All Things Early InterventionChristine Bellew loves teaching children, playing music and having fun. Her goal is to use playful teaching strategies to make doing hard things as fun as possible for parents and children of all abilities.
Christine and her husband Josh have three children that have provided loads of adventures. Their family has opened their home to serve as foster parents to children with special needs which adds to the adventure.
With a Master’s degree in Early Intervention, Christine started her career providing Early Intervention services as a Special Instructor and Service Coordinator.
Most recently Christine has branched out to teaching piano using creative teaching methods to serve children with a variety of learning needs. Music brings her and her students joy when she makes the learning fun and engaging.
Outside of work Christine enjoys watching Parks and Rec, doing puzzles and reorganizing her piano music.
Working with children, I love using action songs, especially the simple ones most mamas and daddies already know. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is one I use frequently for things like rocking and swinging activities. To me, it lends itself to rocking movement.
With these two things happening, modeling sounds and nonverbal turn-taking, the environment is ripe for imitation. Each child is different, and it may take time, patience, and experimentation to determine what sounds/ activities motivate them.
The vocabulary of Early Intervention includes potential pitfalls if you don’t pay attention. Let’s look at a few.
Each situation brings with it a different set of mess risk factors. You have to know your situation, know your risk factors, and be prepared for whatever you think you may encounter.
We all have a mental handbook of unwritten rules for navigating the wild world of early intervention.
Ah, the home visit—the key ingredient to supporting families in their natural habitat. We all need to use the bathroom. It’s part of being human. However, is it just me, or is using the bathroom in someone else’s domain an unnecessary and awkward risk?
The last time I broke Rule #1…
When you meet someone new, small talk starts flowing, and then they say, “So, what do you do?” For me, this question used to be a dreaded one. For Early Intervention providers, it can be a social tap dance because no one has ever heard of us, so we have to explain everything. I wondered if anyone else experienced this, so I did some googling. Let me share with you what I found.
Working with a child to enhance child development is where I get to PLAY with those babies. Get hands-on! Experiment with different strategies. Observe. Try something new. Teach. Provide learning opportunities. This is the part we are most likely to think about when we think of early intervention, but it is actually only one part of what a special instructor does. Because I’m a teacher at heart, I love this part though.
Special Instruction includes providing families with information, skills, and support related to enhancing the skill development of the child;
Curriculum planning, including the planned interaction of personnel, materials, and time and space, that leads to achieving outcomes in the child’s individualized family service plan,
All Things Early Intervention