Engage Y ur families! From the very first moment you speak to them!
Communication Guide for Initial Family Contact for
Early Intervention Specialists
Engage Y ur families!
Engaging Families starts with great first impressions and compelling conversations! Follow this outline when you intitially contact a family!
YOU ARE
WHO
Don't just introduce yourself but give the family a better idea of who you really are. How long have you been working with children? What do you love most about what you do? How have you been able to help other children just like theirs?
IT IS IMPORTANT
WHY
It is a fact that we only make time for what is important to us. Make their child's development important to them. Tell them how an unaddressed delay could potentially impact their child's future success in school and in life.
TO EXPECT
WHAT
Give them an overview of the process but don't get bogged down in the details. If it seems to complicated they might lose interest! Tell families that you will be their primary contact and that you will coordinating all of their services, starting with an evaluation.
IT WILL BE DONE
HOW
Explain how every visit looks a whole lot like fun! How we help children grow in their development through routine based activities and that we try and use only the types of things that are found in their home so they can be sure to work on skills even when we aren't there!
WHO YOU ARE
WHO YOU ARE
To know each of you is to LOVE each of you! But you have to tell people all the wonderful things about you so that they can start loving you too! And if you can tell them more about who you are and who Brighton is with an upbeat and energetic voice, they are going to be that much more likely to want to work with you! 1. ALL ABOUT YOU
YOUR NAME YOUR TITLE HOW LONG YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THIS TYPE OF WORK WHAT YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK THAT YOU ARE EXCITED TO MEET THEM AND WORK WITH THEIR FAMILY
Don't use Acronymns! NO ECI, EIS, PT, ST, OT!
2. RELAYING THE RESULTS
RESULTS OF ASQ INDICATE THAT YOUR CHILD WOULD BENEFIT FROM A FURTHER EVALUATION EVALUATIONS ARE AT NO COST TO YOU WE WILL COME TO YOUR PREFERRED LOCATION TO CONDUCT THE EVALUATION AFTER THE EVALUATION IS COMPLETE WE WILL THEN HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT AND CAN MAKE A PLAN FROM THERE. Note: If a child doesn't indicate a delay based on the ASQ, you will give them the results but tell them that they can still request a full evaluation at no cost to them if they feel like the would like their child to be evaluated by a therapist.
WHAT IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE "Hi, my name is Susie Smith and I am with Brighton Center and am one of their early intervention specialist, or and EIS as we like to call them. I specialize in early childhood development and am really sort of like a "coach" through the whole early intervention process. I have been working in childhood development for over 10 years and absolutely love watching how quickly children can improve if they are given the right help at the right time! I am calling today to give you the results of your Ages and Stages Questionnaire that you took online. This online screening indicated that your child might have a possible delay. I would like to see if we could schedule a full evaluation with myself and one of our therapists to see if we can get more clarity around what your child might be struggling with. This evaluation is at no cost to you and we will come to the location of your choice, preferably where your child spends most of his or her day. Can we go ahead and get that scheduled?"
ONLY TOOK 40 SECONDS!
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT People make time for what is important to them. Make their child's development important by expressing the severity of them NOT getting services NOW! Tell them what the result might be if they overlook this opportunity to get their child evaluated and enrolled.
1. THE RIGHT HELP AT THE RIGHT TIME
90% OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT HAPPENS BEFORE THE AGE OF 5 EARLY INTERVENTION BEFORE THE AGE OF 3 COULD BE THE KEY IN ENSURING YOUR CHILD IS ON SOCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY ON TRACK CHILDREN WHO ENTER KINDERGARTEN DEVELOPMENTALLY, SOCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY ON TRACK ARE 4X MORE LIKELY TO BE SUCCESSFUL AFTER HIGH SCHOOL (EMPLOYMENT, COLLEGE, ETC.)
Make it personal and relevant! When talking about the "why" use the child's name, their particular delay, anything you can to make the "WHY it is import" really resonate with them!
WHAT IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE "Since your child's ASQ screener indicated that there might be a possibly developmental delay it is so important that we move quickly so that we can have him evaluated and if needed enrolled in our program. With 90% of brain development happening before the age of 5, NOW is the best time to work with your child to give him/her the best opportunity to get caught up and be ready to successfully enter kindergarten. Research shows that children who enter kindergarten with their development on target are 4x more likely to graduate high school. Let's get your child scheduled for an evaluation so we can be certain where he/she is at and can make a plan from there. "
ONLY TOOK 30 SECONDS!
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT Most people have never heard of Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) or therapy services so in addition to describing who you are, what Brighton does and why it is important, it is critical that you tell them what to expect as well! Don't get bogged down in the details but give them a comfort level on what they can expect with this whole process.
1. THE PROCESS
EVALUATION CREATE A INDIVIDUALIZED PLAN BASED ON YOUR GOALS FOR YOUR CHILD BASED ON THAT PLAN WE WILL DETERMINE WHAT EXPERTS YOU WILL SEE AND HOW OFTEN YOU WILL SEE THEM WE GO TO WHERE YOUR CHILD IS NORMALLY AT DURING THE DAY WE INVOLVE THE PRIMARY CARE GIVER WITH OUR SESSION. HAVING THE PERSON(S) WHO ARE WITH YOUR CHILD THE MOST BE INVOLVED WITH THEIR THERAPY AND OVERALL DEVELOPMENT IS KEY.
Emphasize the convenience of us coming to their child and the teamwork necessary to make this process all work!
WHAT IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE "Once the evaluation is scheduled, I, along with a therapist, will come to your home, or the location of your choice and will do some activities that will help us understand where your child's development is currently at. Based on that, we will determine if your child could benefit from becoming enrolled with Brighton. We will ask you what your goals are for your child and will create a complimentary plan that will be a combination of visits with me, your Early Intervention Specialist and therapist(s). As an EIS, I am highly trained and knowledgeable about early childhood development. So while the therapist you work with will address a certain developmental domain (physical, speech or occupational), I will look at your child as a whole and work with you on daily activities and routines that we can incorporate to make ensure your child is developing holistically on track."
ONLY TOOK 30 SECONDS!
HOW IT WILL BE DONE
HOW IT WILL BE DONE The word "therapy" and the thought of weekly or monthly visits can sound overwhelming to families that have no idea what to expect. Tell the families that the way we do our services looks a whole lot like play and is a fun and engaging experience for their child! Before you know it, the whole family will be looking forward to a visit from their Brighton Team!
1. WE MAKE IT FUN - PLAY BASED THERAPY!
ALL OF OUR ACTIVITIES REVOLVE AROUND PLAY OR OTHER COMMON ROUTINES DONE IN THE HOME WE MIGHT BRING SOME EQUIPMENT OR TOOLS BUT MOSTLY WE WILL USE THINGS FOUND IN YOUR HOME WE WILL GIVE PARENTS DIFFERENT IDEAS AND STRATEGIES THAT THEY CAN DO WITH THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE WE "COACH" PARENTS THROUGH THE ENTIRE SESSION AND INVOLVE THEM SO THAT THEY LEARN HOW TO IMPLEMENT THESE STRATEGIES THROUGH THIER DAILY ROUTINES.
Explain to families that Brighton's Therapy program is fun, engaging and productive! It is play based and routine based!
WHAT IT MIGHT SOUND LIKE "If your child is enrolled, at every visit we will ask you about how your kiddo has been doing and if there is anything specific you would like us to focus on or address. But we will always come with our own set of activities that will coincide with the progress we are trying to make with your child. Our goal is to make the visit fun, engaging and most of all productive. We want your child to look forward to our time together and to give you strategies that you can do when we are gone that will help your child progress even further. We act as a Coach to parents/caregivers so that they feel confident and knowledgeable about the role they can play in their child's development."
ONLY TOOK 30 SECONDS!