On this page, you will find a variety of resources related to tele-intervention services, including best practices, guidelines for providers, tools for effective virtual engagement, and strategies for supporting children and families remotely.
Tele-Intervention
Virginia-Specific Info
Virginia Medicaid Resources
Medicaid Provider Manual Update - Updates to Telehealth Policy - Early Intervention (8-27-21)
VA Department of Medical Assistance (DMAS)
The purpose of this memorandum is to inform providers that the “Telehealth Services Supplement” that was previously added to other manuals has now also been added to the Early Intervention Manual.
Other Resources
Challenges and Solutions for Telehealth
Infant & Toddler Connection of the New River Valley
This document addresses common challenges associated with providing early intervention services via telehealth (tele-intervention) and suggests possible tips and solutions.
Journal Articles
6 Musts for Effective Tele-Intervention with Families of Young Children
Brookes Blog
In this post, six “musts” are presented that will help early interventionists fine tune their remote coaching and tele-assessment skills, and ensure that the developmental needs of young children continue to be met.
Behl et al. (2017). A multisite study evaluating the benefits of early intervention via telepractice. Infants & Young Children, 30, 147-161.
This study supports the effectiveness of telepractice in delivering early intervention services to families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Coaching and Telehealth: Implementing the DEC Recommended Practices Successfully for Families
Coaching and Telehealth: Implementing the DEC Recommended Practices Successfully for Practitioners
Integrated Training Collaborative and Infant & Toddler Connection of VA
These resource handouts highlight specific Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices and descriptions for how each can be implemented. The Families handout includes a second resource that provides an example of the natural learning opportunities caregivers can provide their child each week compared to the limited opportunities with an early intervention practitioner.
Everyday Early Intervention During Coronavirus
Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse
Visit this site for examples of information to share with families about tele-intervention (referred to as video visits) and how to help infants and toddlers learn during daily routines. Please note that some information is specific to Illinois and would have to be customized to reflect Virginia's COVID-19 policies and practices.
Part C Providers Continue to Support Language Development through Teletherapy
Special Ed Connection
This article highlights the work that the Infant & Toddler Connection of Fairfax-Falls Church has done to adjust to providing early intervention services using teletherapy. Susan Sigler (Local System Manager), Kimberly Griffith (Speech-Language Pathologist), and Emilie Mulholland (Deaf and Hard of Hearing Educator) share insights into how they are supporting families using video conferencing.
Planning for the Use of Video Conferencing for Early Intervention Home Visits during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Larry Edelman
The purpose of this document is to suggest key topics to be addressed and provide information and resources to assist in planning how to use video conferencing for home visiting.
Poole, M. E., Fettig, A., McKee, R. A., & Gauvreau, A. N. (2020). Inside the virtual visit: Using tele-intervention to support families in early intervention. Young Exceptional Children. Posted with permission from DEC.
This article provides an overview of tele-intervention and strategies for technology and virtual visit set up, building relationships, providing caregiver coaching, and facilitating caregiver-provider reflection during virtual visits with families.
Provider and Educator Use of Technology
ECTA Center
Visit this site for videos, handouts, and links to other resources that illustrate and support the provision of early intervention services through video conferencing.
Tele-Intervention Infographics – Early Childhood Intervention Tele-Practice
The Family, Infant and Preschool Program
This page houses a series of downloadable infographics about tele-coaching, tele-intervention, and tele-teaming as well as a video about these practices. Click below to view each infographic.
- An Early Intervention Guide to Tele-Coaching
Five Characteristics
Alternatives to Modeling
- An Early Intervention Guide to Tele-Intervention
Natural Learning Environment Practices
Getting Started
FIPP Tips (for the three parts of an effective tele-intervention visit)
The Power of Capacity-Building
- An Early Intervention Guide to Tele-Teaming
Team Meetings
Joint Visits
Tele-Intervention Tips and Strategies
EI Strategies for Success Blog
Visit the blog to read posts and share ideas about providing strategies for engaging parents and using recommended practices during tele-intervention visits. Subscribe from the home page to receive notifications about new posts. Featured posts include:
eLearning, Presentations, and Webinars
A Practical Guide to the Use of Tele-Intervention for Providing Early Intervention Services
National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM)
Service providers and parents are encouraged to watch the following free trainings from The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) for information about best practices and tele-intervention. Please note that these trainings are offered as a free resource and have not been tailored to Virginia policies.
Strategies for Engaging Parents (not Children!) during Tele Intervention
Brookes Coffee Chat
Presented by Dana Childress, PhD
During this brief coffee chat webinar, strategies are discussed that early intervention and early childhood practitioners can use to engage parents during tele-intervention visits conducted using video technology. Strategies address what to do to prepare for the visit, what to do during the visit, and how to plan for and support the parent between visits. This webinar content was based on a blog post on the EI Strategies for Success blog by the same name. For other recorded coffee chats, visit the Brookes Coffee Chat page.
Supporting Families in the Midst of a Crisis
VA’s Integrated Training Collaborative | Partnership for People with Disabilities
Presented by Lisa Terry, MS, MEd
This webinar introduces the 5Rs of Healthy Brain Development. It includes the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on stress, empathy, behaviors, and embedded strategies to support the caregiver, child, and early interventionist. Resources for this webinar include: Webinar Handout, Supporting the 5Rs of Health Development, Supporting the 5Rs Example.
Tele-Intervention in Virginia - Data, Benefits, Challenges, & Advice from Practitioners – PART I
VA’s Integrated Training Collaborative | Partnership for People with Disabilities
Presented by Dana Childress, PhD, Megan Schumaker-Murphy, EdD, and Kyla Patterson, MS
Starting in March 2020, early intervention in Virginia was provided in many localities via tele-intervention due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch this session to learn what data from two surveys of EI practitioners indicated about service delivery during this time. We’ll share insights from practitioners about the impact of tele-intervention on coaching practices, benefits and the most commonly reported challenges, and the hope and advice practitioners have for the future. Click the link above to visit the 2021 Talks on Tuesdays Archive and scroll down until you find the webinars.
Tele-Intervention in Virginia - Data, Benefits, Challenges, & Advice from Practitioners – PART II
VA’s Integrated Training Collaborative | Partnership for People with Disabilities
Presented by Dana Childressand Dana Carroll, MOT, Michelle Harris, MS, CCC-SLP, Naomi Grinney, LCSW, Brandie Kendrick, and Melissa "Missy" Rose, PT, DPT, C/NDT
In Part I of this series, we reviewed data from two surveys of early intervention practitioners about their experiences providing tele-intervention. In Part II, we will host a panel discussion with current EI practitioners from our Teleflections video series about themes from the survey findings. Our discussion will address experiences with coaching during tele-intervention, supporting parent-child interactions and teaching parents virtually, overcoming challenges, transitioning back to some in-person visits, and advice for others providing tele-intervention.
Telepractice in Early Intervention
Molly Wallace, MA, CCC-SLP and Brooke Lambert, MEd, CCC-SLP
Pronto Therapy Group, LLC
Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia
In this webinar, two early intervention speech-language pathologists, Molly Wallace, MA, CCC-SLP and Brooke Lambert, MEd, CCC-SLP, discuss how to use telepractice to facilitate intervention with children and families using video conferencing technology. They describe equipment needs, debunk myths, and review evidence for telepractice. They also discuss clinical competencies, legal considerations, troubleshooting, and responsibilities of both the EI provider and the family. Specific to the EI provider, the facilitators share five “must have” skills for telepractice, including 1) following the caregiver’s lead, 2) engaging the family, 3) pacing the session, 4) responding to and managing behavior, and 5) completing documentation. Video clips are used throughout the webinar to illustrate how to coach and support children and families during EI telepractice visits. This webinar was a collaborative effort of Pronto Therapy Group LLC and the Infant & Toddler Connection of VA.
Tools
Learning Bytes about Tele-Intervention
Learning bytes are brief learning activities that supervisors, faculty, or other leaders can use to facilitate professional development with staff and students. These activities are designed to be of short duration and include instructions, handouts, links, worksheets and answer keys (as needed) to help you facilitate the activity with small or large groups. The learning bytes below focus on topics related to providing tele-intervention or conducting tele-assessment. These activities can be facilitated via video conferencing or in-person. Visit the Learning Bytes page to look for additional activities.
- Orientation to Tele-Intervention - 3-Session Plan
- Using Tele-Intervention to Conduct EI Visits - 2-Session Plan
- Conducting Tele-Assessments - 3-Session Plan
Telehealth Preparation Checklist - DOC | PDF
Infant & Toddler Connection of Greater Prince William
This tool provides guidance about how all participants, families and EI practitioners, can prepare for an early intervention visit conducted via video conferencing technology. The tool is available as a PDF and Word document so it can be adapted for local program use.
Virtual Early Intervention Technology Checklist
Indiana First Steps
This checklist can be used with families to prepare for tele-intervention visits and determine if the family has access to the needed technology.
Videos
Videos
Look for this icon to find videos that demonstrate tele-intervention with EI practitioners and families!
ASHA Web Event Series on Service Delivery Considerations in Early Intervention
Visit this page to access recorded video chats for EI providers supporting families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include: The Big Picture, Telepractice Evaluation and Assessment, and Empowering Families and Professionals (this chat features VA practitioners). While these chats are hosted by ASHA for speech-language pathologists, they include lots of information and strategies that would be helpful to any EI provider.
In this five-part video series, four early intervention providers in Ohio share their ideas and experiences about how they are able to maximize opportunities to build relationships and support parents using video conferencing as their primary method.
Early Intervention Tele-Assessment Video Chats
VA’s Integrated Training Collaborative
Partnership for People with Disabilities at VCU
Hosted by Dana Childress, PhD
Each of the following two chats feature five early intervention practitioners and leaders from Virginia discussing tele-assessment, or how to conduct developmental assessments with children and families using video conferencing. The chat addresses how to prepare families and teams, what successful tele-assessments look like, and tips and advice for others who are embarking on tele-assessment.
- Early Intervention Tele-Assessment: Video Chat #1 - May 2020
- Early Intervention Tele-Assessment: Video Chat #2 - May 2020
Special thank you to practitioners and leaders from the following systems who participated in the chats: Infant & Toddler Connections of Danville-Pittsylvania, Fairfax-Falls Church, Greater Prince William, Loudon, Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck, Norfolk, and Staunton-Waynesboro.
Getting Started with Telehealth (Live Video Visits) for Early Intervention Providers - Tips & Tricks
Sweet Pea Pediatric Wellness
This video features an occupational therapist and physical therapist from Colorado’s early intervention system describing how to provide early intervention support to families via telehealth. Many tips and strategies about how to conduct telehealth EI visits are included.
A Home Visit with Ares’ Family
ECTA Center
In this video, Ohio speech-language pathologist Lindsay Miketa delivers an early intervention home visit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The video illustrates the experience of a family new to early intervention that has only received home visits via video conferencing. The story is accompanied by insightful observations offered by Lindsay and Ares' parents, Jacqueline and Daniel.
A Home Visit with Sam’s Family
ECTA Center
This video features a tele-intervention visit with a mother, her son, and an occupational therapist. The mother and therapist also describe how intervention works.
A Home Visit with Zander’s Family
ECTA Center
In this video, a tele-intervention visit is shown with a family and a physical therapist. The therapist and mother also provide insights into tele-intervention.
Provider and Educator Use of Technology
ECTA Center
Visit this site for videos, handouts, and links to other resources that illustrate and support the provision of early intervention services through video conferencing.
Providing Early Intervention Services through Distance Technology
The Family, Infant and Preschool Program
Visit this site to watch a 20-min video that describes how to provide EI services and coach families using video conferencing. After strategies and tools are discussed, an example of an EI speech-language pathologist providing tele-intervention is included. The resource, Promoting Interest-Based Child Learning in Natural Settings using a Coaching Interaction Style, is mentioned in the video and can be found on this page.
Sunny Days Virtual Intervention
Sunny Days EI Services
This video provides information about providing EI services at a distance from both the perspective of a service provider and a parent. An example of what an early intervention session may look like when using video conferencing technology is also shown.
Supporting Families During the Pandemic: Four Therapists Share Their Wisdom
Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center
In this video, four early intervention practitioners from the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Ohio) share their experiences and advice about using video conferencing to deliver home visits.
Teleflections Video Series
Integrated Training Collaborative
Teleflections provide reflection from VA early intervention service providers on tele-intervention. The following videos are available in the Teleflections Video Playlist on the VEIPD Videos YouTube Channel:
- Teleflections Video 1 – My First Online Visit
- Teleflections Video 2 – Tele-What?!
- Teleflections Video 3 - Bandwidths, Platforms, and Pings?? Help!
- Teleflections Video 4 - I'm a PT and Rely on my Hands
- Teleflections Video 5 – Woke Up Worried
- Teleflections Video 6 - Mom was Over the Moon
- Teleflections Video 7 - Update from Julie
- Teleflections Video 8: Getting Creative in Rural Areas
- Teleflections Video 9: Managing Your New Co-Workers
- Teleflections Video 10: Managing Our Own Stress
- Teleflections Video 11: Successful Coaching
- Teleflections Video 12: Being Ok with the Mess
- Teleflections Video 13: We Are OPEN
- Teleflections Video 14: Telehealth Solutions for Snow Days and Medically Fragile Children
- Teleflections Video 15: Groundhog Day: Including Siblings
- Teleflections Video 16: What's in it Today?
- Teleflections Video 17: Tips From a Service Coordinator
- Teleflections Video 18: Trust and Adjust the Process
- Teleflections Video 19: Coaching - Not as Quick to Jump In
- Teleflections Video 20: Taking the Time
- Teleflections Video 21: Supporting Families Managing Stress
- Teleflections Video 22: Seeing New Windows of Opportunity
- Teleflections Video 23: Benefits Eliminating Commute Time
- Teleflections Video 24: Successful Parent Engagement
- Teleflections Video 25: Feelings of Burnout are Real
Tele-Intervention – Coaching during Family Chore-Laundry
Lynn Shea
During this video, an early interventionist coaches a mother via tele-intervention as she engages her toddler during laundry time.