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Archived Newsletters
October 2001
In this edition
Report from the Chairperson Ten Ways to Raise Children to Use Drugs Notices, Announcements and Such More professional development opportunities than you can shake a stick at ... how do we ever decide? Kids Together, Inc. Count Your Blessings ... Joanne Boone Take Control of Meeting Madness Principles for Early Intervention Programs in Nova Scotia Screening Infants and Young Children for Developmental Disabilities A Message Every Parent Should ReadOn September 15 the first board meeting of the Early Intervention Association of Nova Scotia for the 2001-2002 year was held in Truro. New members, Karen Roberts, Mary Delaney, Carolyn Howard, Sarah Melanson, and Joanne Ross joined returning members Carolyn Gallop, Marc McClelland, Christine MacKenzie, Jill Piers, Kim Arcon, Isabel den Heyer, Brenda Putman, Margaret Ann Green, Barb Boiduk and Donna Dexter with Nancy Taylor, ex officio. Much thanks is extended to retiring board members James Sanford (we never thought the sad day would come!!) and Lisa Brewster.
Committee reports revealed a great deal of work on the part of committee members who reported on professional development opportunities, research, membership, advocacy, and PR/fundraising. Among other projects, plans are being made to prepare a video in partnership with the IWK, continue with the colourful t-shirts sales, and to have Early Intervention week in February. The report from Nancy Taylor, Program Specialist, contained an update on new and expanded programs, professional development opportunities for Early Interventionists, and information on the method of funding Programs by the Department of Community Services.
At the meeting the following initiatives were discussed: research in progress on Early Intervention programs conducted by researchers at Mount Saint Vincent, the EINS partnership with the IWK, professionalism issues for Early Interventionists, and the relationship of EINS to the EIIS project. Much discussion centred around a potential project to be initiated by EINS that would focus on the relationship between EINS and local boards. The goal of this project would be examine issues of concern and ways to enhance the services to families and pre-school children with special needs within the framework of government programs and services. This would involve members from the EINS board meeting with local Early Intervention boards and parents to share information on roles, responsibilities, accomplishments and concerns. More information will be forthcoming on this project. Suggestions that would help with this initiative would be greatly appreciated.
A highlight of the meeting was a presentation to Barb Boiduk, past chairperson, for her leadership, enthusiasm, commitment and great sense of humour during her two-year term. Through Barb's work and her collaboration with others, EINS has grown as an organization that is prepared to play a leadership role in the provision of family centred services for children with special needs in Nova Scotia.
At a recent national conference sponsored by the Learning Disabilities Association of Nova Scotia, EINS had an opportunity to share an information booth and display with Adele McSorley from the Centre of Excellence for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs at Mount Saint Vincent. Christine MacKenzie, Sarah Melanson and Isabel den Heyer were on hand to answer questions, promote Early Intervention and sell T-shirts.
The board of EINS looks forward to a great year and would appreciate any suggestion that would help to advance opportunities for children with special needs and to improve conditions for parents and Early Intervention programs.
Sincerely,
Isabel den Heyer, EINS Chairperson
Ten Ways to Raise Children to Use Drugs:
1. Obey their demands. Give in to their tantrums. Deny them nothing. If they want it, indulge them. Make sure they know you will always be there to get them out of trouble. If they break a toy or wreck a car, replace it.
2. Overlook, defend, or rescue them from the consequences of their negative behavior. Accept their excuses or blame others by saying things such as, "My child would never do that!", "It can't be her fault; it must be the school's fault!", or "The other child made him do it."
3. Disregard moral principles. Be dishonest. Involve your children in lying or cheating others and taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. Encourage insecurity by telling them to keep secrets from other family members or family secrets from others.
4. Avoid touching, hugging, and taking time to interact with your children. Deny the existence of their emotional and social needs. Discourage them from expressing feelings and isolate them from friends, organizations, and activities. Disregard their physical needs.
5. Ignore their worthwhile and constructive habits. Avoid complimenting or praising their efforts. When they have done something well, make fun of it. Belittle their ideas, interests, and accomplishments. Dwell on their weaknesses. Expect them to fail. Express hopelessness in their ability to succeed or to cope positively with life's stresses.
6. Pretend you never make mistakes or have problems. Expect perfection from your children. Judge them harshly if they make a mistake or misbehave. Never forgive, but instead hurt and degrade them by yelling, blaming, shaming, whipping, humiliating, or threatening to abandon them.
7. Establish and enforce tough, rigid rules. Discourage thought and questions by demanding that they do what you want, when you want it done. Never help them think of ways to work through their own problems. Demonstrate your distrust of them by questioning everything they do, and discount their right to privacy and independence as they mature.
8. Keep children constantly on guard by being unpredictable. Become angry at an action one day and laugh at it the next. Avoid any kind of routine. Let them decide when to eat and sleep. Allow them to watch television continually without your supervision or guidance. Avoid traditions. Rarely eat dinner as a family. Treat them differently. Have a "favorite" child who can do no wrong and a "bad" child who can do no right.
9. Remain uninformed about drugs and drug use. If you smoke, drink alcohol excessively, or use other drugs, make excuses and deny your own use. Never discuss your attitudes or feelings about drugs. Disregard the facts concerning the negative effects drugs have on the mind and body.
10. Above all else, discount your own value as a human being. Communicate anger and resentment toward life. Engage in self-indulgent, self-destructive behaviors.
(Thanks to Kim Arcon for contributing this article from www.selfgrowth.com)
Notices, Announcements and Such ...
Congratulations
Congratulations to Ghislaine d'Eon, our Early Intervention Coordinator for Clare/Digby on her marriage to Lantz in August.
Congratulations to Lisa Smith (our Coordinator in Pictou County) and her husband on the birth of their first child, a girl, Carly Jesse Ann on August 20th.
Congratulations to Valerie Gullison-Surette (our Coordinator in Yarmouth County) and her husband on the birth of their first child, a boy, Elijah Nixon Surette on October 2nd.
Congratulations to Luke Sanford (and his helpers) on completing the Valley Harvest Marathon on Thanksgiving Sunday!!
Announcements
While I know there are many, many new Early Interventionists who have joined our ranks in the past year or so and who haven't been welcomed officially ... I can only apologize for not being able to keep track of everyone ... It goes to show how fast we have grown!! I would like to welcome Lisa Morse who is replacing Lisa Smith in Pictou, Mireille Boudreau who is replacing Valerie Gullison-Surette in Yarmouth, Kimberly Brooks who has joined Ghislaine to serve Digby County and Sarah Melanson who was hired to coordinate the very last new Early Intervention program in Nova Scotia on the Eastern Shore and Musquodoboit Valley.
Great big happy birthday wishes to WINNIE THE POOH who turns 75 on October 13th!
Notices
Early Intervention Nova Scotia continues to offer funding to assist parents in attending workshops and conferences that will help them in gaining new insights into their child's diagnosis or in establishing important new connections with professionals and (most importantly) other parents. We have increased the amount to $100 per request with a $500 per quarter limit on a first come, first served basis. Interventionists should contact a member of the EINS Executive (Isabel den Heyer, Brenda Putnam, Margaret Ann Green or Donna Dexter) to initiate the process.
A public forum will be held on October 29th from 1 - 4 p.m. in the Penthouse of the Mount Saint Vincent Motherhouse to discuss the findings and recommendations of a study looking at the age-related transitions and service needs for older parents caring for adult sons/daughters with lifelong disabilities. For more information contact Ethel Langille Ingram at 1-902-457-6573 or 457-6193 or email Ethel.Langille@msvu.ca
Mirielle Boudreau in Yarmouth is searching for a family who has a child diagnosed with Prader Willi Syndrome. She has a family whose child has been newly diagnosed and would like to assist them in making a connection. Email Mirielle at child@auracom.com
Anyone wondering how to access Discovery Toys can contact Patricia Hilchey in Riverview, New Brunswick at 1-506-386-3462. Patricia is serving much of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia from her Riverview location and has a great deal of knowledge to share about Discovery toys products and service.
Kathleen Purdy is the Coordinator for the Creative Arts Play Group in Wolfville, NS. This is an after school program for children with special needs, their families and other children in the community. It has been running since March 2000 and incorporates storytelling, music, movement, drawing, painting, clay work and (for the first time this fall) weaving! The children attend for 10 week blocks and range in age from 4 to 12. The program provides an opportunity for socialization and establishing friendships and uses the arts to teach new skills not learned in school. The philosophy is based on the belief that the Arts provide a multi-sensory approach to learning that is so important to all children. The Play Group would love to share their experience and have a 20 minute video which documents their set up. Please do call Kathleen Purdy at 1-902-542-5805 or email kathleenprdy@netscape.net.
More professional development opportunities than you can shake a stick at ... how do we ever decide?
| October 18 - 20, 2001 Navigating the Currents ... Moncton, NB. |
CACL Conference and AGM. Contact Denise Silverstone (416) 661-9611 ext. 275 or dsilvers@cacl.ca |
| October 20, 2001 Innovation through Partnerships 2001 East Preston Recreation Centre |
Halifax Regional Development Agency For more info phone 1-902-869-4040 |
| October 22 - 23, 2001 Play For All ... barrier-free play space design. Dartmouth North Community Centre |
Recreation Nova Scotia 1-902-425-1128 or rns2@sportns.ns.ca |
| October 25 - 27, 2001 Horizons of Hope Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario |
Family Service Canada's National Conference 1-613-722-9006 or info@familyservicecanada.org |
| October 25, 2001 Play For All ... barrier-free play space design. Inverary Resort, Baddeck, NS |
Recreation Nova Scotia 1-902-425-1128 or rns2@sportns.ns.ca |
| October 25 - 26, 2001 Power of Participation : Building Communities for the 21st Century Coast Guard College, Sydney, NS |
New Dawn Ent. Ltd. 1-902-539-9560 attention Charlene Blackie |
| October 25 - 27, 2001 Achieving Results Through Recreation Inverary Resort, Baddeck, NS |
Recreation Nova Scotia's Annual Conference 1-902-742-8868 or leisure@district.yarmouth.ns.ca |
| October 26, 2001 Enhancing Literacy Learning for Students Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax |
Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists / NS 1-902-794-6234 or 1-902-794-6221 (Alisa Cantwell) |
| October 27 - 28, 2001 Intro to Applied Behaviour Analysis Training / Autism Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax |
Children's Autism Spectrum Education 1-902-865-0226 or lynn.gray@ns.sympatico.ca |
| November 1 - 3, 2001 Helping Kids Soar ... education of children with special needs. Calgary, Alberta |
Renfrew Educational Services 1-403-291-5038 or www.renfreweducation.org |
| November 2 - 3, 2001 Fall Conference (Early Intervention for Special populations, etc.) Wu Conference centre, UNB, Fredericton |
NBASLPA 1-506-452-7189 or woodys@nbnet.nb.ca |
| November 22 - 24 Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention / PECS Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax |
SPAA and EIIS 1-902-832-5814 or 832-4393 (Susan Jozsa) |
| December 2 - 5, 2001 Early Childhood in the New Millennium : Recommended Practices for the Future Boston, Massachusetts |
CEC / DEC 1-410-269-6801 or pfaff@gomeeting.com or www.dec-sped.org |
| January 31 - February 2, 2001 The Early Years : Building Family Capacity and Supportive Communities Vancouver, BC |
Univ. British Columbia 1-877-328-7744 (toll free to register) or www.geocities.com/UBCinterprof |
Kids Together, Inc.
(check out www.kidstogether.org for this and more!)
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lighting and the lightning bug. ~ Mark Twain ~
To achieve inclusion, community and freedom for people with disabilities, we must use People First Language:
A commentary by Kathy Snow
Who are "the handicapped"... the "disabled"?
Society's myths tell us they are:
- people who "suffer" from the "tragedy" of "birth defects"...
- paraplegic "heroes" "struggling" to become "normal"...
- "victims" of diseases "fighting" to regain their lives...
- categorically... "the disabled, the retarded, the autistic, the blind, the deaf, the learning disabled" and more.
Who are they, really?
They are moms and dads and sons and daughters ... employees and employers ... scientists (Stephen Hawking) ... friends and neighbors ... movie stars (Marlee Matlin) ... leaders and followers ... students and teachers ... they are ... people. They are people. They are people, first.
- Are you myopic or do you wear glasses?
- Are you cancerous or do you have cancer?
- Are you freckled or do you have freckles?
- Are you handicapped/disabled or do you have a disability?
People First Language describes what a person HAS, not what a person IS!
The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names. ~ Old Chinese Proverb ~
Count Your Blessings ...
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ... you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death ... you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep ... you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare, even in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful ... you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder...you are blessed because you can offer healing touch.
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.
Have a good day, count your blessings.
Joanne Boone
And here is a message from someone at least a few of us will remember!!
Hello to everyone involved in Early Intervention in Nova Scotia who might still remember me:
It's been a long time since Robert and I moved with our two little ones to Moncton in December 1997. A lot has happened in our lives since then. At that time we had Mitchell, 4, and Connor, 2 years and 3 months old. We moved into our new home on New Year's Eve. I was seven months pregnant at the time with our twins, Rachel and Gregory, who were born on March 2, 1998.
Well, now the twins are 3 years, 6 months old, Connor is in grade one and Mitchell is in grade two. They are both French Immersion now. Robert is working as Sales Representative for James Hardie Canada Inc.(a job he switched to from Weyerhauser one year ago this month). Last November I went back to work on a part time basis as a Teacher Assistant in a grade one class at the same school our children attend. This year I'm back at the school where I work with both Kindergarten and Grade Two students. I work only 3 hours a day. I'm also taking two courses this term working towards my Bachelor of Education. I plan to attend part time for the next three years before finishing. My long term goal in life is to be a Resource Teacher with Elementary grade students. I still keep in touch with Mryna, Secretary at Valley Child Development Association. We get together at least once a year. She keeps me informed with some of the happenings in Nova Scotia, but I'd love to hear more. If anyone would like to say hello my e-mail address is joannesboone@hotmail.com Please take a minute to fill me in on who is where and doing what?
A special hello to Nancy Taylor (I miss our long phone conversations).
Take Care Everyone!
Joanne Boone and family.
Take Control of Meeting Madness
Too many of us are spending too much time in meetings, organizing meetings or sending out the minutes from meetings ... putting paper before people and taking away valuable service time to real families and community partners. Here are some suggestions to Take Control of Meeting Madness.
The only meetings your program should tolerate are effective ones where something actually gets done. That sounds simple, but in real life, the 20 million or so meetings held every day all across America fall far short of the mark. Considering that one weekly four-hour meeting of mid-level managers costs a company $50,000 per year, you'd think the 20 million meeting number would be outlawed by an act of Congress.
Here are some suggestions to 'beef up' meeting productivity:
Establish a format.
Include an opening statement of purpose, three or four key areas to cover, a strong closing statement and any areas to follow up on after the meeting.
Establish a time for participation.
Take questions or comments. Make the time frame known up front. Keep strict attention to the clock and don't let people ramble. Stick to the subject of the meeting and put all else aside for a different meeting.
Recommend a strategy for action.
Recommend a strategy for action after the close of the meeting. Meetings should be forums for ideas that get people going. Ask people exactly what they are going to do because of the meeting and get them to commit to it in front of the whole group. Involve everyone in this process.
List objectives and expectations.
On a board or large pad that everyone can see, list the objectives of the meeting and what you expect participants to do. Hand out smaller versions for reminders after the meeting is over.
Schedule a follow-up meeting.
Schedule a follow-up meeting where people will have to report on what they have accomplished. Make this follow-up a congratulatory meeting where you also establish new goals or guidelines.
Only use a meeting format when one-on-one talks will be less productive.
Mini-meetings in hallways or in front of the building can be very effective. When a formal meeting will take more time than it will produce results, hold a mini-meeting instead.
Principles for Early Intervention Programs in Nova Scotia
as determined by Research Committee following our visioning exercise in April 2000
| Holistic | Early Intervention programs view individual children in a holistic manner. Family service plans are developed in collaboration with others from a holistic perspective of the child. |
| Inclusive | Early Intervention programs follow inclusive practices and ensure that children with special needs are included as valued members of their community and are treated only as special as necessary. |
| Family-centered | Early Intervention programs view a child in the context of the family. Family service plans are developed with the family and may include components related to parents/guardians, siblings and caregivers. |
| Supportive | Early Intervention programs provide support to infants, toddlers and preschool children with special needs and their families. |
| Best Practices | Early Intervention programs follow practices that are supported by current and credible research. |
| Collaborative | Early Intervention programs encourage collaboration with families, professionals and agencies involved in providing services to infants, toddlers and preschool children with special needs. This collaboration includes co-planning and co-evaluation of family service plans by the people involved in providing service to the child. This collaboration maximizes the potential for high quality services. |
| Community-based | Early Intervention programs are based and actively supported in communities. They encourage active partnerships with other agencies, professionals and groups in the community that serve young children with special needs. |
| Available and Accessible | Early Intervention programs provide services to all families with young children (birth to school entry) with special needs in Nova Scotia, regardless of where they live. |
| Free of Cost | Early Intervention programs provide services that are free of direct cost to the children and families served. |
| Advocacy | Early Intervention programs advocate for children and families and for services for children with special needs and their families. |
| Awareness | Early Intervention programs promote awareness of their services in the community and of the benefits of Early Intervention for children with special needs. |
| Transition Planning | Early Intervention programs collaborate with schools in the transition planning for a child who is entering school or preschool. |
| Equality of Rights | Early Intervention programs view each child and family as having an equal right to Early Intervention services without discrimination based on race, nationality or ethnic origin, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. |
Input from EINS members with regard to wording of statements of principles is always welcomed
Screening Infants and Young Children for Developmental Disabilities
With the development of the new initiative Early Identification and Intervention Services in the four regions of Nova Scotia we as interventionists are increasingly involved in discussions and potentially in projects which may involve screening of young children for identification for service. For your information and to assist in clarifying ideas around this topic please find to follow a portion of the policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics on Screening Infants and Young Children for Developmental Disabilities.
An Early identification of children with developmental disabilities leads to effective therapy of conditions for which definitive treatment is available. However, even in those instances in which the condition cannot be fully reversed, early intervention improves children's outcomes and enables families to develop the strategies and obtain the resources for successful family functioning. Much of the impact of early intervention results from fostering a more comfortable and developmentally appropriate interaction between the parents and their child with a disability.
Definition: Screening is a "brief assessment procedure designed to identify children who should receive more intensive diagnosis or assessment." Early childhood developmental screening does not consist of administering a single instrument at one point in time, but rather is a set of processes and procedures used over time. The following guidelines are recommended by the Task Force on Screening and Assessment of the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System:
- Screening should be viewed as a service and part of the intervention process.
- Screening processes, procedures, and instruments should only be used for their intended purpose.
- Multiple sources of information should be utilized.
- Screening should be performed on a recurrent or periodic basis.
- Screening should be viewed as only one path to further assessment and the acquisition of services, with social and medical risk factors also being considered in decisions about evaluation and intervention.
- Procedures should be reliable and valid.
- Family members should be included as part of the process.
- Screening is more effective when familiar tasks and settings are used.
- Procedures must be culturally sensitive.
- Screening should be performed by individuals with training in the procedures.
Screening does not measure a child's intelligence quotient, rather it is aimed at identifying those children who may need more comprehensive evaluations. Such evaluations may lead to the development of an interdisciplinary comprehensive plan of remediation for a child with a disability, to a realization that there is no significant problem, or to a decision that further observation is warranted.
For the complete policy statement please see www.aap.org/policy/00207.html
While much of the information found on the Internet is American and that which references their legislation and policy is not always relevant to our practices here, there are nevertheless many articles which reflect and support the work we do as Early Interventionists here in Nova Scotia with families who have young children with developmental delays and disabilities. One such article is Effective Practices for Preparing Young Children with Disabilities for School. The source is the CEC ERIC Clearinghouse and the complete article can be found at www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/effective.practices.html
In brief this article states that over 50 years of research on children with many types of disabilities receiving a range of specialized services in many different settings has produced evidence that early intervention can:
- ameliorate, and in some cases, prevent developmental problems,
- result in fewer children being retained in later grades,
- reduce educational costs to school programs, and
- improve the quality of parent, child, and family relationships.
More recent research has focused on specific groups of children and the types of programs they receive and has proven that young children with disabilities make significant gains on both quantitative and qualitative measures of development when provided appropriate services. Parent involvement has been found to be a critical factor associated with the magnitude of a child's progress. In addition effective interventions occur early in a child's life, operate from a structured and systematic instructional base, prescriptively address each child's assessed needs and include normally developing children as models. Programs with these characteristics produce the most reliable, significant and stable results in child and family functioning.
The article reiterates that the best program depends on the specific needs of each child and notes that it is important for practitioners to identify the nature of each child's needs and the extent to which accommodations and supports will be necessary for each child to be successful. Five general principles are outlined to guide the selection of effective practices:
- children should be placed in the least restrictive environment and most natural setting. Good services promote the potential for normal rather than disabled routines. Services should be only as special as necessary.
- service delivery models should be family-centered. They must recognize that the child is part of a family unit, be responsive to the family's priorities, concerns and needs, and allow for family participation as much as desired.
- transdisciplinary service delivery increases the opportunity for family members to make meaningful decisions and participate in early intervention with their children. This model involves all team members participating in role sharing, role release and role acceptance. It encourages a whole-child and whole-family approach and fosters skill development in everyone.
- practices should be driven by empirical research and guided by values. Research has given us data which maximize safety, health and promotion of identified goals in programs in least restrictive settings. Values which are culturally sensitive, respectful and caring insure family inclusion as well informed partners in a child's team.
- both developmentally and individually appropriate practice must be included in a child's program. It is important that early education programs tailor curriculum and instructional practices to fit the diversity represented in the early childhood population
A Message Every Parent Should Read
A message every parent should read, because your children are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say:
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
...
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat,and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that little things can be the special things in life.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me good night and I felt loved and safe.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I then wanted to be everything that I could be.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
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When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.
Each of us, parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt or friend, influence the life of a child.
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