Sessions at Birth to Three: Expanding Your Early Intervention Toolbox

Pre-recorded sessions will be on-demand and last about an hour, so you can watch them whenever time permits! We are adding more sessions, so check back soon for more additions.

Evidence-Based Behavior Support Strategies for SLPs in Early Intervention: The Why and What
Barbara Weber, MS, CCC-SLP, BCBA

Young children’s behaviors often serve as the first way they communicate. This session will share evidence-based behavior support strategies to help SLPs build families’ capacity to address challenging behaviors. The presenter will discuss family-centered strategies, including cultural considerations and working collaboratively with caregivers to create measurable goals.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• explain the function of behavior and its relationship with communication
• develop intervention strategies based on observed behaviors
• discuss family variables related to intervention strategies

Coaching for Confidence: A Framework for Empowering Caregivers
Mollie Romano, PhD, CCC-SLP, and Ashley Sellers, MS, CCC-SLP

Caregiver coaching in early intervention can take many forms, from clinician-directed to family-guided models. This session will discuss coaching strategies that can help SLPs in early intervention (EI) to engage caregivers as partners, building caregiver confidence and abilities to support children's communication in everyday routines and activities. The session will share a common framework for use in both home and childcare settings to support your use of capacity-building coaching strategies.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• explain what caregiver coaching looks like during home visits and in childcare settings
• describe three caregiver coaching strategies that EI SLPs can use to help build caregiver confidence
• compare and contrast capacity-building caregiver coaching models and clinician-directed coaching models and evaluate your own current model of service delivery

All in the Family: Incorporating Caregivers and Siblings Into Early Intervention Services
Elizabeth Rosenzweig, PhD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT

This session will describe evidence-based strategies for engaging family members in early intervention sessions. The session will highlight practical strategies to facilitate whole-family engagement that can result in progress for young children while simultaneously creating a fun experience for all family members. The presenter will also discuss research that supports the efficacy of caregiver and family coaching and address common barriers to family partnership.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• list and describe at least three strategies for incorporating caregivers and siblings into early intervention sessions
• provide a research-based rationale for including caregivers and siblings in early intervention sessions
• identify common barriers to caregiver/sibling engagement in EI and provide possible solutions

Navigating IDEA Part C Guidelines and Regulations
Kelly Caldwell, MA, MS, CCC-SLP

While each state implements the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C regulations differently, there are many commonalities. This session will take a fresh look at IDEA Part C, breaking down what SLPs need to know to navigate the system and advocate for better outcomes for young children and families.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• explain how audiologists and SLPs play a key role in early intervention services delivered through IDEA Part C
• analyze ways to ensure that audiologists and SLPs have a strong role in comprehensive assessments for young children
• apply IDEA Part C regulations in real-world scenarios to protect and support children and families

Culturally Responsive Early Language Interventions for Families With Young Children
Mark Guiberson, PhD, CCC-SLP

This session will examine strategies for supporting language and early/emerging literacy, highlighting culturally responsive practices to support culturally and linguistically diverse children and their families. The presenter will present current research findings, outline evidence-based strategies, and assess their effectiveness. The session will discuss how to evaluate these strategies and ways to adapt and apply them in practice. (This session can count toward the ASHA certification maintenance professional development requirement for CC/DEI.)

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify culturally responsive practices that can enhance family engagement in early language interventions
• evaluate the usability of these strategies with families
• adapt strategies to meet the needs of families you work with

Neuroplasticity and Language Development: The Importance of Early Interactions
Naja Ferjan Ramirez, PhD

This session will highlight the importance of early interactions, relationships, and experiences that serve as basic building blocks for brain growth. The presenter will discuss the latest research techniques to study the infant brain, focusing on work that describes how the infant brain changes as a function of language learning. The speaker will also discuss practical implications for real-world settings.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• explain how and why the infant brain changes in response to experience 
• describe multiple “ingredients” of social interactions that facilitate brain development, including learning one or multiple languages
• explain how and why early language and brain growth affect education and societies worldwide

Building Trust from the Start: Ethical Considerations in Early Intervention
Tanya Shores, EdD, CCC-SLP

This session will share practical information to address ethical challenges SLPs may encounter in their early intervention work. The presenter will introduce a framework for ethical decision-making and use case studies to provide practical applications of the framework. Specific examples will include language facilitation, adoption and integration of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and collaboration with other stakeholders. The presentation will highlight a solutions-focused approach to proactively build trust with families throughout the assessment and treatment process. (This session can count toward the ASHA certification maintenance professional development requirement for Ethics.)

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• identify and evaluate potential ethical challenges in early intervention using a structured framework
• describe strategies to proactively build and maintain trust with children, families, and interdisciplinary teams, focusing on transparency, cultural competence, and ethical decision-making
• apply ethical principles to real-world scenarios

Delivering Effective Early Language Intervention via Telehealth and Hybrid Service Models
Bridgett Collins, MA, CCC-SLP, and Michelle Miller, MS, CCC-SLP

This session will compare the strengths and challenges of in-person, telehealth, and hybrid service models for language intervention in the birth-to-three population. The presenters will discuss how to coach caregivers to use key early intervention (EI) language facilitation strategies while capitalizing on the strengths of remote service delivery. The session will highlight the Teach-Model-Coach-Review approach to providing caregiver coaching.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• conduct EI via a telehealth or a hybrid format that engages the caregiver and the child while maximizing outcomes
• compare strengths and challenges of in-person, telehealth, and hybrid delivery approaches for the EI population to select the best approach for individual children based on a variety of parameters (e.g., cultural preferences, family and child needs)
• apply the Teach-Model-Coach-Review approach to effectively coach caregivers in EI sessions
• select key EI language facilitation strategies to target during caregiver coaching

Family-Centered Early Intervention With Young Children Who Are Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Kristina Blaiser, PhD, CCC-SLP

This session will share information to support early intervention providers who work with families with young children who have been identified as having hearing loss. The speaker will share family-centered early intervention strategies to support communication and meet families' needs and goals, with special attention on the needs of children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing. This session will build on providers' existing knowledge of the impacts of hearing on child development, focusing on young children, families, and interprofessional collaboration in preparing children to enter school .

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• describe family-centered early intervention as a primary means of working with children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing
• apply knowledge of assessment and intervention to children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing
• document how access to communication impacts communication development

Trauma-Informed Mental Health Care and Its Intersection With Early Language and Emotional Development
Naomi Grinney, LCSW, IMH-E, IECMHC-C

This session will help clinicians build capacity and develop skills to support families that have experienced grief or trauma. The presenter will explore ways in which trauma impacts speech and language development as well as emotional behavior in young children. The session will share evidence-based strategies and tools that early intervention professionals can use to talk with families about challenging topics, identify grief and trauma in children and/or caregivers, explore resilience, support family functioning, promote family confidence and competence, and strengthen family-child relationships. The speaker will explore significant components of parent mental health, practitioner and caregiver capacity, and cultural influences on children’s development.

After completing this session, you will be able to:

• support caregivers who have experienced grief or trauma by identifying signs and symptoms, providing interventions, and connecting them to community resources 
• identify symptoms of trauma in young children and share supports for children with parents and caregivers
• describe the ways in which trauma impacts speech and language development as well as emotional behavior in young children

"I loved how there were different perspectives on the same subject. I liked the tips and practical strategies that were provided."