A BULLETIN FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT EARLY INTERVENTION FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES
Issue XLVI - February 2004
Included in this issue of
EVENTS:
(Image - caption "Lisa and Luke Pugh - September 6, 2003")
The Newsletter Gets an Interim
Editor
(image - Melissa Velez)
Let me introduce myself as the Interim
Editor forthe Birth to 6 EVENTS Newsletter. My name isMelissa Velez and I work
with the Birth to 3RESource Training and Technical AssistanceProject. I am replacing
Lisa Pugh who had abeautiful baby boy earlier this year and is onmaternity leave.
I hope to live up to the greatstandard that Lisa has set forth in thispublication.
Essential Question for this Issue
of Birthto 6 Events
The “essential question” provides a framework for putting together thisnewsletter.
The essential question serves to guide the content andorganization of the issue.
I hope that you find this approach helpful.
How do we serve children and families from culturally andlinguistically diverse
backgrounds in ways thatsupport and enhance their families’ ways of life?
In this issue we will explore various perspectives, tools and resourcesfor supporting
and working with children and families who speaklanguages other than English
orwho are from a cultural basedifferent than our own. This workoften challenges
us to venturebeyond our previous mindsets towork differently. We hope toprovide
you with some ways tojourney into the future as we allmove to best practice
in servingchildren and families in a culturallyand linguistically sensitive
way.
EVENTS IS A PUBLICATION OF THE WISCONSIN
PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, FUNDED BY THE STATE DEPT. OF HEALTH & FAMILY
SERVICES-BIRTH TO THREE PROGRAM
Page 2
CULTURAL/LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY
Through the Looking Glass
By Melissa Velez
The focus of this issue is onworking with young children andfamilies whose cultural
base andhome language is not English;English Language Learners in themore technical
lingo. I amextremely passionate about thissubject and have had the pleasureof
evaluating many young childrenwhose native language wasSpanish throughout the
years. Iknow they are complex children toevaluate because, as educatorsand therapists,
our true desire is tosupport their continueddevelopment without makinginaccurate
determinations of theircapacities. We are fortunate thatthere are evaluation
andassessment tools in Spanish, butwhen it comes to other languages,we are often
at a loss. Plus, weneed the human resources to beable to administer those tools
inchildren’s native languages. Theblessing of our State today is thatwe are
becoming quite diverse;however, it challenges us to beresourceful and creative
withaddressing English LanguageLearners’ very unique needs.
Here are some things that I havelearned along the way that havehelped me more
effectively meetthese children’s unique needs.
Melissa Velez is
the SoutheasternRegional Birth to 3 RESource Facilitator.She can be reached
atvelezm@cesa5.k12.wi.us or414-671-1220
Page 3
HEARING FROM FAMILIES
Hearing from Culturally
and Linguistically Diverse Families
It was my pleasure to have theopportunity to interview 2 familiesabout their
experience with Birth to3 and how services were providedto them as culturally
andlinguistically diverse individuals.There are some key points notedthat I
hope you will find insightful asyou work towards serving diversefamilies in
your community in thebest way possible.
Nelsinia and Jennifer
Some of you may recognize partsof this story as Nelsinia has been aparent presenter
at Orientation toBest Practice in Birth to 3 on a fewoccasions. Her story continues
toteach those of us looking toenhance our early interventionwork.
Nelsinia and her family entered theBirth to 3 Program when Jenniferwas a young
child. The familyimmigrated to Milwaukee fromCosta Rica. When Jennifer enteredthe
Birth to 3 Program, the familyhad only been in Milwaukee a fewyears and did
not speak English.Nelsinia stated that initial contactswith the program were
in Spanish.She believes that the referral wasmade in Spanish which allowed forinitial
contacts with her family to bein their primary language, the onlylanguage that
they understood atthe time. Nelsinia reported that shehad a Spanish speaking
servicecoordinator who explained theprogram and process, and madeher feel at
ease given all that washappening. Nelsinia views her caseas unique in that her
daughter hasautism, which impacted thedecisions that were made regardingthe
services that her daughterreceived. Because there were notspecialists who could
serve herdaughter’s needs in her primarylanguage, the decision was made toserve
Jennifer in English. It wasunfortunate that the services couldnot be obtained
in Spanish giventhat Nelsinia and her family allspoke Spanish. What she wasgrateful
for is that all of the IFSPsand meetings were still held inSpanish so that she,
as a mother,was able to truly understand andparticipate in those meetings.Nelisinia
talked about what theyhad to do as a family in Birth to 3 toreinforce Jennifer’s
learning inEnglish. As a family they had tolearn English and had to focusJennifer
on being able to maneuverand decode family gatherings andfamily interactions
since theextended family that Jennifer was apart of spoke Spanish. She doesnot
regret any of the decisions thatwere made. Nelsinia doesrecognize that the socialchallenges
of having a child withautism were great and were furthercomplicated by the languagebarrier,
which made it morechallenging to maintain the familysocial connections that
wereimportant to Nelsinia. As Nelsiniaand Jennifer entered EarlyChildhood, she
was pleased tohave received evaluations and IEPmeetings bilingually in bothSpanish
and English. This helpedher to fully understand andparticipate in the planning.
Oneword of caution stayed withNelsinia as we closed the interview.She noted
that at times it is achallenge when providers try tooffer services in another
language.It can be difficult for a family whenproviders’ language is not fluent
orgrammatically correct. Whilefamilies are grateful for theattempts, sometimes
it can be lessconstructive to work that way. Howto bridge that gap is an ongoingchallenge.
Luciña and Keela
Lucina and her family entered theBirth to 3 Program when Keela was6 months old.
The familyimmigrated to Milwaukee from SanLuis Potossi, Mexico. When Keelaentered
the Birth to 3 Program, thefamily had only been here a fewyears and did not
understand orspeak English. Lucina reported thather initial contacts with the
Birth to3 Program were with a Spanishspeaking service coordinator whowas able
to speak to her inSpanish and explain the processand requirements. She wasgrateful
that there was someonewho could help her in Spanish.Lucina stated that some
of theservices that Keela received werein Spanish and others were inEnglish
although the Englishspeaking providers tried to useSpanish during therapy. However,the
providers were not fluentenough to be able to talk to her asthe parent and help
herunderstand the therapy. Lucina feltthat at anytime she could talk toher Spanish
speaking servicecoordinator if necessary. Oftentimes, if the providers needed
todiscuss something with her, theywould bring in the servicecoordinator to assist.
Lucina wasgrateful that IFSP meetings wereheld in Spanish so that she couldfully
understand and participate.What was a challenge to her wasthat all of the information
given toher and her family for followthrough was all in English whichshe was
unable to read orunderstand
Page 4
VIDEOCONFERENCE
An Opportunity
to Grow
“Bienvenidos al
Programa de Nacimiento a los 3 anos “
“Zoo Sab Txais Tog Koj rua lub Early Intervention”
“Welcome to Birth to 3”
Now that we have your attention, we want to invite practitioners of Birth to
3and their respective partners to the statewide Birth to 3 (WPDP andRESource)
videoconference coming to a location near you. We areextremely excited to offer
this day long workshop entitled:
Working with Families with Very Young Children from LinguisticallyDiverse
Backgrounds
Friday, February 13th 2004 from 9am to 4pm
4 sites have been established in Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay andMenominee
(See page 9.)
The purpose of the day is to focus on how best to meet the needs ofchildren
and families form linguistically diverse backgrounds. The primaryfocus will
be on Spanish, however, universal concepts that would generalizeto families
who speak other languages will be included.
Our speaker for the day is Dr. Josephine De Leon from New Mexico StateUniversity.
Dr. De Leon has a dual Ph.D in Bilingual Education and SpecialEducation. She
was department head for the Special Education/Communication Disorders program
at NMSU and is currently the SpecialAssistant to the Provost. Dr. De Leon has
experience as both a practitionerin early childhood education and as a researcher
in special education andsecond language acquisition. We are extremely fortunate
to have Dr. DeLeon working with us on this topic. We hope to see everyone there.Registration
information is available on our website:
http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/birthto3/events.php
Making It Work
I asked the Milwaukee Center for Independence (MCFI) to share withyou
how they use the tools of reflective practice in meeting the needs ofdiverse
children within the context of their families. Here is what MCFI’sBirth to 3
director, Jane Webb, had to say.
Our program has been using the reflective practice approach with greatsuccess.
It is a versatile approach that we utilize when working withfamilies, and when
working on program or staff issues. I have alsoutilized this approach as a supervisor
when dealing directly with staff. Itis a process that has provided our entire
team with better insight intoanother’s actions or behaviors and it is especially
helpful when trying tounderstand cultural practices in relation to our own individual
culturalinfluences. As a result of what we have learned our motto has become,“You
don’t know where this person has come from, or what experiencesthey have had
to get them to the position or state they are in currently”.In honoring our
motto, judgments regarding various family practices orwhat we might consider
lack of practices is better understood, whilekeeping within the boundaries of
our “service-oriented” culture and ourobligations as mandated reporters. However,
in trying to understand themotivation behind a person’s actions, particularly
actions that might beculturally driven, the tools of reflective practice have
become a way ofpractice for our team.
For more information about the use of reflective practice in Birth to 3,you
can contact Jane Webb at Jwebb@mcfi.net.
Parent Consultant
DirectoryWe are currently looking forparents of children with specialneeds to
serve as “consultants”—experts who give advice— to preprofessionals(university/collegestudents)
and professionals (e.g.therapists, medical personnel,teachers, service coordinators,child
care professionals) on topicsrelated to caring for and supportingtheir children.
We know thatfamilies with children with specialneeds can provide unique andvaluable
insight and that preprofessionalsand currentprofessionals will benefit fromthese
interactions. The ParentConsultant Directory will be astate-wide resource
containing abrief introduction to each family, theregion in which they live
andcontact information. Facultymembers and other educators willhave access to
the directory andwill use it to contact parents andinvite them to come in and
sharetheir family story. More information, including sign up forms, is availableat
our website: http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/birthto3/forfamilies.php.
Questions can be directed to LynnHavemann, Waisman EarlyIntervention Program,
608-263-5947.
We need provider assistance inreaching out to invite families toparticipate.
Consistent with the“essential question”of thisEVENTS, consider the diversity
offamilies served by your agency.
Page 5
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Building Relationships
for Quality Transitions
by Rene Forsythe
Just as relationships are key inproviding quality earlyintervention, theyare
also key whenproviding smoothand qualitytransitions forfamilies.
As part of the StateImprovement Grant(SIG) through the Department ofPublic Instruction,
there areseveral efforts in place toimprove the transitions forfamilies leaving
Birth to 3programs. I believe that buildingrelationships is the main way tochange
transitions.
I have heard from both Birth to 3programs and receiving agenciesthat there tends
to be a feel of“us vs. them.” It seems asthough staff between programsare not
always given the chanceto just talk and learn about oneanother. Busy schedules
anddealing with basic jobrequirements seem to play alarge role in preventing
theseconversations. One undertakingof the SIG is to provide times thatBirth
to 3 programs, EarlyChildhood Special Education,and other agency staff can be
inthe same room to learn aboutone another and buildrelationships.
To do this, we’ve really startedthinking about who gets invited totrainings/workshops
around the State. There has been more of anattempt to invite across programboundaries
so the same message isbeing heard and participants aregiven the chance to be
near eachother and have conversations. Forexample, State Birth to 3, RESourceand
WPDP staff were invited to thelast Early Childhood ProgramSupport Teacher Meeting
in October.The next formal way this will happenis at the Spring Birth to 3 RegionalMeetings.
Time will be set aside inthe afternoon for discussion aroundtransitions and
hopefully relationshipbuilding as well. Birth to 3 programswill be asked to
invite staff from theirlocal school districts as well asrepresentatives from
any otheragencies where children regularlytransition.
Additionally, transitions will bediscussed at the May 7th EarlyChildhood Video
conference serieswith a focus on commonalities anddifferences between IFSPs
andIEPs. (See page 11.) Please makesure to mark your calendars forthese events.
To learn more about SIG activities go to theSIG website at http://www.wisconsinsig.org
To learn more about the Early ChildhoodProject resources go to http://www.wisconsinsig.org/resources.htm
Rene Forsythe is the SIG Transition ProjectCoordinator for CESA #5 and she
can bereached at forsythe@vbe.com or atCESA
#5 608-742-8814.
Childhood ProgramSupport
Meeting
By Mary Peters
Providing quality services for allyoung children is a common goal forearly intervention
and early childhoodspecial education personnel.Leadership from Birth to 3 joinedEarly
Childhood Special EducationProgram Support Teachers andleaders in activities
during a two-partmeeting held in October 2003, inGreen Bay. Roundtable discussionsfocused
on topics related tomentoring, transitions, IFSP and IEPelements, preschool
options, utilizingdata, assessment, the role ofprogram support teachers, and
theWisconsin Children’s Charter.Additional presentations included anoverview
of the State ImprovementGrant Higher Education Initiatives,the Infant Mental
Health Initiative, theWisconsin Model Early LearningStandards, and procedural
updates.
Mary Peters is a consultant with EarlyChildhood Special Education at DPI.
Marycan be reached at 608.267.9172 or at mary.peters@dpi.state.wi.us.
Transition Alert
The National Early ChildhoodTransition Center ( NECTC ) wantsto understand the
transition process.NECTC is interested in hearing abouttransition experiences
from any ofthe following individuals.
Spring B-3 Regional Meetings
Page 6
NEW STAFF
WPDP and RESource
are extremely pleased to announce that 3 new staff members have joined our Birth
to 3 team.
Lynn Havemann, WPDP
Training Specialist and ParentFacilitator
In September2003 I startedwork at theWaismanCenter as aTrainingSpecialist andParent
Facilitator,part-time, with WPDP to fulfillLisa Pugh’s formerresponsibilities
as eventcoordinator for the year. I amalso working with the DPI StateImprovement
Grant (SIG) tocoordinate the Parent ConsultantDirectory. (See page 4.) I ampleased
to be able to utilize bothmy administrative skills and mybackground as a parent
of achild with special needs toprovide training and outreach forBirth to 3 providers,
parents andcommunity members.
When my second child was bornwith multiple birth complicationsand came home
after a four-monthhospital stay, I stoppedworking at a university settingand
started work caring for ourdaughter at home. I havelearned innumerable lessons
bybeing a parent of a child withspecial needs-patience,perseverance, and perspectiveall
come to mind. I feel my familyis all the stronger for havingthese unique experiences.
Ihave enjoyed meeting many ofyou at meetings and workshopsthese past several
months andlook forward to developing morerelationships in the future.
Please contact me at:havemann@waisman.wisc.edu
or 608-263-5947.
Linda Wetzel, WPDP
Training Specialist
I am pleased tohave thedistinction ofbeing the onlyWPDP staffmember withexperience
in theprovision oftherapeutic/clinical services. Myeducational background is
inoccupational therapy and publichealth, and in WI, I have workedas an OT for
Birth to 3 in Racine,Chippewa, and Eau Clairecounties. Most recently, I providedoutreach
services for the Maternaland Child Health Bureau Centerfor leadership in OccupationalTherapy
Education at UWMadison.This project, whichended in May 2003, providedtraining
for doctoral-level OTstudents and educational andtechnical resources to the
OTcommunity.
I have joined WPDP, for the year,to work part time providingtechnical assistance
to the generalearly intervention community. Thattechnical assistance will focusaround
the implementation offamily-centered therapyinterventions in naturalenvironments.
Please feel free to contact me atwetzel@waisman.wisc.edu,
or608-265-2885 to answer anyquestions you may have regardingbest practice, recommendationsfor
articles that discuss generaltherapeutic issues, or web-siteresources.
Karen Williams
RESource
I am very pleasedto be joining theRESource teamas the NorthernRegionFacilitator.
I willbe replacingKathy Ahrens-Johnson who will bedearly missed. We wish her
thebest in her future endeavors.
I received a Bachelor of Sciencedegree in Special Education andElementary Education
from UW-EauClaire. I obtained myMasters in Education with aspecialization in
early childhoodspecial education from UW–Stevens Point.Before entering the world
of B-3. Itaught special education with theMerrill and Wonewoc SchoolDistricts.
During the pastseventeen years, I have beenworking with the Langlade CountyB-3
Program as an earlyinterventionist , servicecoordinator, and diagnostician.
Ilove working with young childrenand their families, and trulybelieve that early
interventionmakes a difference in their lives.I will continue to maintain a
parttimeposition with Langlade’s B-3program as well as my newposition with RESource.I
feel fortunate to have joinedsuch a wonderful team and lookforward to developingrelationships
with the B-3 programin Northern WI as well asthroughout the state. Please feelfree
to contact me atcozy@dwave.net or715-623-5660
with any questionsor concerns.
Page 7
RESOURCES
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Resources
Birth to 3 Training and Technical Assistance website
http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/birthto3/
Wisconsin Facets
http://www.wifacets.org
Great Lakes Intertribal Council
www.glitc.org or contact Pam Torres at pamtorrs@glitc.org
or by phone at 715.588.3324 x164
ADA materials are now available in Spanish, Japanese, Tagalog,Cambodian, Laotian,
Hmong, Chinese, Japanese, Hong, andVietnamese.
http://www.adata.org/pubs/pubs-otherlang.html
The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systemsand Evidence
Based Practice. OSEP Discretionary Grantshttp://www.cec.sped.org/osep/database/detailView.html
Communication Development and Disorders in MulticulturalPopulations
http://www.asha.org/about/leadership-projects/multicultural/readings/disabilities.htm
Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate ServicesEarly Childhood Research Institute
http://www.clas.uiuc.edu
Celebrate Good
Times - Come On!!
We have a STAR amongst us. Jenny Lange is the 2003 recipient of theMerle
B. Karnes National Service Award by the Council of Exceptional ChildrenDivision
of Early Childhood. This award is given to a DEC member who hasmade a significant
contribution to the Division in areas of leadership, service,research, advocacy,
or publications. The award was formally presented at theNational Conference
in October of 2003. Jenny gathered with a small group ofpeople in Madison in
December to receive the award in person. Jenny has a longhistory in the state
of Wisconsin and her leadership has shaped opportunities foryoung children and
broadened systems of support for those in the field. We arefortunate to have
Jenny amongst us. I hope all of you will join in congratulatingher for all of
her many accomplishments.
Felicidades Jenny.
(Image caption: "Jenny
and her husband Randy in Madison.")
Remembering a Friend
On October 27th, 2003 Wisconsinadvocates and families of childrenwith disabilities
lost a good friendand mentor. Barb Breen, co-directorof the Wisconsin StatewideParent-Educator
Initiative (WSPEI ),died suddenly at her home in EauClaire, WI. It was a sad
and tragicloss for many. In an attempt tohonor Barb’s memory and toestablish
an enduring legacy, someof her colleagues and friends areestablishing an award
in her name.The Barb Breen Memorial ParentEducator Award will be given eachyear
to a CESA or school districtparent liaison in Wisconsin who bestexemplifies
Barb’s work ethic andpersonal characteristics. The firstaward will be given
at the Circles ofLife Conference, April 29-30 inStevens Point. Nominations may
besent to Elsie Shaw ParentScholarship Fund, 4230 East TowneBlvd # 242, Madison,
WI 53704-3704. Nominations must bereceived no later thanFebruary 15th 2004.
Save the Date:
WECA and WDEC CollaborativeConference
October 14th -16th , 2004
La Crosse, WI
For more information, visitwww.wecanaeyc.org
or call (800) 783-9322 x7252
WECA needs your input!!
What topics are you interested inseeing at the conference?Input can be sent
to Tammy Fishconference manager at tfish@wecanaeyc.org.
Pages 8-11
JOB POSTINGS
Job Postings
Speech Language Pathologist
Lutheran Social Services
W226N555A Eastmound Dr.
Waukesha, WI 53186
Are you a certified SLP seeking meaningful work with young childrenand their
families? Flexible scheduling? Possible alternative hours?Setting your own schedule?
Multiple opportunities available. Pleasecall, FAX or send your resume to Lutheran
Social Services Birth to 3attn. Missy Kueht-Becker
For Questions please call 262-896-3446/cell 262-424-9847Fax 262-896-3450
Equal Opportunity Employer
Pediatric Physical
Therapist
Human Resources Department
Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin, Inc.
1800 Appleton Road
Menasha, WI 54952
Part-time Licensed Physical Therapist wanted to provide P.T. servicesin our
Birth-to-Three program serving Winnebago County. Preferredcandidate(s) will
have pediatric experience and be willing to work aflexible schedule. Must be
team-oriented, able to work in a variety ofsettings, and support a family-centered
approach to service delivery.Call Cindy Flauger at 920-725-8771, ext. 10 for
more information orsubmit resume to the above address. Equal Opportunity Employer
Orientation to
Best Practices
Northeast Region - Mar. 16
Holiday Inn Neenah Riverwalk
Western Region - May 18
CESA #10, Chippewa Falls
Contact Lynn Sankey at 608.263.5022 or 800.532.3321 orsankey@waisman.wisc.edu
for more information.
EVENTS CALENDAR
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE/JULY
FALL/WINTER
See complete training
calendar: www.waisman.wisc.edu/birthto3/
Page 12
Birth to 6 Events
Wisconsin Personnel Development Project
Editor: Melissa Velez and Linda Tuchman
Contributors:
Rene Forsythe - CESA 5
Lynn Havemann - WPDP/SIG
Mary Peters - DPI
Jane Webb - Milwaukee Center for Independence
Desktop Publishing:
Cheri Sanders, Media Specialist, WPDP
Director: Linda Tuchman
EVENTS is published three times each year by the Wisconsin Birth to 3 Personnel Development Project with fundingfrom the Wisconsin Birth to 3 Program, Department of Health and Family Services, and the Wisconsin Departmentof Public Instruction. WPDP, housed at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, is funded by theBirth to 3 Program to address the need for well qualified early intervention service providers in the state. WPDPoffers a wide range of educational opportunities for parents, service providers from all disciplines, and programmanagers/administrators, through a multifaceted program. Activities include statewide and regional in-serviceworkshops, Parents as Leaders (PALS), a video lending library, technical assistance, the Birth to 3 Trainingand Technical Assistance website, and materials development and dissemination.
For additional information,
call 608-263-5022, 1-800-532-3321, or email sankey@waisman.wisc.edu
Deadline for submissions to next EVENTS: April 1, 2004.
WPDP website: www.waisman.wisc.edu/birthto3/
BIRTH TO 6 EVENTS
WAISMAN CENTER - ROOM A103
1500 HIGHLAND AVENUE
MADISON, WI 53705-2280
PHONE: 608-263-5022