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Your Child's Progress is Our Passion sm
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News, Research & Links of Interest
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Early Intervention Support Links
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Ask A Therapist
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With January 2012 already coming to a close we want to take this time to thank all of our subscribers for supporting TEIS (please check out our newly designed web site), Early Intervention Support and our enTEISment newsletter in 2011. We look forward to providing you with more great services and information in 2012.
As therapists we play a lot of roles in the lives of the children and families we serve, but none is as important as being a "partner" with a child's family in order to ensure a child's success. Found out how by reading the "5 Point Plan" below.
We also feature our sixth installment of Meet a TEIS Therapist, so be sure to read about the expertise of one of our TEIS Speech Therapists and remember if you know a child in need of early intervention services in Allegheny County-CHOOSE TEIS! Looking for simple child-friendly recipes that your kids will love? Look no further...enTEISment now brings you another healthy easy recipe below. If you missed our last issue of enTEISment in December you may wish to read our article on The Impact of Walkers, Exersaucers and Jumpers on a Child's Development. 
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How to Successfully Partner with Families of Children with Disabilities
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A summary of an article entitled "The 5-Point Plan: Fostering Successful Partnerships with Families of Students with Disabilities" by Caitlin C. Edwards & Alexandra Da Fonte that appeared in the Jan/Feb. 2012 Issue of Teaching Exceptional Children.
This CEC Journal article was geared toward school age children, but the underlying purpose of its message applies very well to early intervention therapists. School teachers and early intervention therapists alike wear many hats when it comes to teaching children with delays and disabilities, and Edwards & Da Fonte say some of these include "instructor, advocate, listener & problem solver".
We are lucky in EI that unlike school age teachers we have a federal law called the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 99-457) which requires families to be a central part in planning their child's goals for IFSP's and IEP's. The key word is "partner" and we must remember as therapists that in addition to the above named roles we may play in families lives, we must also partner with families to ensure the success of their children.
Because we serve young children 0-3 inside the home, we know very well the role that home life & a child's familial and cultural heritage plays. This is something more difficult to view when teaching at a school age level. To facilitate partnerships with families and help to sustain this ongoing collaboration Edwards and Da Fonte have suggested using what they call "The 5 Point Plan".
The following highlights their plan with some points that are relevant to early intervention therapists:
#1 Be positive, proactive and solution oriented:
- When meeting a family for the first time explain that family participation is a central part of the therapy session, discuss what your expectations are of a family and ask what their expectations are of you as a therapist
- Call families to remind them of therapy appointments or give them a calendar for the fridge so they can keep track of standing appointments
- Always leave a family with "homework" that you have demonstrated during your session
- Research specific disabilities if you are not familiar with them and remember that every child regardless if they have the same diagnosis will be unique
- Always share three strengths for every weakness you discuss
- When discussing problems, always offer a possible solution, for example "Next week we'll try_____and see if that is more successful."
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Meet a TEIS Therapist
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Betsy Gilbert, SLP
TEIS Speech Therapist 
Betsy is a Speech-Language Pathologist with TEIS. She received her B.A. from Baldwin-Wallace College and her M.A. from the University of Pittsburgh.
She has been working as an SLP for 4 years. Prior to working in Early Intervention she worked at an outpatient pediatric hospital.
Betsy says she decided to make the move to Early Intervention because she wanted to be more involved with the families of the children that she works with.
Her areas of expertise are in social language disorders, language delay, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Betsy also has a strong interest in pediatric feeding disorders.
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Easy & Healthy
Kid Friendly Recipes
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Beans, Banana and Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown rice (quinoa is a great substitute and a great way to add more whole grains, amino acids, and protein)
- 1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1/2 banana (more or less according to taste)
To Prepare
Cook 1/2 cup brown rice (or quinoa) according to the package.
Meanwhile, Cook 1 cup of black beans (drained and rinsed) on medium heat. These can be mashed while you cook if needed for a younger child. After the rice is done add to the beans. While the mixture is still warm, add a finely chopped banana (or mashed according to the child's needs) on top, mix and serve!
*These ingredients can be placed in a food processor to blend for a child who needs a more pureed texture
Thanks to TEIS SLP Julie S. for the recipe!
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Visit our Early Intervention Support website to discover a wealth of information on early childhood development, developmental milestones, early intervention resources, pediatric therapy & our unique Ask A Therapist forum.  TEIS is a company that provides therapeutic early intervention services to young children in Allegheny, Westmoreland and Beaver Counties in south western Pennsylvania. TEIS employs pediatric physical, occupational, speech, vision, developmental & nutrition therapists.  If you know a child in Allegheny County PA who is in need of early intervention services, call The Alliance for Infants & Toddlers at (412) 885-6000 to request an evaluation & choose TEIS as your child's service provider.If you know a child in Beaver County PA who is in need of early intervention services , call the Beaver County Direct Services Unit (724) 891-2827 and request TEIS to provide your child's initial evaluation. TEIS3 Parkway Center East 2020 Ardmore Blvd. Suite 295
Forest Hills, PA 15221 Phone: 412-271-TEIS (8347)
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"One kind word can warm three winter months."
~Japanese Proverb
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