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Getting Started in Early Intervention

Presented by Nicole M. Sergent and Lacy D. Morise

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So you think you’d like to work in Early Intervention? The EI setting is an excellent fit for the therapist that likes to work directly and intimately with families in a coaching model and who likes to be creative and resourceful in daily interventions. It can also be intimidating when first starting out due to the independence experienced with the in-home model vs. a clinic or hospital setting. In this course, seasoned early intervention therapists will walk you through all you need to know to start or enhance an existing successful career in early intervention. Topics covered include: federal law and state implementation related to EI services; common employment opportunities in EI, including business organizations; the journey from evaluation and assessment, to IFSP, to implementation of service, to transition/discharge; recommended assessment tools and intervention strategies and supplies; and helpful resources.

Meet your instructors

Nicole M. Sergent

Nicole Sergent is a pediatric physical therapist living and working in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. With more than 20 years of experience working with children in a variety of settings, Nicole currently works primarily as an independent contractor for the West Virginia Birth to Three program (early intervention)…

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Lacy D. Morise

Lacy Morise is a pediatric speech-language pathologist working in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Lacy is an independent contractor for the West Virginia Birth to Three program (early intervention) working with children aged 0–3 and their families. The combination of skilled rehabilitation with the educational…

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Chapters & learning objectives

All You Need to Know About Part C Services

1. All You Need to Know About Part C Services

Early Intervention services are mandated and implemented through federal IDEA law. Understanding the law and how it relates to the roles and responsibilities of the Early Intervention therapist will be discovered in this chapter.

Jumping into the Natural Environment

2. Jumping into the Natural Environment

Delivery of EI services occurs in the natural environment. Definition of what the natural environment includes and research based evidence that support this intervention setting will be shared in this chapter.

Practical Considerations of Starting an EI Practice

3. Practical Considerations of Starting an EI Practice

The day to day “work” in the EI setting is associated with unique considerations for the pediatric therapist. In this chapter, participants will learn about practical considerations for ensuring a safe, organized, and easy to manage business model related to EI service implementation.

Implementation of EI Services: A Roadmap to Successful Therapy

4. Implementation of EI Services: A Roadmap to Successful Therapy

Legal and systemic steps are followed in the process of finding a child eligible for EI services through intervention, implementation of services, and through discharge/transition out of Part C services. In this chapter, a flow chart approach will be shared to explain each step in this process along with tips for ensuring success at each step along the way.

Tips and Tools for Daily EI Intervention

5. Tips and Tools for Daily EI Intervention

In this chapter, information will be provided and demonstrations shown, to help the EI therapist choose helpful evaluation/assessment tools and intervention suggestions across individual disciplines so that participants will have a set of practical tools in place to treat EI clients.

Staying Plugged in as an EI Provider

6. Staying Plugged in as an EI Provider

While in-home EI work can be invigorating and rewarding, there are realistic challenges. One of these being that, while an individual practitioner will likely work with team members of other disciplines, it is common that they will not cross paths with colleagues of the same discipline often. For this reason, it is essential that EI practitioners stay plugged in to resources that keep their skills up to date, and their communication open with others in their individual fields. This chapter will explore ways to do this.