Special Education teachers have so many talents that allow them to work in a variety of roles. One of these roles is early intervention. Early intervention is when a special education teacher provides services to a child. The child typically has developmental delays/disabilities. They are between 3-5 years old, depending on the state’s laws. Read on to find out what this entails as a teacher, how to prep for it, and more.
What it Entails
Early intervention teachers must have at least a bachelor’s degree in education. Some states may require a Master’s or special certifications. Teachers can provide services in different school settings. These can include public schools, private early childhood centers such as daycares and preschools, and/or in the child’s home.
These teachers and specialists will work with the child one on one to support them in their educational goals. For example, the child may have a goal of having positive interactions with peers. The teacher will then work with them on this goal, preferably in a setting where there are other children.
The child may have a goal of following adult directives with no more than 2 prompts, and the teacher will work on this with the child in whatever setting is decided. This could involve playing games that require them to follow directions, working on a craft to follow directions, etc.
Early intervention teachers are responsible for planning and facilitating the lessons/activities with the child, as well as documenting his/her progress. They are also responsible for collaborating with the child’s family and other service providers to help the child meet their goals.
The Hours
The hours that teachers work with early intervention students can vary based on the child’s disability, age, the family’s insurance, etc. For my agency in my state of New York, 3 year old students and below receive 30 minutes of service per week, sometimes 30 minutes twice a week. 4 year old students receive services 2 hours per week. I currently work with two 4 year old students. It fits in nicely with my regular school schedule.
As far as the paperwork, I do not personally feel that it takes up too much time. However, the more students you see, the more paperwork you will have. Weekly paperwork for my agency involves filling out attendance for each session. This takes no more than 5 minutes.
Then, each month, I have to submit a coordination of service report, which is just a quick summary of the child’s progress. This involves reaching out to the other service providers (OT, Speech, PT, etc.), and getting a summary from them to include in the report. This may take anywhere from 20-40 minutes, and will be different for each person.
When the child has an IEP meeting, I submit the IEP draft for that. At the end of each quarter, I submit progress reports. If you work as a special education teacher for your full time job, all of this will be easy because it’s essentially the same paperwork you do at your full time job. The more you do this paperwork, the easier it becomes.
How I prep
Prepping for early intervention is not as extensive as preparing for a full day in the classroom. Since it is only one student at a time, it is the definition of individualized instruction! To prepare, I make sure I have an understanding of the child’s goals. The examples I used above are some of the goals for the students I see. One of my students also has a goal of tolerating 5 minutes of tactile play.
When I see this student, we will play with sensory objects like play-doh. I will also incorporate his goal of following adult directives with the play-doh. I use sites like teachers pay teachers to find activities like these play-doh shape mats and play-doh face mats for us to do together (shown below).
I typically bring in a large bag filled with books, toys, and games that can easily be pulled that align with his goals. Based on his behavior, I sometimes give him a choice of what he wants to do. Other times, I will tell him what we are doing first (such as listening to a story with a safe body) before he can do a preferred activity like playing with legos.
This child is seen in his home, which I find involves a little more planning. My other student is seen at her school in the afterschool program, where there are already lots of toys and activities out that I can easily jump in and support her with.
Understanding the child’s goals is the key to prepping.
Early intervention can be a great site job for any special education teacher. It allows you to work with younger students who absolutely adore having you come visit them, and it lets you use your skills in a different way!
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