Now that you know your child and family will be receiving FGRBI services and supports from your Early Intervention program, you may wonder what a home visit will be like and what some of those words like natural environment and coaching discussed in the Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) meeting will look like. Here are three important features about home-based early intervention to help you know what to expect.
- Providing service in the natural environments is more than coming to your home to work with your child. We know that children learn best with familiar people while they are doing meaningful, everyday things like getting dressed, playing ball, eating a snack, or walking the dog. Activities like these all help children learn many important skills. Instead of bringing special toys and materials to your home, you and the provider will teach your child during your typical routines using your family’s objects and toys. You will choose routines and activities you believe are best to teach your child with your provider’s support.
- Your role as the family is to help your child grow and develop by using (or embedding) strategies in the activities and routines you choose and are already doing. For example, at snack your child can increase communication and motor skills by naming his choice of food or drink and by picking up the cracker and holding the cup with two hands. Your child learns about taking turns, attending to faces, and having fun during a game of peek while getting dressed. Embedded intervention means you intentionally support your child’s learning while doing what you always do with your family.
- Your EI provider’s role is to help you teach your child. As a coach, your provider will listen to your concerns and priorities, share information, and offer suggestions about strategies to help your child learn. Your provider will help you choose routines and activities that are meaningful, interesting, and occur frequently to give your child opportunities to practice, and that are comfortable for you and your family. By working together, your child will have opportunities to learn throughout the day, every day… not just during special instruction or therapy sessions.