As a parent, you are your child’s best advocate.
“One of the most helpful strategies I’ve learned in Early Intervention is how to be an advocate for my daughter.”
– Jessica
Video Spotlight: Advocacy
What is Advocacy? Why is it important?
As a parent, you are your child’s best advocate. You may advocate for your child to be seen by the doctor. You may advocate for a family gathering to begin after your child’s naptime. You may advocate for your child to receive needed services. As an expert on your child, your advocacy is key to their success. In this newsletter, we offer resources and tipsheets to help improve your advocacy. Our materials were informed by research about parent advocacy and parents of children who received early intervention services. We hope you find this issue helpful in your advocacy efforts.
We have created a series of 4 tip sheets to help you think about advocacy in different settings. Share these tip sheets with families or colleagues. Titles include:
- How to Advocate for Your Child While Taking Care of Yourself – describes the importance of taking care of yourself while being the best advocate for your child
- How to Advocate for Your Child in Childcare Settings – describes important factors to consider when your child is participating in a childcare setting
- How to Advocate for Your Child in Medical Settings – describes the importance of working collaboratively with professionals while educating yourself and sharing your expertise on your child
- How to Advocate for Your School-Aged Child with a Disability – describes four ways to advocate for your child during home-school interactions
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Recommended Books and Resources
Did you know that the EI Clearinghouse has…
Speech Kits! In collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development, the Early Intervention Clearinghouse is excited to expand its lending library to include 60 early childhood speech book kits for Illinois families. As delays in language are the most common type of developmental delay, each kit includes two books for caregivers with information and activities to promote communication skills and two books to share with children to encourage shared communication and relationship building. To request a speech kit, please complete our materials request form.
Need an iPad or a Hotspot for Live Video Visits?
Many families are receiving Early Intervention services through live video visits. To help families with technology needs, the EI Clearinghouse has added several technology devices to the lending library:
- iPads with a cellular data plan (device and Internet access)
- iPads without a cellular data plan (device)
- Hotspot with cellular data plan (Internet access)
To request a device, please complete our Device Loan Request Form (also available in Spanish). For more information about live video visits, see our tip sheet Introduction to Early Intervention (EI) Live Video Visits: Frequently Asked Questions (also available in Spanish).
Related Resource(s)
- Tip Sheets: How to Advocate for Your Child in Childcare Settings
- Tip Sheets: How to Advocate for Your Child in Medical Settings
- Tip Sheets: How to Advocate for Your Child While Taking Care of Yourself
- Tip Sheets: How to Advocate for Your School-Aged Child with a Disability
- Tip Sheets: Talking With Your Family About Your Child’s Disability
- Resource Guides: Advocating for Your Child and Family
- Blogs: You Are Your Child’s Best Advocate
- Blogs and Did you know…: Parent Training and Information Centers