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Broader & Deeper. Documenting Family Mentorship Outcomes in Interdisciplinary Personnel Preparation Evelyn Reed-Victor & Belinda Hooper Project UPLink. Urban Partners Linking Personnel Preparation & Practice for Young Children with Low Incidence Disabilities
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Broader & Deeper Documenting Family Mentorship Outcomes in Interdisciplinary Personnel Preparation Evelyn Reed-Victor & Belinda Hooper Project UPLink
Urban Partners Linking Personnel Preparation & Practice for Young Children with Low Incidence Disabilities Ann Cox & Evelyn Reed-Victor, Co-Directors Belinda Hooper, Coordinator Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA OSEP Grant: H325A000044
Goals STATE & NATIONAL NEEDS Recruitment Retention University Prep. UPLink Community Practice Quantity Diversity Quality OUTCOMES
UPLink Curriculum Model Interdisciplinary Core Discipline Specific Graduate Programs Nursing Occupational Therapy Physical Therapy Psychology Social Work Early Childhood TEDU 541 & 651 Interdisciplinary Practices in Early Intervention IDDS 600 Interdisciplinary Teamwork in EI Interdisciplinary Fieldwork Early Childhood Special Education Graduate Program + Courses in Severe Disabilities + 10 Credit Specialization
Early development Delays/disabilities & early intervention strategies Interdisciplinary roles & perspectives Team communication & collaboration skills Cultural competence Assessment Individualized planning Family-centered services Inclusive practices Legal requirements, policies & program evaluation Knowledge, Skills, & Dispositions
DEC Recommended Practices in Personnel Preparation Family-centered practices • Family involvement begins early & continues throughout program • Family participants represent diversity in race, culture, & socioeconomic status
Family Mentorship • Family mentors student during interdisciplinary courses • Objectives • Provide opportunities to learn about family life & experiences • Foster understanding of family strengths, expertise, & diversity • Promote long term commitment to family-professional partnerships
Interdisciplinary Core - 541 & 651Linked Courses • Infants & Young Children with Special Needs • Interdisciplinary Practices in Early Intervention • Content: Foundations of EI/ECSE • Interdisciplinary faculty & community presenters • Individual & team assignments • Field observations, links to practice guidelines • Web-based support • Family mentorship
Interdisciplinary Core - Interdisciplinary Teamwork • Content • EI teamwork knowledge, skills, & dispositions • Teamwork assignments • Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment • IEP development • Self & team analysis during semester • Family mentorship
Interdisciplinary Faculty Team • Early education • Early childhood special education • Family Specialist • Nursing • Occupational therapy • Physical therapy • Psychology • Social work • Speech & language pathology
Family Specialist • Roles • Background • Connections to community
Family Mentorship Sequence of Activities • Spring (prior to core courses) • Identify families, orient & survey students • Summer • Match families & students • Family-student picnic & orientation • Fall & Spring • Family-student meetings & contacts • Faculty-student monitoring • Year’s end • Students & families evaluate experience • Post-graduation • Graduates provide feedback
Evaluating Family Mentorship • Process & Outcomes • Key questions • Data collection • Findings
Process Questions • How effective is our recruitment, selection & matching process? • Are trainees contacting and meeting with families? • What’s the nature of the meetings? • What are trainees learning from their experiences? • Is more support needed?
Process Data • Matrix of family/child characteristics • Matching survey • Trainee activity logs & reflective journals • Tied to course requirements • Submitted 2 x per semester through course website • Faculty meetings with trainees • Pre-post case analyses
Findings • Recruitment & matching • Family & child characteristics • Matching survey • Implementation • Logs • Journals • Case analyses
Outcome Questions • Did students’ understanding of families’ experiences change? • Are students committed to family-centered practices? • What benefits did families identify? • How can we improve this experience? • How did this experience influence graduates’ practices?
Outcome Data • Student feedback • Focus groups • Surveys • Family feedback • Trainee post-graduation surveys
Findings • Students’ perspectives • Families’ perspectives • Graduates’ reflections
Your experiences? • Family involvement • Evaluation • Outcomes
For more information, please contact us http://www.vcu.edu/uplink/ Evelyn Reed-Victor ereedvic@vcu.edu Belinda Hooper bbhooper@vcu.edu Ann Cox acox@mail2.vcu.edu OSEP Grant: H325A000044