Week Two

Something I learned this week is just how important it is to teach the parents how to do the interventions. It makes complete sense since the parents are the ones working with the child the most, but I liked how the readings outlined how to involve the parent. Something else I found interesting was during the class discussion. We talked about having the child face the parent, and having the interventionist sitting behind the child coaching the parent. This method assures that the parent is the one completing the intervention, but also allows us to teach them how to do it so they can use it in their everyday lives.

I also enjoyed that the readings talked about being reflective with the parents. I think often times we forget to reflect on the progress, or lack there of, of the child. This is an essential piece of intervention because we can sit down with the family and discuss what works, what doesn't, and what doesn't fit with their lifestyle. Throughout college we are taught to be reflective with our lesson plans or readings, so it only makes sense that we should be reflective in our interventions as well. I found this information to be the most useful going forward in home visits and interventions.

Weekly Quote:

Week One

During home visits I know how important it is to build a relationship with the families, as well as the children we are working with. If we cannot show them we are trustworthy, they will not want to open up to us, which will be a big obstacle in our intervention process. I also know how important professionalism is. We are not there to babysit these children, we are there as the professionals trying to assist the family, so we need to act like it. This includes our manner of dress. We should not show up in sweatpants or anything frumpy looking. We are making an impression and even though we are working with young children, we still need to remember that we are professionals, and this needs to be portrayed in all that we do. Something else I have experienced in home visits is how essential it is to show up prepared. We should practice the questions we're going to ask beforehand, and have them written down, this helps the conversation move more smoothly and helps us to be less nervous. If we are prepared, then it shows we are there to learn and to help and that we take our role very seriously. Yes, this may be a class, but we are practicing for our future careers, so we need to be prepared so we can learn and grow throughout this experience.