Broader & Deeper
Documenting Family Mentorship Outcomes in Interdisciplinary Personnel Preparation
Evelyn Reed-Victor & Belinda HooperProject UPLink
Urban Partners Linking Personnel Preparation & Practice for Young Children with Low Incidence Disabilities
Ann Cox & Evelyn Reed-Victor, Co-DirectorsBelinda Hooper, CoordinatorVirginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VAOSEP Grant: H325A000044
Goals
Recruitment Retention
Quantity
QualityDivers
ity
OUTCOMES
STATE & NATIONAL NEEDS
University Prep.
Community Practice
UPLink
UPLink Curriculum Model
+ 10 Credit Specialization
Interdisciplinary Core
TEDU 541 & 651InterdisciplinaryPractices in Early Intervention
IDDS 600Interdisciplinary Teamwork in EI
Interdisciplinary Fieldwork
Discipline SpecificGraduate Programs
NursingOccupational TherapyPhysical TherapyPsychologySocial WorkEarly Childhood
Early Childhood Special EducationGraduate Program
+ Courses in Severe Disabilities
Knowledge, Skills, & Dispositions
Early development Delays/disabilities &
early intervention strategies
Interdisciplinary roles & perspectives
Team communication & collaboration skills
Cultural competence
Assessment Individualized
planning Family-centered
services Inclusive practices Legal
requirements, policies & program evaluation
DEC Recommended Practices in Personnel Preparation
Family-centered practices Family involvement begins early &
continues throughout program Family participants represent diversity
in race, culture, & socioeconomic status
Family Mentorship
Family mentors student during interdisciplinary courses
Objectives Provide opportunities to learn about
family life & experiences Foster understanding of family strengths,
expertise, & diversity Promote long term commitment to family-
professional partnerships
Interdisciplinary Core - 541 & 651 Linked Courses
Infants & Young Children with Special Needs Interdisciplinary Practices in Early
Intervention Content: Foundations of EI/ECSE Interdisciplinary faculty & community
presenters Individual & team assignments
Field observations, links to practice guidelines Web-based support Family mentorship
Interdisciplinary Core - Interdisciplinary Teamwork
Content EI teamwork knowledge, skills, & dispositions
Teamwork assignments Transdisciplinary Play-Based
Assessment IEP development Self & team analysis during semester
Family mentorship
Interdisciplinary Faculty Team
Early education Early childhood special education Family Specialist Nursing Occupational therapy Physical therapy Psychology Social work Speech & language pathology
Family Specialist
Roles Background Connections to community
Family Mentorship Sequence of Activities Spring (prior to core courses)
Identify families, orient & survey students Summer
Match families & students Family-student picnic & orientation
Fall & Spring Family-student meetings & contacts Faculty-student monitoring
Year’s end Students & families evaluate experience
Post-graduation Graduates provide feedback
Evaluating Family Mentorship
Process & Outcomes Key questions Data collection Findings
Process Questions How effective is our recruitment,
selection & matching process? Are trainees contacting and meeting
with families? What’s the nature of the meetings? What are trainees learning from their
experiences? Is more support needed?
Process Data Matrix of family/child characteristics Matching survey Trainee activity logs & reflective journals
Tied to course requirements Submitted 2 x per semester through course
website Faculty meetings with trainees Pre-post case analyses
Findings
Recruitment & matching Family & child characteristics Matching survey
Implementation Logs Journals Case analyses
Outcome Questions Did students’ understanding of families’
experiences change? Are students committed to family-
centered practices? What benefits did families identify? How can we improve this experience? How did this experience influence
graduates’ practices?
Outcome Data
Student feedback Focus groups Surveys
Family feedback Trainee post-graduation surveys
Findings
Students’ perspectives Families’ perspectives Graduates’ reflections
Your experiences?
Family involvement Evaluation Outcomes
For more information, please contact ushttp://www.vcu.edu/uplink/Evelyn Reed-Victor [email protected] Hooper [email protected] Ann Cox [email protected]
OSEP Grant: H325A000044
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