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As we transition to the BDI-3 for assessment, we will provide periodic procedural updates. Please review the information about ending the administration of the AEPS.
- Eligibility Evaluation Agencies (EEAs) have fully transitioned to BDI-3 for initial and annual evaluations as of February 14, 2023. TEIS leadership held meetings with the EEAs every two weeks throughout the transition process.
- Service Coordinators will add EEAs to the IFSP for annual reviews for updated assessment information.
- Guidance documents were shared with staff and EEAs to support the transition to BDI-3.
- A staff Q & A was held on February 2nd to share guidance documents and answer questions.
- A TEIDS update occurred on February 14th to add the end date for all current planned services for AEPS assessments for children not receiving Developmental Therapy.
- Scheduled a training with Riverside for Service Coordinators and staff on the BDI-3 overview and reports.
- AEPS Update: The optional AEPS 3 Training was held on February 8th and February 10th. Fifty participants engaged in learning more about the AEPS 3 test and scoring.
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Early Intervention Lunch and Learns
Thank you to all who attended our Strategies for Coaching Adults Lunch and Learn! If you missed the webinar, the link slides can be found below. Due to technical difficulties, we do not have a recording.
Our next Lunch and Learn will be on March 22nd from 11:30 to 12:30 p.m. CST.
Alison Clougherty, Executive Director of Programs and Development for Blind Early Services TN (BEST) will present on BEST Practice: Tools You Can Use to Support Families of Children with a Vision Impairment.
Alison Clougherty is a Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) and the Executive Director of Programs & Development for Blind Early Services TN (BEST) which she co-founded in 2020. BEST serves as both an EIRA and vendor, providing developmental therapy and vision services for TEIS families. Alison holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a focus in Early Childhood Development, a master’s degree in Education Leadership and Policy, and a second master’s degree in science as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired. Alison is also the mother of a young child who is completely blind which led to her mission to support and help ensure the BEST outcomes for other families and children like her own.
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Save the Date - Professional Development Opportunity
Mark your calendars! All staff and providers are invited to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to join Dana Childress, early intervention expert, for a 5-week webinar series.
It’s a Balance: Supporting Caregiver & Child Learning during (and between!) Early Intervention Visits
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.
Click the title to join!
Fundamentals of Early Intervention Practice
March 9th from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST
Dana Childress, PhD is an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Early Childhood Special Education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk VA. She has worked in the field of early intervention (EI) for more than 27 years as an early interventionist, service coordinator, supervisor, training facilitator, author, and consultant. Prior to working in higher education, she was a member of Virginia's EI professional development team developing resources and conducting web-based and in-person training. She was the lead author on VA’s Early Intervention Strategies for Success blog and continues to co-host the EI on the Fly Podcast. Dana is the author of the book, Pause and Reflect: Your Guide to a Deeper Understanding of Early Intervention Practice (2021), and a co-author of the book, Family-Centered Early Intervention: Supporting Infants and Toddlers in Natural Environments (2015). Her interests include adult learning and EI service delivery, family centered practices, supporting family implementation of intervention strategies, elevating the identity and practices of special instructors and service coordinators, and finding ways to bridge the research to practice gap through interactive professional development for in-service EI practitioners. She regularly consults with state and local programs on EI professional development topics.
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TEIS Provider Office Hours
The next TEIS Provider Office Hours is Wednesday, March 1st at 10:30 a.m. Please pre-submit questions to Carly.Carlton@tn.gov by 12 p.m. on Monday, February 27th.
Click the following link to join: https://bit.ly/3xo0qq8
TEIS Provider Office Hours will move to once monthly beginning in March. It will be held the first Wednesday of each month unless otherwise announced. We encourage all providers to reach out through the established support channels with any questions at any time.
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Governor's Excellance in Service Award
Congratulations to TEIS Program Coordinator Jessica Shook on receiving the Governor’s Excellence in Service award! Jessica was chosen by Gov. Bill Lee and First Lady Maria Lee for consistently going above and beyond to ensure TEIS families receive the services they need to help their children grow and develop. She demonstrates integrity and trust in her daily interactions with leadership, staff, families, and providers by following through with her commitments and through consistent communication. She is known to always step in and lend a helping hand.
"What I enjoy most is being helpful to others. It doesn’t matter if the people I’m helping that day are staff, vendors, or families. If I can make someone’s day a little better or job a little easier, I’ve accomplished something useful, and hopefully meaningful, for that day,” said Jessica.
Jessica started with TEIS in October of 2009 as a Service Coordinator providing direct support to children and their families in rural Dickson County. In November 2019, Jessica was promoted to Program Coordinator where she has continued her dedication to the children and families in TEIS. She provides training and support on available resources and services for families, as well as new hire training to staff. Jessica always makes herself available to staff for ongoing support and guidance.
Jessica holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Tennessee Tech University. She currently works in the Greater Nashville Point of Entry office.
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Le Bonheur Early Intervention and Development (LEAD)
Le Bonheur Early Intervention and Development (LEAD) is in West Tennessee and serves children in our Memphis Delta, Southwest and Northwest districts. They have been serving children with disabilities since 1949, and began serving infants and toddlers in the natural environment in 2000.
The 55 staff at LEAD work everyday to promote awareness, facilitate empowerment, and create opportunity for every child they serve to reach their developmental potential. They believe all families have strengths and want what is best for their child. They strive to support families to accomplish their goals with the fundamental belief that children learn best within relationships with the familiar adults in their life, and that families should have access to high quality services wherever they live and play!
Thank you for all you do for families in Tennessee!
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BBP 2023 Registration Closes Friday, February 17th!
Join us for DIDD's 2023 Building Best Practice Conference (BBP)! We are looking forward to two days with TEIS staff and early intervention professionals from across the state as we come together to grow as individuals, teammates, and caregivers. We have an exciting lineup of sessions built to teach you new skills, refresh what you already know, and provide perspective as the world of early intervention continues to change.
We are so excited to invite TEIS Vendors to this year’s BBP conference and provide an opportunity for our vendors to receive continuing education credits! Information on CEU credits can be found on the BBP webpage. TEIS has set aside 150 tickets for TEIS vendors. These tickets are on a first come, first serve basis. To secure your ticket, complete your registration through the link below as soon as possible!
Registration will close Friday, February 17th at 4 p.m. CST. Late registration will not be permitted. Attendees can register at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/teis-building-best-practice-conference-2023-tickets-528563205777.
A limited number of hotel rooms are available at a discounted rate at the hotels below. Rooms must be booked by March 11th. ***Please be sure the website shows the group rate and reads Dept of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities before booking.***
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BBP Dietary Restrictions
We have received multiple dietary preference requests during the BBP registration process. To clarify, there will be a set menu that will include several food options. Embassy Suites will make note of any allergens and post these in front of each food option.
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Happy Valentine's Day From TEIS
Happy Valentine’s Day from DIDD! We’re wearing red for the love of our hearts and keeping them healthy! February is American Heart Month to raise awareness about cardiovascular health.
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Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) Newborn Hearing Screening Follow Up Program Survey
The Tennessee Department of Health Newborn Hearing Follow Up Program and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology have collaborated to create a short needs assessment survey which they would like to kindly ask that you complete by February 28th.
The purpose of this short survey is to:
a) assess the needs (including confidence and familiarity levels) of a wide variety of professionals who are involved in any aspect of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) across the state of Tennessee,
b) identify barriers contributing to loss to follow up for newborn hearing screening, and
c) generate ideas about helpful training and educational resources that could be offered to providers by the Tennessee Newborn Hearing Follow Up Program.
All responses to this survey are anonymous.
Thank you in advance for helping to strengthen training and educational resources for EHDI providers across the state.
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- Coffee Break: February 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT. Join here: https://bit.ly/40jlWJR
- Fundamentals of Early Intervention Practice: March 9 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST
- BEST Practice: Tools You Can Use to Support Families of Children with a Vision Impairment: March 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST
- Early Intervention Adult Learning Principles for Supporting Caregiver Learning: March 23 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CST
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