We had a wonderful end to the week with our visit to Northwest Tennessee!
Our first stop was our Northwest Point of Entry Office. Service Coordinators shared with us how they make meaningful contact with families, build relationships, and stay on top of the many tasks associated with case management. They also described how well they work with Early Interventionists for IFSP teaming. In addition to our IFSP teaming discussion, we also had the opportunity to discuss other high-priority topics such as BBP, the BDI-3, and the TEIS Extended Option.
Next, we stopped by one of our Early Intervention Resource Agency providers, Support Solutions. The Early Interventionists shared success stories of children who have made progress in TEIS, requested vendor expansion in certain counties, and shared special considerations for families choosing the TEIS Extended Option or the LEA in the counties they serve.
I am so proud of the collaboration between our Service Coordinators and Early Interventionists. I look forward to continuing to strengthen IFSP teaming in the coming year.
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DIDD’s application to receive funding from the federal government for Tennessee Early Intervention System for the fiscal year 2023 was posted on March 24, 2023 and will remain posted for a total of sixty (60) days, through May 23, 2023. Comments may be emailed to Shannon Pargin at Shannon.Pargin@tn.gov or mailed to the below address:
Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Attn. Shannon Pargin 315 Deaderick Street UBS Building, 8th Floor Nashville, TN 37243
Click the following link to review the application: https://bit.ly/3ndSwOK
Please note, this application indicates the expansion of our current extended option program for eligible children for an additional year, until the start of school following their 5th birthday. This extension was included in Gov. Lee’s 2023-24 budget and approved by the Tennessee legislature, and now pending final approval from the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). As noted in this application, DIDD has a target date of August 31st to submit our updated extended program policies to OSEP. We encourage everyone to stay up to date on our progress for the extended program through our Tri-Starts newsletter.
The TEIS Extended Option Policy Statement and TEIS Extended Option Family Notification Document were posted on May 1, 2023 and will be available for viewing until July 3, 2023 on our website: www.tn.gov/didd/teis
Click the following link to review the TEIS Extended Option Policy Statement: https://bit.ly/3HoqYwD Click the following link to review the TEIS Extended Option Family Notification Document: https://bit.ly/411lrDy
We will hold two virtual public hearings to receive public comment. The information for the public hearings can be found below. Thursday, May 18, 2023 10 to 11 a.m. CST Click here to join the meeting Wednesday, June 14, 2023 2 to 3 p.m. CST
Click here to join the meeting
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TEIS Provider Office Hours |
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Early Intervention Lunch and Learns |
Check out our YouTube playlist of TEIS Professional Development videos here.
Thanks to all who attended our Occupational Therapy Specific for Early Intervention Lunch and Learn! The slides from the presentation are below. If you missed the training, please watch the recording on our YouTube playlist linked above.
Occupational Therapy Specific for Early Intervention Slides
Join us at our next Lunch and Learn: How to Identify Sensory Behaviors on Wednesday, May 24th from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST. Kelly Stojsavlevich and Amber Kapnick are from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and will provide an overview of sensory integration, share practical strategies to support children with sensory differences, and discuss ways to support families in seeking guidance from an occupational therapist.
Click here to join the meeting
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Kelly Stojsavlevich first worked at the UT Pediatric Language Clinic in 2013. After taking some time away with her children, she returned to the Pediatric Language Clinic in 2019. Ms. Stojsavlevich provides direct home-based and center-based services to families of children in Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) with indicators for autism or an autism diagnosis. She also provides consultation services to early interventionists who serve children with indicators for autism in outlying counties. She is passionate about empowering parents/caregivers to assist their children in reaching the goals established for them on the Individualized Family Service Plan. Her interests include early intervention, autism spectrum disorder, alternative and augmentative communication, and sensory integration.
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Amber Kapnick joined the UT Pediatric Language Clinic in February 2023. Ms. Kapnick provides direct home-based services to families of children in Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS) with indicators for autism or an autism diagnosis. Ms. Kapnick is eager to partner with parents and caregivers in facilitating growth toward Individualized Family Service Plan goals. Her interests include early intervention, autism spectrum disorder, motor skill development, and sensory integration.
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Pause & Effect Book Study |
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Are you looking forward to your summer reading? We are excited to announce that this summer we are offering a book study on Pause & Reflect with its author, Dr. Dana Childress. This will be a four-part one- hour series on the following dates: June 14th, June 28th, July 5th, and July 18th. We have limited capacity; therefore, this professional development opportunity is only open to the first 21 members of EIRA leadership who apply (one per agency). This will be on a first come, first serve basis. Look for more details on registration in the next Tri-Starts.
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It’s a Balance: Supporting Caregiver & Child Learning During (and between!) Early Intervention Visits Series |
Don't forget! The next webinar of the series is May 11th! Prepare for the next session by downloading the handouts here: https://bit.ly/41UrevE
This series is designed to build awareness and bring a balanced perspective to early intervention practice that facilitates learning for both caregivers and children during visits. These sessions will also include opportunities for participants to reflect on their practices, practice using specific strategies between sessions, and learn from others during interactive chat conversations that engage participants during each webinar.
Statewide Early Intervention Service Providers, Service Coordinators, and TEIS leaders are welcome.
Click the title to join.
Writing Functional IFSP Outcomes: A How-To Guide May 11th from 11 to 12:30 p.m. CST
Steps & Strategies for Conducting Balanced EI Visits: Time to Reflect May 25th from 11 to 12:30 p.m. CST
Dana is facilitating 5 interactive webinars encouraging frequent engagement with and among participants using chat and Teams. Each webinar will stand alone but concepts also build on each other as participants gain a deeper understanding of how to support caregiver and child learning during and between intervention visits. She will provide a note-taking handout with key points from each session and a self-assessment or checklist on each topic to be shared with participants before each session.
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Childcare Focus Group Updates |
The Early Intervention Childcare Group needs you!
The Early Intervention Childcare Group is looking for participants for the next childcare focus group which will target “How should a childcare session look utilizing FGRBI principles?”. The group is seeking individuals that enjoy providing services in childcare settings and can provide strategies and insight on how to implement SS-OO-PP-RR in the rapidly changing environment of a childcare classroom. If you are interested in participating, please complete the interest form by end of business day on Friday, May 13th.
https://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/child_care_focus_group__fgrbi_interest_form_
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Child Development Milestones |
Please see the below resources for child development milestones for children birth to 5 years old.
Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards TN-ELDS, Early Learning Development Standards (TN-ELDS)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, Learn About Child Development | CDCCDC’s Milestone Tracker App | CDC
Child Care Resource and Referral, https://tnccrr.org/
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, ASHA, https://identifythesigns.org/
Communicating With Baby: Tips and Milestones From Birth to Age 5, https://identifythesigns.org/communicating-with-baby-toolkit/
Kid Central, http://kidcentraltn.com/
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder, https://vkc.vumc.org/vkc/pathfinder
Zero to Three, http://zerotothree.org/
Pathways, http://pathways.org/
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Support Solutions, previously known as CS Patterson Training Center, has been a TEIS provider for over 51 years. The agency has 7 Early Intervention staff that serve Gibson, Dyer, and Crockett counties in the Northwest region of the state.
Support Solutions works to create a positive outcome for families by building interpersonal relationships with the family and focusing on the whole child. Their Early Intervention team focuses on teamwork by establishing open lines of communication with everyone involved in the child’s care so families feel empowered.
We thank Support Solutions for all they do for our Northwest Tennessee families!
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Conference Planning Committee |
Want to be a part of something BIG? Want to help shape professional development for providers in Tennessee? Then consider applying to be a part of our Tennessee Early Intervention Conference Committee. This committee works to identify topics and presenters to share evidence-based practices with all staff and providers in TEIS. Your commitment would be, at a minimum, monthly meetings starting in July and responsibilities would include making contact and connections with possible presenters from around the U.S.
If you are interested, please apply at the following link by May 31st: https://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/bbp_conference_committee_interest_form
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DIDD's Human Resources Webpage |
Whether you’re looking for a job as a physician, a public information officer, direct support staff, or another kind of career - check out our job openings and apply to join team DIDD! ⭐️
We’re hiring for positions all across the state of Tennessee and we’re looking for dedicated staff with a drive to make a difference in their community. Apply today!
Learn more and apply by visit our Division of Human Resources webpage: https://lnkd.in/ghAcvUqW
You can also check out our linked in page at this link: www.linkedin.com/company/tndidd
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Thank You, Administrative Professionals! |
Administrative Professionals provide endless support to our TEIS Point of Entry Offices and Central Office! We're so grateful for their work and dedication to Tennessee children and families. Last week, our teams celebrated their hard work for Administrative Professionals Day!
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April is World Autism Month!
DIDD is celebrating again this year with the #IAmASDinTN campaign in collaboration with the TN Council on Autism Spectrum Disorder. Through the month of April, we have shared the stories of Tennesseans with autism doing what they love, making an impact on their communities, and reaching for their dreams!
Joey has been painting since he was a child and has since gained major recognition for his work. Watch him create in West TN as he shares his story for Autism Month: https://fb.watch/k8ZYFlnmEi/
Mia has been drawing animals and greeting cards since she was in Hermitage Elementary School. Her elementary teacher, Ms. Dobernic, set up a school store where other students could purchase Mia’s cards to give to family and friends. That’s where her dream began. Learn more about Mia’s story: https://bit.ly/3AyOUK9
One of Evan’s favorite things to do is walk at various parks in middle Tennessee with his family, along with swimming, horseback riding, and watching epic movies like Gladiator or the Lord of the Rings series. When he’s not doing one of those things, he and his family devote time to advocating for himself and other Tennesseans with Autism. Read Evan’s full story: https://bit.ly/3LGPf3X
"My dream is to go to the Olympics and represent Sierra Leone and show them that a woman with a disability can be strong and capable. I would also love to create a program called “Hope for the Hopeless” which will help people who have mental or physical disabilities have a place to belong." - Hope Dyson
Read more of Hope's story and check out her artwork here: https://bit.ly/425TBqq
Learn more about the Council on Autism Spectrum Disorder at this link: https://bit.ly/41ZNDHz
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- EIRA Advisory Council: May 9th from 9 to 11 a.m. CST
- It's a Balance Webinar: May 11th from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST
- Lunch and Learn: How to Identify Sensory Behaviors: May 24th from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST
- TEIS Provider Office Hours: May 17th from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. CST
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Do you have a story you would like to share with the TEIS community? Send your newsletter ideas to Carly Carlton at Carly.Carlton@tn.gov.
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