INTRO TO THE INDIVIDUALIZED FAMILY SERVICES PLAN (IFSP) IN EARLY INTERVENTION

1. Web-Based Training Module Developed by Mary Hockless, M.Ed. Sarintha Buras Stricklin, Ph.D. Toni Ledet, Ph.D. INTRO TO THE INDIVIDUALIZED FAMILY SERVICES PLAN (IFSP) IN EARLY INTERVENTION

2. Collaborating Partners DHH Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities The Arc Baton Rouge, Children’s Services First Steps Referral and Consulting, LLC Innovations in Education, LLC State Interagency Coordinating Council SICC Comprehensive System of Personnel Development and Program Components Committees Special Note: Materials from the SpecialQuest Multi-Media Library have been incorporated throughout this module, as part of Louisiana’s participation in the SpecialQuest Initiative.

3. Click view and then click notes page to review the supplemental information noted on selective slides in this presentation.

4. Learning Outcomes After completing this web-based training participants will: Describe the Individualized Family Service Plan Process in Early Intervention and the components of the IFSP Recognize and value the role and perspectives families have in the IFSP process Identify their role in the process, before, during, and after the plan has been developed. Identify strategies that will support family centered IFSP development Describe how family concerns, priorities, and resources are guiding factors in the development of IFSP outcomes

5. Throughout this training module you will be asked to reflect on the information shared to consider how you might use it in your personal and professional lives. • Opportunities for reflection support adult learning by helping participants internalize and generalize the content. You may want to have a journaling notebook to record your thoughts.

6. Post Exam • Participants in this training session will complete a post exam. • The results of the test will provide feedback on what you have learned from the module and will provide EarlySteps with data on the effectiveness of the instructional content in this training module. • Note: E-learning will provide instructions for completing this exam.

7. What is an IFSP?Individualized Family Service Plan A written plan or road map for early intervention supports and services to be provided to an eligible child and the child’s family in accordance with federal regulations – Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). For more information right click on the link below and click open hyperlink to access the site. www.nectac.org/idea/303regs.asp

8. The IFSP… • A living document • Matches the family’s values, beliefs, priorities, and routines • Flexible and relevant to the current needs of the child and family • Allows the changing needs of the child and family to be captured through changes to the document • Developed by a team including • The family (as the family defines itself which may be siblings and extended family members) • Family service coordinators • Early intervention providers • Others involved with the child and family or individuals invited by the family (e.g., child care and education providers, health and medical staff, other providers) • Intake Coordinator (EarlySteps-Louisiana)

9. The IFSP document: Far more important than the form itself are the interactions, collaborations, and partnerships between families and professionals that are necessary to develop and implement the IFSP. McGonegal & Johnson (1991)

10. The IFSP is: • A promise to families • A way to build a trusting relationship • A vehicle for empowerment • A mechanism for interagency collaboration between a family and the Early Intervention system • A guide to program implementation and evaluation Rosin (1996)

11. Individual Reflection Reflect on this description of the IFSP as a “Promise” Record in your journal one example of how you in your practice have fulfilled this promise

12. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

13. GUIDING PRINCIPLES All children are unique with individual strengths. Children grow and develop in the context of relationships with their families and other caregivers. Children learn and develop in: • Everyday routines • Everyday activities • Everyday places

14. GUIDING PRINCIPLES The child and family has a right to: • Belong • Be welcomed • Participate fully in activities within their community The life of the child and family is enhanced when they are successful in maintaining their everyday activities and relationships.

15. GUIDING PRINCIPLES:Family-Centered Supports & Services Family-centered principles are a set of interconnected beliefs and attitudes that shape directions of program philosophy and behavior of personnel as they organize and deliver services to children and families. Core to family-centered supports and services is sensitivity and respect for the culture and values of individual family members and each family's ecology, as family members define the people, activities, and beliefs important to them. The purpose of early intervention is to achieve family outcomes as well as child outcomes utilizing these guiding principles of practice.

16. A Family Centered IFSP Process Includes: Discussions with the family, observations of the child, formal eligibility determination, and on-going assessments Families talking about their daily routines and identifying ways they would like support Functional outcomes and strategies and activities that incorporate these outcomes throughout the child’s daily routine Service providers facilitating the development and implementation of the IFSP and ensuring services are delivered in manner supportive of the family’s values, priorities, and routines

17. A Family Centered IFSP Process • A team approach is necessary • The IFSP team is comprehensive • Families have the right to know all role options and to choose their level of involvement on the team, including serving as team leaders if they so choose • The IFSP team has final decision-making responsibility and the family gives consent for IFSP implementation (Practice Manual, Chapter 2) • A family-centered IFSP process does not indicate a passive role for professionals

18. Elements of Collaboration Needed by Professionals in the Family-Centered IFSP Process • Mutual respect for skills and knowledge • Honest and clear communication • Understanding and empathy • Mutually agreed upon goals • Shared planning and decision making • Open and 2-way sharing of information • Accessibility and responsiveness • Joint evaluation of progress • Absence of labeling and blaming • Respect for the desires and wishes of the family • Assist with educating the family regarding Early Steps services and supports

19. Family Centered Practices Professional Checklist for IFSP Development & Implementation I really believe that parents are my equal and, in fact, are experts on their child. I show the same respect for the value of parents’ time as I do for my own time by educating myself about an individual child before appointments or group sessions. I speak plainly and avoid medical, psychological, or social work jargon. I make appointments and provide services at times and places that are convenient for the family. I share information with other professionals to insure both that services are not duplicated and that families do not expend unnecessary energy searching for providers and services. I display a genuine concern for the welfare of the child and the family.

20. Individual Reflection Reflect on the “Professional Checklist” statements First, record in your journal the areas you identified as your strengths Second, record the areas you identified as possible areas for professional growth and how you might address these

21. View Video “A Family Affair” Individual Reflection As you view the video note in your journal • Guiding principles that you hear and observe during interactions with families • Hopes and dreams that you hear expressed by the family • Professional behavior observed during interactions with families After watching the video reflect upon the guiding principles of IFSPs, and note in your journal a few of the principles that are part of your current practice.

22. A Family Affair Video

23. STEPS IN THE EARLY STEPS SYSTEM LEADING TO IFSP DEVELOPMENT

25. PARENT MEDICAL PROVIDER OTHER INTAKE PROCESS INTAKE COORDINATOR REFERRAL

26. THE IFSP COMPONENTS AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

27. IFSP Components Description of the child’s abilities and strengths Families priorities, resources, and concerns Desired outcomes related to the child and family Early Intervention services and supports to be provided Services will be provided in the child’s natural environment Projected dates for initiation of services & duration Identifies the name of the Service Coordinator Steps to support transition

28. **Click on the highlighted word and you will review the Louisiana IFSP components Child’s PresentLevels** Steps to Support Child’s Transition** Family’s** Resources, Priorities and Concerns IFSP Components Outcomes** to be achieved for the child and family Service providers** Anticipated duration ** Services –** frequency, intensity and method of delivery Natural Environments ** in which services are provided

29. Child’s Status Child’s Present Levels** Federal Regulations: A statement of the infant’s or toddler’s present levels of physical, cognitive, communication, social and emotional, and adaptive development based on objective criteria. Recommended practice: The IFSP should focus on the naturally occurring behaviors of the child in daily routines with familiar caregivers.

30. Child’s Status Child’s Present Levels** Example: John holds his bottle with both hands during feeding times. John sits without support on the floor during play time.

31. FAMILY CONCERNS, PRIORITIES, RESOURCES Family’s** Resources, Priorities and Concerns Federal Regulations: A statement of the family’s resources, priorities and concerns relating to enhancing the development of the family’s infant or toddler with a disability. Recommended practice: Family priorities are the family’s choices for how early intervention supports and services are going to be helpful for their family to enhance their child’s growth and development.

32. FAMILY CONCERNS, PRIORITIES, RESOURCES Family’s** Resources, Priorities and Concerns • Review daily routines and activities of the family. • Ask the family “what concerns do you have about this activity within your daily routines.” • Ask the family “what is the hardest part of this activity within the routine of your day.” • Ask the family “what would you like to change about those concerns within the next 6 months to a year.” • This can be accomplished through a voluntary family assessment or a routines based interview.

33. OUTCOMES and STRATEGIES Outcomes** to be achieved for the child and family Federal Regulations: A statement of the measurable results or outcomes expected to be achieved for the infant or toddler and the family, including pre-literacy and language skills, as developmentally appropriate for the child, and the criteria procedures, and timelines used to determine the degree to which progress toward achieving the results or outcomes is being made and whether modifications or revisions of the results or outcomes or services are necessary. Recommended practice: The IFSP team agrees on functional outcomes and the strategies needed to achieve them. Developing outcomes is an IFSP team process.

34. OUTCOMES and STRATEGIES Outcomes** to be achieved for the child and family Summary of recommended practices in outcomes development – service delivery values: • Individualized • Comprehensive • Normalized/Normalizing • Community-based • Interdisciplinary • Collaborative • Family-centered Relationship supportive • Culturally Competent • Prioritized

35. Family Priorities = Functional Outcomes A family centered functional outcome is a statement of the changes the family wants to see for their child or for themselves. • The outcome should be functionally stated • Use in order to or so that statements when needed • Something is done in order for something else to occur or to be obtained Dunst & Trivette (1988) Example: George will participate in bathroom potty routines by indicating when his diaper is wet and we will know he can do this when he gestures, signs or vocalizes when his diaper is wet, 3 times per day for … so that he can stop wearing diapers. Understanding a family’s routines leads to the development of more functional outcomes. • They specify what the child or family will do • Contextual need has been identified • It is important to the primary caregivers

36. Functional Outcomes • Reflect family priorities for their child and family • Are observable and measurable • Are consistent with the values of the child’s family • Developed through team process, with all team members contributing • Reflect child’s unique abilities and needs, as these are demonstrated across daily interactions and activities • Are routines-based, grounded in the daily routines of the child and family

37. Functional OutcomesRead script below

38. Functional OutcomesRead script below

39. Outcome-Writing Strategy Steps The McWilliams’ Outcome Writing Steps: • Identify family priority from Routine Based Interview. (Family's assessment of Concerns, Priorities and Resources) 2. Find out which routines this affects 3. Write (child) will participate in (routine). 4. By ing (behavior or skill). 5. Add criteria and conditions for success. 6. Add additional criteria for maintenance, generalization.

40. Sample Outcome George will participate in morning and evening routines by swallowing his medications without spitting or gagging. We will know he can do this when he swallows his medications in this manner, 2 medications in the morning and 2 medications at night, over 1 week of time.

41. Sample Outcome Katy will be given information on early intervention providers in 3 communities in south Louisiana within 1 month in order to make decisions about potential home locations for her and George.

42. Indicators of High-Quality IFSP Outcomes • Functionality • Generality • Instructional context • Measurability • Hierarchical relation between long-range goal and short-term objective

43. Checklist for Assessing Outcomes • Does the outcome address a family priority or concern? • Does the outcome reflect the needs identified by the assessments? • Does the outcome reflect the concerns of the team? • Does the outcome impact family routines? • Does the outcome target skills that are practical and functional? • Does the outcome target skills that minimize dependence, enable participation, and enable access? • Is the outcome observable and measurable?

44. Developing Strategies • A strategy is a plan developed by the team that identifies how the outcome will be achieved by selecting: • new activities • needed resources (human and other) • modifying and/or changing the routine • modifying and/or changing the environment

45. SERVICES TO MEET OUTCOMES Services –** frequency, intensity and method of delivery • Federal Regulations: A statement of the specific early intervention services based on peer reviewed research, to the extent practicable, necessary to meet the unique needs of the infant or toddler and the family, including the frequency, intensity ad method of service delivery. • Recommended practice: The IFSP team should decide on services based on outcomes-not diagnosis.

46. SERVICES TO MEET OUTCOMES Services –** frequency, intensity and method of delivery • The IFSP team determines who will provide supports and services • Intervention services identified by the team are: • listed on the service page of the IFSP document • include location, duration and frequency • some supports and services may be listed as “other services” • If the team plans to provide transdisciplinary services, the primary service provider should be identified during the IFSP meeting

47. Natural Environments ** in which services are provided Natural Environments Federal Regulations: A statement of the natural environments in which services will appropriately be provided, including a justification of the extent, if any, to which the services will not be provided in a natural environment. Recommended practice: Services and supports are integrated within routines and activities within the natural environment (such as the home, child care center, grandparent’s home, community playground). 47

48. ANTICIPATED DURATION Anticipated duration ** Federal Regulation: The projected dates for initiation of services and the anticipated length, duration and frequency of the services. Recommended practice: The IFSP team determines these timelines based on IFSP outcomes

49. ANTICIPATED DURATION Anticipated duration ** Suggested strategies for team members to consider: • consistency of performance • use skills across time • with different materials • in different settings • with different individuals

50. Family Service Coordinator Service providers** Federal Regulation: The identification of the service coordinator from the profession most immediately relevant to the infant’s or toddler’s or family’s needs who will be responsible for the implementation of the plan and coordination with other agencies and persons, including transition services. Recommended practice: Family priorities and family IFSP outcomes should drive services and supports that the service coordinator coordinates and implements.