in the early childhood program. Libby is well known both in and outside North Carolina, having worked in private family therapy, in children’s group homes in California and North Carolina, and as a classroom observer and teacher interviewer across the nation. After grad-uating from Winthrop College, she gained her masters in social work from the University of Tennessee. Libby also has her B-K certification.Welcome, Libby! Rhodus Riggins, Jr. left PFI last summer to pursue other interests. We’re happy to announce that he found the pull of PFI was just too powerful, and he rejoined our team in May. Rhodus has taken his place as a inclusion specialist in the Central Region. He is work-ing from the Carrboro office. A native of South Carolina, Rhodus now enjoys his new home in Burlington. He finds the short commute to Carrboro “an opportunity to gather his thoughts.” Welcome, home, Rhodus! ALLTOGETHERNOW! 23 ATN! One New, One Familiar PFI Faces… Barium Springs LCWagner Family & CDC Boone ASU CHDC Chapel Hill Carrboro Elem. P-K /HS Ephesus Elementary P-K/HS Rashkis Elem. PK/HS Charlotte Babies in a Basket Chandler Christian FCCH Easter Seals UCP Irwin & Carol Belk DC Endhaven Elem.ASEP First Ward ASEP Highland Renaissance ASEP Hope Haven CDC Lambs of Grace Lincoln Heights Elem ASEP Lucy Gist HS & DC Oakhurst Slem. School ASEP Reedy Creek Elem.ASEP Statesville Road Elem.ASEP Clinton Dogwood Circle HS Roseboro HS Conover Shuford Elem. Preschool Woodlawn Baptist CDC Currituck Bell’s Island Day Care Durham Carolyn’s Luv & Care DC Christian Learning Ctr. Close Attention DC Danita’s Quality Care Greater Works CDC Fayetteville Campbell Terrace HS Ruzie CC Gastonia Deaton Ave HS Goldsboro Pikeville HS Greensboro Doreen’s CCC Irene’s CC Services Marge’s Place, Inc. Tender Love & Care, Inc. Grimesland S & B Learning Tree High Point Kathy’s Christian CC Jacksonville AJSE CCC Granny’s Lil Angels Jamestown Robbins’ Nest FCC King Kind Elementary School Lucky Ducks CC Knightdale Amazing Babies CC Program Laurenburg Cuddly Care FCC Home Laurinburg HDS Lawsonville Lawsonville Elementary PS Lenoir Terri’s Tiny Tots Lexington Around the Clock DCH First Reformed UCC CDC Von’s Kids Inc Too Lumberton Cottonwood Pre-Elem. Marion McDowell High CC Maxton Wonder World DCH Monroe Marvin Elem.ASP New Salem Elem School ASP Sardis Elem.ASP Mooresville Park View School PS Programs Morganton Hopewell Baptist PS/ASC Kozy Kids Morven God Is Love Children Ctr. New Bern Child Care Network #77A Newton Balls Creek Elem. Kid Connection Pisgah Forest Friendship Corner Pittsboro Central Carolina CC Preschool Kids First Raleigh Frankie Lemmon Sch & DC Project Enlightenment Reidsville Naye’s Luv-N-Care Roanoke Rapids White Oak Parent/Child Ctr. Rocky Mount Little Kings & Queens HDC Selma Growing Together Shelby Killi’s Little Angels ECDC #2 Smithfield Lisa Pittman’s DCH Snow Hill God’s Little Angels Heavenly Angels Christian CC Spruce Pine Mitchell Co. More at Four Tarboro Reading Rainbow Warsaw Little Blessing CC Webster SW Comm. College CDC Westfield Francisco Elem PS Wilson Wee School CDC Winston-Salem Kelly’s DC Little Geniuses LC Mama Raquel’s DCH Moni’s CC & Learning Smiling Faces CC & Learning Tonya’s TIny Tots Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit No. 177 Chapel Hill NC 27599-1100 Addressee: Please share ATN! with your colleagues. Reaching the5Stars 521 S. Greensboro Street • Ste. 100 Carrboro NC 27510-2341 New 5-Star Programs Programs awarded January through April 2004 or not previously listed. Please note: Partnerships for Inclusion does not compile this list. It comes from the Division of Child Development. |
OCLC number | 33387525 |