Talking with Professionals

This guide includes information on the Illinois Early Intervention (EI) Program, why EI services are important, how to find out whether your child is eligible for the EI program, starting and leaving EI services, your legal rights, and questions frequently asked by families.

This monograph contains articles highlighting different aspects of family-based practices and how they can enhance early intervention and early childhood special education.

Rich with humor and heart, the book offers helpful steps for self reflection, personnel preparation, and parent-professional training. Key features include: Practical insights and evidence-based approaches to forming partnerships, easy-to-read, non-technical language that speaks to both the heart and the mind, sample letters, conversations, and other forms of communication between professionals and parents, and effective ways to handle difficult situations. 

This book is about digging deeper and looking closer at what it takes to have successful relationships with each and every family. The authors explore seven partnership concepts, brought to life through the words and perspectives of families and professionals themselves.

Getting services for a child with behavioral health needs-from ADHD to autism to psychiatric and developmental problems-can be overwhelming. This is a step-by-step guide to working smarter with medical, behavioral health, and educational professionals.

With a focus on how families and professionals can collaborate effectively so that infants and toddlers learn, grow, and thrive, this book reflects research and best-practices in the field of early intervention. The book includes a chapter on assessment and planning outlining how parents and professionals can work together throughout the process.

This video provides a comprehensive, easy-to-follow introduction to early intervention services, including how parents can best communicate with professionals on how to meet the needs of their young child.

This article explains the role of service coordinators and discusses how they can facilitate communication between parents and professionals.

This article shows how information gathered in the assessment process is used to develop goals for young children and families.

This list provides resources to help providers discuss difficult topics with parents. Web articles, books, journal articles, and organizations are listed.

Many parents feel nervous about parent-teacher conferences or other talks with their children’s teachers or caregivers. Here are some parent-tested hints to help you have good meetings with the people at your child’s program.

Linda bites her classmates. Nate’s rude talk upsets everybody. But the parents seem stunned when you tell them you would like to find ways to help their child get along better at school. Here are some suggestions that may help when parents say, “He doesn’t do that at home!”