Within any new relationship, there is a balance between sharing too much information and not sharing enough. For any relationship to work, there must be a sense of trust. Likewise, this is true when your family enters the early intervention system.
As a parent, it is important to share your concerns and dreams for your child, along with other information, with your service coordinator, other CFC staff, and EI providers. It is not unusual to feel uncomfortable about sharing details. Yet, its very important to keep sharing information. They need your point of view to understand your hopes and concerns and to be responsive to your child and family needs. Please remember that your service coordinator will continue to contact you regularly to check in on services, your satisfaction with services, and any other changes that might impact your family.
You may wonder what is appropriate to share with providers. Here are some conversation starters that you can have with providers. These can be helpful throughout your time in the early intervention system and upon transition into another program.
These are things I want everyone to know about my child.
- Favorite foods
- Favorite people
- Favorite toy
- My child’s strengths
These are my concerns now.
- Developmental concerns
- Behavior concerns
This is how my child communicates with me and others.
- Words she uses
- Signs
- Gestures
These are ways my child likes to learn new things.
- Watching, imitating a sibling
- Watching, playing with a grandparent
This is what my child does when she needs help.
- Cries
- Hits
- Throws tantrum
- Uses his words
Places my child likes to go.
- Parks
- Zoo
- Store
- Church or synagogue
- Playgroup
- A friend’s home
These are things I would like my child to learn in the next 6–12 months.
- Motor skills
- Language skills
- How to feed himself
These are things I would like to learn in the next 6–12 months.
- How I can best help my child
- How we can work on skills during our everyday tasks/routines
This is how I learn best.
- Videos
- Reading
- Seeing strategies in action
Here is what a typical day looks like for us.
- Nap routine
- Feeding schedule
- Visits with friends
- Work schedule
Adapted from the Illinois Early Intervention Guide for Families at eiclearinghouse.org. It is included in the information packet you received from your service coordinator upon entry into the EI system.