Page 11 - Routines-Based Early Intervention Guidebook

Routines-Based Early Intervention Guidebook

Collaborating With Caregivers

We want the best for the children we work with.

As speech‐language pathologists working in a variety of se ngs, we have had the
opportunity to team with caregivers of all types in implemen ng interven on for young
children with communica on difficul es. While searching for the “best way” to do so, we
have come to realize that we can achieve a kind of synergy when we fully involve parents and
caregivers. Synergy, by defini on, is when one or more components are combined to create a
product that is even greater than the effects they would have if they were added up
individually. Simply put, teaming with parents and caregivers gives you the most bang for your
buck. Be er progress is seen at a faster rate.

How do we collaborate with caregivers?

How do we ensure that caregivers understand what they can do, how they can do it,
and why they should do it? It is almost always the case that they want to help; that is rarely a
problem. In order to have successful collabora on, we have to explain the what, the how, and
the why of communica on interven on. Before we can do this, we first have to determine
how the caregivers view and understand their children’s communica on behaviors, and what
they know about helping their children improve their communica on skills. In other words,
we need to assess the caregivers. This is done by posing open‐ended ques ons in order to
provide families with an opportunity to tell their story. By listening to them and observing
their interac ons with their children, we gain valuable informa on about how to approach
collabora on. A er making this ini al assessment, our next step is to provide them with the
knowledge and tools that we use as professionals to help their children improve their
communica on skills. By doing so, we effec vely enable caregivers to become the
interven onists!

How do we encourage ‘buy‐in’ from families

1. Package up our ideas and present them in a way that makes sense.
The first thing we can do is assure parents and caregivers that they are not the reason
their child has difficulty communica ng, as well as provide posi ve reinforcement for their
efforts to help their child. Paren ng is not easy, and paren ng a child who requires special
care presents an added challenge.

2. Avoid making assump ons.
Whether you are a speech‐language pathologist, early interven onist, or other
professional, you likely have immersed yourself in a discipline that comes with a specific
knowledge base, terminology and perspec ve. To work with caregivers, you need to step
outside of your world, throw your acronyms out of the window, and start from the beginning.
The ‘beginning’ is usually different for each caregiver.

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