Teaching Activities for Families

• Addiction, Abuse Infant Mental Health - The George Family Story
• Autism/Abuse & Neglect/Foster Care - The Willis Family Story
• Cerebral Palsy/Auditory Problems - Evans Family Story
• Cerebral Palsy/Family Priorities - The Hughes Family Story
• Developmental Delay/Visual Impairment/Sensory - The Morris Family Story
• Developmental Delays/Child Advocacy/Genetics - The Van Fonda Family
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Feeding Problems/Sensory - Tunycliff Family Story
• Genetic Disorders - The Berger Family Story
• Infant Intervention With Head Start - The Brundage Family
• Morgan Family Story
• Oppositional Defiance Disorder - The Horton Family Story
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Brown Family Story
• Schizophrenia/Alcoholism/Dev Delay - The Laversa Family Story
• Simpson Family Story
• Special Needs - The Elliott Family Story
• Ask Dr. Susan

George Family Activity

Materials:

Masking Tape, Pastesl, Markers
Standard size lined paper 8 1/2" x 11" for journal entry
unlined paper 11" x 14" for family sketch
Wall chart paper 27" x 34"

Description of Activity: “Superwoman?” is an activity in which professionals focus on the necessity of family-centered care, service coordination and planning. Professionals develop strategies for increasing communication and relationship-building skills. Professionals recognize that competing interests of parents and early intervention professionals may be more easily resolved by using a family-directed approach to service planning.

Suggested “Superwoman?” Activity Steps:

Reading the George Family Story:

1. Co-trainers welcome participants and introduce themselves as co-trainers who are parent-professional partners and coordinators of the family-centered and activity-based curriculum.
2. Co-trainers point out that the success of the Qualifying Curriculum for EI Professionals depends on the willingness of professionals to share their knowledge and expertise in five phases of each activity:
   * Reading the Family Story
   * Taking the Family Picture
   * Interacting with Other Participants
   * Writing about the Family
   * Reflecting on the Learning
3. Co-trainers remind participants that the George Family Story is based on real family interviews. The George Family, tell their story in the first person, to ensure that participants feel the presence of the family.
4. Co-trainers distribute the George Family Story, and read the story aloud as participants follow along.
5. Co-trainers distribute the George Family Activity, Superwoman?, read the description of the activity, and remind participants that the objectives are integrated into this activity.
6. Co-trainers inform participants that some handouts provided during the activity may be used directly as part of the active learning process, and others are for information only.
   
   Taking the George Family Picture
7. Co-trainers distribute the handout, Drawing the George Family Picture, and review the instructions with the participants.
8. Participants draw a family-sketch with pastels and markers, describing the George Family, their relationships with agencies and services, their attitudes and values or other-information from the story that holds meaning for participants.
9. Co-trainers discuss briefly the connections that appear on participants’ sketches, recognizing that professionals may have both positive and negative feelings toward the family.
10. Co-trainers distribute the handout, Jennifer’s Choices/professionals’ Response and ask participants to review the list of Jennifer’s choices and write their response in the right hand column.
    
    Interacting with other Participants:
11. Co-trainers distribute the Family Needs Scale handout, explaining that Jennifer would be asked to complete one or more family assessment instruments in the process of complying with demands that she access services.
12. Co-trainers ask participants to review the survey in small groups asking themselves how Jennifer would respond:
    * Would family-centered care be provided, as a result of completing this survey?
    * Does the survey convey to Jennifer that services are forthcoming?
    * What time frame is indicated by the results of the survey?
13. Co-trainers ask participants to identify other methods or instruments used to perform family assessments.
14. Co-trainers redirect the small groups to examine three handouts that will assist them in planning effective service options for Jennifer:
    a. Professional Roles and Service Options
    b. Communicating Effectively with Jennifer
    c. Potential Roadblocks to Effective Communication
15. Co-trainers ask participants to shift to a family-centered care way of thinking and a process of collaborative goal-setting. Work in pairs to write a brief service option plan for the George Family. Each plan includes a timeline.
    
    Writing About the George Family:”
16. Co-trainers ask each participant to write why this activity is called
    “Superwoman?” Co-trainers as participants to write down how their own views of Jennifer may have changed as a result of this activity.
17. Co-trainers summarize the activity by asking professionals to share their service option plans, comments on the Superwoman? Title and stories of personal changes of attitude toward working with families in early intervention,