Waisman Center–Birth To 3 Program
Wisconsin
Sound Beginnings Birth to 3 Consultant Program
What
is the Wisconsin Sound Beginnings (WSB) Birth to 3 Consultant Program?
The
mission of the Wisconsin Sound Beginnings Consultant Program is to advise
and assist local Birth to 3 Programs in providing "best practices"
services and supports to families with infants and toddlers who are
deaf or hard of hearing.
How
Can the WSB Birth to 3 Consultants Help Your County's Birth to 3 Program?
When
your county receives a referral for a child who is who is deaf or hard
of hearing, we suggest you contact a WSB Birth to 3 Consultant to help
your county respond to the child and family's needs. Following are ways
a WSB Birth to 3 Consultant can help your county and the families your
serve.
- Provide
support and assistance to your program when serving a family with
a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. In collaboration with your
program and staff, our consultants can:
- Identify
the resources, needs and goals of your program through interviews
with program administrative and other staff as well as observations
of current programming practices and resources.
- Assist
service providers in determining the general strengths and needs
of a child through observation of and interaction with the child
in his or her natural environment.
- Identify
the resources, needs and goals of your program through interviews
with program administrative and other staff as well as observations
of current programming practices and resources.
- Provide
support to service providers in working with the child and family
by assisting in determining family strengths, needs, resources and
priorities. Our consultants can:
- Meet
with a service provider and family for a face-to-face interview.
- Utilize
telephone contact and e-mail correspondence.
- Assist
in assessment planning.
- Participate
in the development of the IFSP.
- Meet
with a service provider and family for a face-to-face interview.
- Assist
the program administrative staff and/or service providers in exploring
the range of services and programming options appropriate to meet
the individual child and family situations. Consultants can:
- Locate
available resources that support a specific service or program
option.
- Discuss
and provide information on a specific intervention strategy.
- Locate
available resources that support a specific service or program
option.
- Identify
available local, state and national resources available to the child
and family, service providers and the Birth to 3 Program. Consultants
can:
- Facilitate
and support collaborative partnerships that will support your
program.
- Facilitate
and support collaborative partnerships that will support your
program.
-
Provide assistance, support and resources to families and Birth to
3 Programs as a child and family prepares for transition into the
public school and/or other settings that a family may choose at age
three. Consultants can:
- Provide
support and information regarding transition and programming available
to school-age children.
- Participate
in transition meetings and IEP team meetings.
- Provide
support and information regarding transition and programming available
to school-age children.
What
Will it Cost Your County to Access the WSB Birth to 3 Consultants?
Wisconsin
Sound Beginnings has a limited amount of funding to seed the work of
the WSB Birth to 3 consultants. Once you make contact with a WSB Birth
to 3 Consultant, you will negotiate this with the consultant. Typically,
WSB has funds to support the provision of 2-3 activities per county
from a WSB Birth to 3 Consultant. This may include any of the activities
describes on the other side of this page, including onsite visits, follow
up and other ongoing communication. (See How Can WSB Birth to 3 Consultants
Help Your County?)
There
will be no cost to county Birth to 3 programs for these initial consultation
activities. If the consultant agrees to more extensive consultation
or is available to fulfill other roles beyond those of the Wisconsin
Sound Beginnings Birth to 3 Consultant Program, your county can negotiate
directly with that person or her agency for ongoing work. This may include
additional consultation or direct service provision.
How
Can Your County Contact a WSB Birth to 3 Consultant?
Attached
please find a contact list for the Wisconsin Sound Beginnings Birth
to 3 Consultants. The list is organized by the five DHFS regions and
also includes the statewide training and consultation team. Please do
not hesitate to contact one of the people designated for your region,
especially when you receive a referral for a child with a newly confirmed
hearing loss. They are committed, prepared and available to help you.
Additionally, the statewide team is available to provide support and
assistance to the regional team.
I
am excited to have met so many people in the state who are committed
to caring for and teaching the children with hearing loss. I am excited
to find that there are birth to three teachers and speech language paths
that are committed to learning rather than just "getting by"
(Wisconsin Sound Beginning Consultant).
The
Wisconsin Sound Beginnings Birth to 3 Consultant Program is supported
by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal
and Child Health Bureau which has resulted in contracts to the Wisconsin
Personnel Development Project (WPDP) of the Waisman Center and the Wisconsin
Association of Perinatal Care (WAPC). Other Birth to 3 Sound Beginnings
supporters include the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and
The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Division of
Public Health, Birth to 3 Program, and Bureau for the Deaf and Hard
of Hearing.