Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia

Part C Update February 2012

Note about This Update: This Update is prepared by the Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia State Team at the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services as a means of sharing current information from the Part C Office. Enrollment of Children in the Medicaid Data System (VAMMIS) Please note the following contact information for questions about enrollment of children in the Medicaid Data System (VAMMIS).

Irene Scott 804-786-4868 irene.scott@dbhds.virginia.gov Beth Tolley 804-371-6595 beth.tolley@dbhds.virginia.gov

Early Intervention Certification For questions about certification of practitioners, contact Irene Scott 804-786-4868 irene.scott@dbhds.virginia.gov. For questions related to completing the online application, contact David Mills 804-371-6593 david.mills@dbhds.virginia.gov

A Note from Bonnie Grifa Hello Everyone, I am writing to say goodbye for now as my new position with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Partnership for People with Disabilities as the State Early Childhood Mental Health Coordinator begins 2/10/12. I am very excited about this opportunity and that it still keeps me involved with Part C and connected to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The position is funded by three state agencies (VDSS Head Start Collaboration office; VDOE Preschool Special Education and DBHDS Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia). My new responsibilities will include coordinating statewide training to support young children’s social emotional development through the CSEFEL Pyramid model and use of their materials as well as coordinate and provide oversight for the new Infant Mental Health Competency and Endorsement system for VA. You will see me at the Shining Stars Conference in July as there will be training on these topics at that event as well as see me through my involvement with other Part C training efforts to support young children’s social emotional development. I am happy to know I will still be connected to Part C!

Attention All Certified Early Intervention Practitioners! It is critical that you assure that your information in the Practitioner Database is current. You can access your information at https://www.eicert.dbhds.virginia.gov/Logon.aspx.

Click on Demographic Information o Confirm that name, address, phone, fax and email addresses are all current o If you change your name (to a married name for example), please notify Beth Tolley

(beth.tolley@dbhds.virginia.gov) and/or Irene Scott (Irene.scott@dbhds.virginia.gov) so the Part C office will know that the new name is associated with the prior record. Beth or Irene will make a notation in the practitioner database.

2 February 2012

Click on Agency Information o Review what is listed and determine if you are still associated with the agencies listed. If you have

ended an association with any of the agencies listed, click on the edit link and enter the date the association ended.

o If you are currently working in one of more local systems, you must have an association with the Local Lead Agency for that (those) local system(s). Please see page 8 of the Practitioner Application Manual for instructions and page 9 for the list of Local Lead Agencies. The manual can be found at http://www.infantva.org/documents/ei-Cert-usermanual.pdf .

Click on Disciplines and Qualifications o Confirm that your discipline specific qualification is current. Update the expiration date for your

discipline license or certification if the date listed has passed.

Early Intervention Targeted Case Management (EITCM) The Early Intervention Targeted Case Management Task Force met on January 26 to assess progress with implementation and to determine communication and training needs. Meeting notes can be found at: http://www.infantva.org/documents/ovw-st-TCM-Update-20120126.pdf.

Early Intervention Prematurity Workgroup The Early Intervention Prematurity Workgroup has developed a brochure for parents of infants born at 37 weeks of gestation or less. This brochure, called “After the NICU: Promoting Your Premature Baby’s Development at Home,” provides information about what to expect with a premature infant, red flags indicating a need for medical consultation and/or early intervention and tips on supporting the infant’s development. The workgroup recommends that this brochure be provided at discharge to parents of all infants born at 37 weeks of gestation or less along with copies of the “What is Early Intervention” brochure (from the Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia) and the “Supporting You and Your Preemie: Milestone Guidelines for Premature Babies” brochure (American Academy of Pediatrics). These brochures can be viewed (and downloaded) at the following links. After the NICU: Promoting Your Premature Baby’s Development at Home

http://www.infantva.org/documents/Pr-PA-NICU.pdf

What is Early Intervention? http://www.infantva.org/documents/pr-PA-EI-WhatIs-Brochure-English.pdf (English) and http://www.infantva.org/documents/pr-PA-EI-WhatIs-Brochure-Spanish.pdf (Spanish)

Supporting You and Your Preemie: Milestone Guidelines for Premature Babies: http://www.nann.org/pdf/Preemie.pdf

A letter is being sent along with 25 copies of each brochure to all hospitals in Virginia with Obstetric Units as well as to Virginia and District of Columbia NICUs. Information will be provided about how to obtain additional brochures. Work is continuing on development of online Prematurity training modules. See http://www.infantva.org/documents/wkg-Prematur-Minutes20120117.pdf for meeting notes.

3 February 2012

Virginia Interagency Coordinating Council (VICC) Insurance Committee

An insurance committee was formed at the December VICC meeting. The Committee is co-chaired by VICC members Allan Phillips, System Manager for the Infant & Toddler Connection of Fairfax, Falls Church and Kelly Hill, Physical Therapist. The purpose of the committee is to identify and address barriers to commercial insurance reimbursement for early intervention services. The first activity is a survey of providers in Virginia’s Early Intervention System to identify issues related to becoming network providers with the various commercial payors in Virginia. Please contact Allan (allan.phillips@fairfaxcounty.gov) or Kelly (Kellyh63@comcast.net) if you have questions or suggestions related to commercial insurance reimbursement for early intervention services.

Regulations Task Force The Regulations Task Force met for the first time on February 8th. This was primarily an organizational meeting during which the group identified topics for discussion and established twice a month meetings through the end of June. There was also some discussion about the mechanism by which transition notification information will be transmitted to not only the local school division but also the Virginia Department of Education, as required by the new federal regulations. The minutes from this and all subsequent meetings will be posted in the Committees/Workgroups of the Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia website (www.infantva.org). The task force will begin work on the new system of payments requirements at the next meeting.

Child Indicators A workgroup has been convened to address training and support needs related to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Child Outcomes. This group met February 6 and has made a number of recommendations that will be shared with the Part C Office this week. One of the recommendations is inclusion of specific prompts on the IFSP to facilitate integration of the three global child outcomes (which we call indicators) throughout the IFSP process. More information will be provided as it becomes available. When re-ordering IFSP forms and other forms for your local system, please consider the possibility that there may be changes to the forms for implementation July 1, 2012 as a result of the 2011 Part C regulations.

Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Update

Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Update The Integrated Training Collaborative coordinates Virginia's professional development system for early interventionists who provide supports and services to eligible children and families under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Kaleidoscope Training The final Kaleidoscope trainings for the grant year ending 6/30/12 have been scheduled as follows:

KI-March 29th & 30th in Fredericksburg. To register: www.vcu.edu/partnership/KI

KII-April 18th and 19th in Hampton. To register: http://www.vcu.edu/partnership/Kaleidoscopelevel2/

June 2012 KI (only if data supports the need for additional training)

4 February 2012

IMPORTANT NEW REQUIREMENT PRIOR TO KI: Please be advised that effective immediately, there will be a new prerequisite requirement for all service coordinators prior to attending Kaleidoscope, Level I training. This new prerequisite has been implemented at the request of numerous supervisors and service coordinators who have requested detailed IFSP training. Each participant, prior to registering for KI, is required to successfully complete the online training module: IFSP 101: Introduction to the Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia's IFSP Development Process available at: http://www.eipd.vcu.edu/onlinetrainings.html. If you are a new user to this online module site (which is a different site than the one used for initial certification), you will be required to register. This one-time registration process will allow you to access future modules on this website. KI participants will be required to bring their certificate of completion to the KI training in which they are enrolled.

Exciting News-1st Annual Early Childhood Conference On behalf of DBHDS, Part C and the ITC, we are delighted to announce that we will be holding an early childhood, birth-five conference with the Virginia Department of Education and the T/TACs. This new conference entitled, “Creating Connections to Shining Stars” is the result of purposeful, planned collaboration to enhance early intervention content to 50% of the conference agenda. Additionally, some content will cross the entire birth-five age range. The decision to combine our former “Creating Connections” conference with the former “Shining Stars” conference provides expanded opportunities to promote cross-agency networking, stronger transitions and pooling of financial resources. The conference will feature concurrent sessions, intermediate to advance level seminars and one all-day institute. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. John Almarode, whom you may remember from our well-received October Talks on Tuesdays discussing brain-based learning. The call for proposals will be announced soon and we hope many of you will consider submitting a proposal or assisting with identifying good speakers for us to contact. Please mark your calendars for July 16-18 in Virginia Beach!

Deana Buck has been selected to serve as Virginia’s Autism Ambassador for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” program. She will play an important role in educating Virginia’s parents, healthcare professionals, and early educators about early childhood development, warning signs of autism and other developmental disabilities, and the importance of acting early on concerns about a child’s development. The Act Early Ambassadors project is designed to develop a network of state-level experts to improve early identification of developmental delay and disability. It is a collaborative project of CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). For more information visit: www.cdc.gov/actearly or www.aucd.org/actearly.

Have You Heard?

5 February 2012

Online Training Course Launched for Parents of Young Children Newly Diagnosed with ASD VCU-ACE, in collaboration with the Virginia Autism Council, is excited to announce the launching of a new online course, “My Child was Just Identified with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: Now What do I do?” This course is designed for parents of young children who have been identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within the past year. However, the content is applicable to any parents who are looking for strategies to support their young child with an ASD. The course will introduce families to the characteristics, needs, and recommended services for young children with ASD. A brief description of the defining characteristics is included; however, the focus of the course is on effective services, supports, and strategies.

This is a self-paced online course. It can therefore be completed as time allows and at the registrant’s own speed. The course is divided into learning modules, with one or more videos of an expert in ASD providing information on the module topic. Presenters include both professionals in the autism field as well as parents of children on the spectrum. Most of the modules also include support documents that can be viewed or downloaded and used at a later date. A "Where to Go?" document is provided at the conclusion of the course, which outlines resources parents may find helpful. At any time during the course, questions regarding a module topic may be posted by using the "Web Board." For more information or to register visit: http://www.vcuautismcenter.org/training/parents.cfm

What’s New at the Professional Development Center?

Talks on Tuesdays Talks on Tuesdays webinars are held on the first Tuesday of each month from noon-1:00 pm. Sessions are archived for those who are not able to participate during the live webinar. Our next session will take place on March 6th from 12:00-1:00 PM. The featured topic will be on autism - highlights from the “Learn the Signs – Act Early” campaign of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The session will also include information about Virginia’s Communities of Practice in Autism and the new Part C Guidelines for Supporting Young Children with ASD and their Families.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming Talks on Tuesdays:

o April 3rd-Motor Development o May1st-Relationships and Infant Mental Health

(Please note: Specific titles and more details will be forthcoming.)

FYI…We are using a new webinar platform, Blackboard Collaborate, for our Talks on Tuesdays webinars. This platform has some new and different features so, if you’ve joined us before, you will notice some changes. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you join the next Talks on Tuesday webinar: 1. Check your system requirements by visiting http://bit.ly/webinarcheck and complete steps 1 and 2. 2. Login 15 minutes early----every time. 3. Keep Blackboard's technical support information handy: 1-877-382-2293. 4. Use a wired internet connection versus a wireless connection. 5. Use the phone for audio, and mute your computer's sound.

6 February 2012

New Resources on the Training Website Check out the Virginia Early Intervention Professional Development Center website at www.eipd.vcu.edu for new resources, including:

Archived Webinars Effective Strategies for the Transition Process In case you missed the last Talks on Tuesdays webinar with Caroline Gooden, you can catch the archived version. Find it at http://www.eipd.vcu.edu/talks_tuesdays.html

NEW GUIDANCE DOCUMENT Supporting Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their Families: Part C Guidance Document As part of the work of the 2009 JLARC study, Part C was tasked with developing a guidance document related to supporting young children with autism and their families. A task force was created with representation from multiple agencies including researchers, autism advocates, family members and Part C staff and providers. We are pleased to announce that the new guidance document is now available! Find it on the Part C website under Info for Providers>Reference Documents at

http://www.infantva.org/documents/pr-PartC-ASD-Guidance.pdf. This document will also be available soon on the training website under Autism Spectrum Disorders>Resources.

NEW TOPIC – Coaching in Early Intervention Check out the newest topic under Early Intervention Topics & Trends. You’ll find links to three articles about tips, techniques, and evidence-based practices related to using coaching interactions with families. You’ll also find a link to a brief module developed by the FIPP Center for Professional Development and a link to the website, Coaching in Early Childhood. Find it at http://www.eipd.vcu.edu/sub2_coaching_resources.html

FREE ARTICLE - Supporting children to participate successfully in everyday life by using sensory processing knowledge This article reviews Dunn’s model of sensory processing and describes how concepts from this model and knowledge of sensory processing can be applied in the natural contexts of everday life for infants and toddlers and their caregivers. Find it at http://www.eipd.vcu.edu/sub2_support_ser_resource.html

What Works Brief - Helping Children Express their Wants and Needs This article provides “how to” information about evidence-based practices related to supporting communication development and its relationship to behavior. You can link to the article directly on the CSEFEL (Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning) site (http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/briefs/wwb19.pdf) or by using the link under the Social Emotional Development Resources topic on the training website. Find it at http://www.eipd.vcu.edu/sub2_soc_emot_resources.html

NEW VIDEO - The Benefits of Early Intervention – Erin & Arlo

7 February 2012

Watch this brief video clip to hear from Erin, a mother in Northern Virginia, about how early intervention has helped her son, Arlo, thrive. Find it at http://www.eipd.vcu.edu/sub2_support_ser_resource.html

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Don’t forget to visit the Training Calendar for upcoming professional development opportunities available in Virginia, online, and nationally as well!

Find it at http://www.eipd.vcu.edu/training_calendar.html

Check It Out

International Society on Early Intervention (ISEI) Do you know about ISEI? Want to join? Visit: www.isei.washington.edu As part of membership in ISEI, participants have access to a free article in the journal Infants &Young Children (IYC) from each issue. The current article is listed below:

THE EVIDENCE BEHIND DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENING INSTRUMENTS Macy, Marisa Ph.D This research synthesis is a review of the literature on developmental screening measures used to identify young children with delays. Research on 14 commonly used tools to screen infants, toddlers, and preschoolers was examined. Findings may assist users and consumers in identifying developmental screening measures that have a body of evidence.

DBHDS Qualified Bilingual Staff Interpreter Training Program for Behavioral Health and Developmental Services February 27-29, 2012 9:00am-4:30pm 12011 Government Center Parkway, #206 Fairfax, VA 22030 For more details see: http://tinyurl.com/4yepxpq The Qualified Bilingual Staff (QBS) training program was developed by Kaiser Permanente for the purpose of increasing our capability for providing linguistically appropriate services to individuals who are Limited English Proficient (LEP). The program targets our system’s bilingual, dual role staff and trains them in proper interpreting practices. THIS DBHDS TRAINING IS FOR STAFF WORKING IN THE AREAS OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OR DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES WHO WANT TO BUILD THEIR SKILLS AND TERMINOLOGY IN THESE FIELDS. This three day training is for BILINGUAL STAFF working as informal interpreters in your organization, this is NOT a training for professional or full time interpreters.

Language and early literacy activities: Free and Reproducible Developed by Angela Notari-Syverson, Ph.D, and Judy Challoner, M.S. Illustrations: Don Syverson These materials include home and community activities for adults and young children (birth to five) that encourage early language and literacy development. They are appropriate for children with disabilities as well as children who are developing typically. Each of the activities includes an activity description, and hints for making the activity fun

8 February 2012

and developmentally appropriate. An activity checklist helps parents and caregivers notice their children's skills, and also cues adults to examine and grow their own interactions with children. The materials are made available by Angela Notari-Syverson and colleagues, and may be copied and distributed as long as they are not sold. To download materials go to http://www.walearning.com and click on the button that says "Literacy Resources" on the home page. You will need to create a logon account using your email address and a password.

Please note that any shared professional development activity requires each practitioner to ascertain relevance to his/her work. No endorsement of any activity not offered through the state Part C Office should be assumed.

Winter 2012 Play Therapy Trainings Friday, February 17, 2012-Child Centered Play Therapy

Saturday, March 24, 2012-Integrating Sand Therapy and Play Therapy Monday, April 23, 2012-Trauma Focused Play Therapy

ChildSavers Training Institute is happy to announce our first Play Therapy training series. For more information visit: http://www.childsavers.org/PlayTherapyTraining_Test.htm

10th Annual NorthWest PBIS Conference February 29 – March 2, 2012 Red Lion Jantzen Beach, Portland, Oregon

Commonwealth Autism Services: 11th Annual Autism Conference, “Autism: Imagine the Possibilities” March 7-8, 2012 Richmond, VA For more information, check out: http://www.autismva.org/2012conference

VIRGINIA PROJECT CONNECT: CREATING FUTURES WITHOUT VIOLENCE Training dates scheduled across VA March-May For dates, locations, and registration, see: https://aceware.jmu.edu/ShowSchedule.awp?~~GROUP~COMHVC~Home+Visiting+Consortium~COM Project Connect, a groundbreaking multi-state initiative of Futures Without Violence (formerly the Family Violence Prevention Fund), seeks to develop comprehensive models of public health prevention and intervention that can lead to improved health and safety for victims of sexual and domestic violence. In Virginia, the project's focus lies in family planning and home visiting settings. The Virginia Department of Health’s Division of Prevention and Health Promotion, in partnership with the Division of Child and Adolescent Health, the Virginia Home Visiting Consortium, and the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, has developed assessment strategies and tools, training curricula, educational materials and policy/procedure guidance to better enable family planning clinic staff and home visitors to identify and provide support and referral to individuals and families impacted by sexual and domestic violence.

Take Note--Professional Development Opportunities

9 February 2012

9th Annual National Training Institute on Effective Practices: Supporting Young Children's Social Emotional Development March 28-31, 2012 Clearwater Beach, Florida Registration Now Open!

39th Annual Head Start Conference April 16- 21, 2012 Nashville, TN

NAEYC National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development June 10-13, 2012 Indianapolis, IN

Creating Connections to Shining Stars: Virginia’s First Annual Early Childhood Conference July 16-18, 2012 VA Beach See above for details. Call for Proposals and registration coming soon.

2012 RBI Certification Institute July 16-20, 2012 Chattanooga, TN Application Deadline: 4/1/12 at www.siskin.org/rbi The Routines-Based Interview is a tool for collecting systematic information about the activities that occur in a family’s typical day and the roles of adults and children during the activities. The method produces a list of functional goals that might appear on the IFSP or IEP. Approximately 24 selected applicants will participate in the fifth annual RBI Certification Institute, an intensive, hands-on training opportunity conducted by Robin McWilliam, Ph.D., and colleagues. Training will include demonstration, practice, and feedback. Demonstration of competence will result in certification. Highlights of the RBI Certification Institute include:

Families available to interview

Two concentrations: planning for children birth-3 years of age and 3-5 years of age

Feedback from multiple certified RBI instructors (coaches) throughout the week

Follow-up assignments to ensure competence before certification For more information, please visit: www.siskin.org/rbi

OSEP Leadership Conference July 30-August 11, 2012 Washington, DC For more information, please contact Tamara Infante, tinfante@fhi360.org

TTAC Online Training-Oral Language Development: Language Foundations, Part I In the first presentation of the Oral Language Development series, learners will explore the foundations of oral language. You will need to set up a free user account to access this video webshop. Visit: http://www.ttaconline.org/staff/s_training/s_training_Info.asp?selWebshop=mbetz11172011110632pm&selAuthor=sberkele

10 February 2012

ACE 2012 Webcast Schedule Set … Register Now! Information is now available for the VCU-ACE Webcast Schedule for January-August 2012. Register for an individual webcast or the entire series at: http://www.vcuautismcenter.org/training/webcasts/upcoming.cfm New topics include: “Making the Most of Students’ High Focus, Obsession, and Interest Areas,” “An Extra Ordinary Life: Using Person Centered Planning,” “Applied Behavior Analysis: Just the Facts,” and a Summer Series on ASD and Adulthood. These webcasts are FREE to Virginia residents and are all archived on the ACE website after they air.

Part C Staff

Catherine Hancock

Part C Coordinator

Catherine.hancock@dbhds.virginia.gov

(804) 371-6592

Beverly Crouse Part C Technical Assistance Consultant

btcrouse@vt.edu (540) 231-0803

Karen Durst Part C Technical Assistance Consultant

karen.durst@dbhds.virginia.gov (804) 786-9844

Cori Hill Part C Training Consultant

cfhill@vcu.edu (540) 943-6776

David Mills

Part C Data Manager

david.mills@dbhds.virginia.gov

(804) 371-6593

Kyla Patterson Consultant kyla@alumni.duke.edu (860) 430-1160

Irene Scott Administrative & Office Specialist III

irene.scott@dbhds.virginia.gov (804)786-4868

Beth Tolley Part C Technical Assistance Consultant

beth.tolley@dbhds.virginia.gov (804) 371-6595

LaKeisha White Office Services Specialist

keisha.white@dbhds.virginia.gov (804) 786-3710

Mary Anne White Part C Monitoring Consultant

maryanne.white@dbhds.virginia.gov (804) 786-1522