Early Intervention Supports and Services Assignment | Early Intervention Supports and Services

Weekly Paper Sample
Chapter 3: Early Intervention Supports and Services

My weekly paper is in chapter 3, Early intervention support and services, and I have chosen to discuss
these three topics: Developmental Delays, RtI Approach, and Multidisciplinary Team and with examples to demonstrate my understandingof them.

Developmental Delays

Developmental delays may be caused by a variety of factors; including genetic disorders, this is the
first opportunity to detect potential genetic disorders. Children who are identified with developmental
delays have delays in the following areas: cognitive, communication, social-emotion, adaptive, and motors
domains in development. Problems with pregnancy, if the mother becomes ill, is undernourished, or
consumes harmful substances the health of the fetus can be jeopardized, or if the mother contracts
German measles or chickenpox during pregnancy can damage the fetus, or fetal alcohol syndrome or
spectrum disorder can interfere with the fetus development; as well as substance by the mother and father
can be linked to behavior problems. Environmental risk factors are the major factors of disabilities for
young children. The two most well known environmental factors are poverty and child abuse that
interfere with child development. These environmental risk factors are some of the most difficult stressors
for a family to cope with and they often feel overwhelming and very difficult for the family to handle.

Example of my understanding of developmental delays

Mrs. Jones and her husband were expecting their first child, and both were in their late 30s. Mrs.
Jones was progressing normally with her pregnancy. Then well into eight-month, she started to encounter
complications with the pregnancy. Mr. and Mrs. Jones were informed by the doctor that she was going
into early labor, and as a result, Mrs. Jones’ baby was born, prematurely. As time progressed, Mrs. Jones
noticed that her baby was below the typical age in walking and other areas for a toddler of 15 months. She
noticed that the child’s fine motor skills such as holding a spoon and picking up objects were troubling
and indicative of some developmental issues. Furthermore, the child appeared not to engage in simple
language or understand commands given by the parents. These concerns were discussed with the doctor
to determine the extent of the child’s problem. The doctors assessed the child using the developmental
profile, and it showed that the child suffers a delay in normal development.

RtI Approach

Response to intervention approach is a process used by educators to help children who are struggling
with a skill, teacher’s use this intervention with any student to help them succeed in the classroom. RtI is
not just for children with special needs, it is a universal screener for general education students as well.
The emphasis is on providing support to children as a difficulty show up, and specific instructions at
various levels are designed to the needs of the child. Response to intervention is a pyramid using a three-tiered framework for meeting the child’s needs.

Examples to demonstrate my understanding of the RtI Approach

The teacher in a first-grade class screen all students at tier-1 to determine their needs. At this level, the
teacher does progress monitoring three times a year to assess for students’ strengths and areas of needs.
The assessment of Jonathan showed that he meets tier-II criteria for support. With this report, the teacher
begins to use more embedded instruction in reading to help him reach his goal. She uses a small group
setting to provide instruction to Jonathan. She utilized vocabulary from his reading material on
individual cards to form sentences for him to read, and so on. The teacher informs the parents of
Jonathan’s progress over a 10-week period, and it was determined that Jonathan is still not making
adequate progress in improving his reading. Therefore, Jonathan was moved to tier III, the teacher and the
reading specialist begins intense instruction and individualized instruction. The reading specialist works
with him 3 times a week on an individualized base. The teacher progress monitoring is conducted more
frequently every 4 to 6 weeks to determine Jonathan’s progress. The teacher provided the parents with
reading strategies to help him at home. At his point, Jonathan still lacks the reading skills he needs to be
successful in school. After a discussion between the teacher, reading specialist, and the parent, a decision
will be made about making a referral for future evaluation if needed.

Multidisciplinary Team

A multidisciplinary team working in an early intervention program might need a variety of services from
specialists. Children, who qualify for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
must have been identified, screened, and diagnosed by a multidisciplinary team such as; parent(s) or
guardian(s), physician, psychologist, speech and language therapist, or social worker. Team works gather
and review information about the child’s and family’s needs so that a comprehensive and workable plan
can be developed to address the needs.

Example to demonstrate my understanding of multidisciplinary team

Jonathan the first-grader who was severely struggling with reading, a decision was made by the teacher
to discuss with the parent and reading specialist to refer Jonathan for an evaluation. In doing so, the
school’s multidisciplinary team was developed to include the parents, who can provide information about
the child’s home life and practices. The classroom teacher and reading specialist can provide information
about Jonathan’s reading assessment results and daily activities in the classroom. The school
psychologist will provide a comprehensive evaluation of Jonathan’s strengths and weaknesses and help the
family deal with the stress of having a child disability. The school’s social worker can provide coping
strategies for the family. An audiologist will provide information to determine if hearing contributes to
his reading difficulties, and an ophthalmologist to determine if Jonathan’s vision is posing a problem for
his reading. And as such, the multidisciplinary team will review, discuss all the relevant information to
determine Jonathan’s reading deficit, and after which a plan will be written to address his needs.

How your weekly paper will be graded: Your weekly papers will be graded as follow:

(i) Discussion of the 3 topics you have chosen (1 point each) = 3 points;
(ii) Examples demonstrating your understanding of the 3 topics (2 points each) = 6
points; and
(iii) Format (APA) = 1 point. Total = 10 points. Total of, at least, 10 weekly papers
must be submitted = 100 points. You are required to turn in your paper for each
week on Thursday.