Carrie Kerr– Child’s Nature Enhanced Milieu Teaching in a Parent-Child, Peer Integrated EI Language Group Carrie Kerr– Child’s Nature Hwa Lee & Hailee Kaleta Bradley University ICEC 2016 Niles, IL

Introduction/Background Who we are Who you are How we began… Where we are now Where we are going

Objective To present EI Language Group intervention strategies and documented benefits for children with and without disabilities and their parents.

Peer modeling

EI Language Group Play-based Naturalistic Promote enhanced communication for young children Inclusive Dyadic/Triadic Strategies

Language Intervention (What works..) Natural environment (Kaiser & Roberts, 2011) Positive interaction between caregiver and the child (Kaiser et al., 2011) Family-Professional Collaboration (Coogle et al., 2013; McCollum, 2000; Yoder & Kaiser, 2011)

EI Language Group Utilize Parents Interacting with Infants (PIWI) & Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT) PIWI (McCollum & Yates, 2010) -dyadic/triadic model EMT (Hancock & Kaiser, 2005) - a set of language tools to facilitate the child’s communication growth

Toddler Talk Group-Cont’d EMT Strategies utilized: Setting up an interactive context Responsive Interaction Modeling and expanding play Modeling communication targets Time delay strategies Milieu Teaching procedures Using social stories for children with Autism is beneficial for reducing disruptive behaviors (Hanley-Hochdorfer, Bray, Kehle, & Elinoff, 2010)

About the Group 6 weekly sessions that repeat 6-8 parent-child dyads per session The Leader/Facilitator (SLP) Student Volunteers Family Members

EI Language Group Format Greeting & Parent Meeting with SLP Welcome song Child-led play with Parent shadowing Snack (modeling) Story Time Parent Observation and Debriefing Good bye song and Dismissal Any changes? They wanted actual demo of the format via video if possible.

Types of Data Collected 0-3 & 3-5 groups Survey Child Progress Clinical Note Self Reflection/Report Narrative Data Summer 2014-Fall 2016 Any new data? Include youtube links

What we found out Parent Progress Child Progress Survey Follow up data Self Reflection Child Progress Clinical note on short-term and long- term goals Parent report on the child’s progress

What parents say.. Benefits: -Increased child development knowledge -Opportunity meeting with other parents -Opportunity for my child to interact with other children -Improvement of my child’s language/speech -Learning speech/language strategies

What parents say .. Gained knowledge and skills: -modeling and expanding language -Noticing and responding to communication -Playing and engaging -Using time delay

What parents say .. “Managing challenging behavior during play group was the hardest task to do”.

Managing difficult behavior

What parents liked most .. “Carrie was a wonderful teacher, an exceptional leader. She’s kind and patient with the children. Has a wealth of knowledge and skills to share with the group. She gave helpful tips on managing difficult behavior”.

What parents liked most .. “My child had the opportunity to play with other kids her age and I learned how to better interact with her”. “I enjoy that he is able to be in a setting with peers that have similar play skills”.

What parents liked most .. “The structure enabled me to do something alone with my daughter and for her to socialize with other children. ” “It’s like a mommy-and-me set up. I like the structure”

What parents liked most .. “Everything. Loved the environment, the subject matter each week, the relationships both the children and parents gain. ”

What parents liked least .. Proximity of location, driving “Wish it was a little closer”. “The distance that I had to drive. I’d love for it to be more widely available”. “Only once a week. Should be twice a week”.

Discussion Positive outcomes of parents and children Availability & location of the program Qualified personnel and volunteers Follow-up: alums

Outing nature

Future Plans Continue find funding source Collaboration with local university for volunteers Train future leaders (graduate students…in speech or early intervention) Create a group for 3-5 age group Utilize alums

Child’s Nature New program evolved EI Language Group in second location 3-5 group created: emphasis on nature Videos Developed Training New Therapists

Child’s Nature Theme/Strategy & matching Video link https://youtu.be/bvrLuIAwS0IE.g., modeling https://youtu.be/BX14Hkhz73c https://youtu.be/iSwJAtfoZsw

Your experiences relevant to the parent child group? Your thoughts? Sharing Your experiences relevant to the parent child group? Your thoughts?

Little guy graduating