Page 4 - Routines-Based Early Intervention Guidebook
P. 4
Preface
How it began
This book grew out of the experiences of speech‐language pathologists who work with
English‐ and Spanish‐speaking families enrolled in early childhood interven on programs in
Texas. It u lizes an acronym for five strategies (SMILE—sign, model, imitate, label, and
expand) that have been found to improve communica on skills in infants and toddlers.
These materials are designed around twelve daily rou nes where a variety of strategies
to increase communica on can be used. For example, the “meal me” rou ne provides many
opportuni es to label items and ac ons, model phrases, imitate sounds, express preferences,
and even describe foods. However, each rou ne also lends itself to teaching a specific
strategy (e.g., making requests). At the beginning of every sec on, we have provided detailed
informa on on a single strategy. By highligh ng one strategy in each session, families can
more easily learn to incorporate this therapeu c approach into their daily lives.
This program has been field‐tested with many families enrolled in early childhood
interven on. The children in these families had many different disabili es, including Down
Syndrome, Au sm, Cerebral Palsy, and general language delays. The families came from
different language backgrounds (English, Spanish, and bilingual English/Spanish), and high,
middle, and low socioeconomic groups. The generous input and concerns of parents, speech‐
language pathologists, and early interven onists have strongly influenced the content.
How it has evolved
We have had the opportunity to con nue our field‐tes ng of this program and gather
addi onal feedback about its benefits from the families and professionals who use it. Based
on their input, we were able to determine how using these strategies assists families in
learning ways to help their children develop language skills through everyday events. We have
added extra ac vity ideas that families can easily use at home; pages for children to pull out,
cut, color, glue, and paste; and many more signs for interven onists to turn into flashcards.
In addi on, we have updated sec ons on speech and language development to be
more concise and useful for interven onists. There is a great sec on on myths about
bilingualism and answers to frequently asked ques ons to address the concerns of families.
There are also more guidelines for interven onists and speech‐language pathologists,
including a sample treatment session, new data collec on sheets, and ra onales for working
on language development to be shared with families. We also have included more
informa on on speech development and the use of signs as a bridge to developing oral
language skills.