Manya Ralkowski EdS, BCBA, LBA, IBA’s Post

Bridging the Gap: Empowering Parents to Teach Emotion Regulation in Early Childhood Education (children under age 1 can work on this too) 🌟 I was working with some young parents recently and we encountered a daily struggle during a family meal and while they were the most patient parents in the world, they did not know they could teach emotion regulation during play time and meal time. So I shared a parent partnership tip sheet for them (see below) from the parent curriculum I have been developing across the many ages and stages of parenting. In our programs, we focus a lot of our work on the parent partnership piece and it occurred to me... how about sharing these tips with ALL parents. We need to raise awareness and provide accessible resources to support all of our new parents in early childhood development. Many parents face challenges in teaching emotion regulation due to limited knowledge of developmental milestone and a lack of awareness of the resources that are out there. 🧩 Lack of Awareness: Many parents may not realize the importance of emotion regulation or know the techniques to teach it. 🧩Access to Resources: Limited access to parenting classes or expert guidance can make it difficult to effectively teach these crucial skills. #Parenting #EarlyChildhood #EmotionRegulation #ParentSupport #ChildDevelopment

Boosting Joint Attention Skills in Early Childhood: A Proven Solution Developing joint attention skills in early childhood is essential for social and cognitive growth. One effective strategy is Interactive Storytelling Sessions, which includes Shared Reading and Role-Playing activities. **Shared Reading** Engage children in interactive reading sessions where they can point out and discuss elements of the story. This practice fosters joint focus and dialogue among children, enhancing their attention skills. **Role-Playing** Encourage children to act out stories or scenarios together, promoting shared attention and the ability to respond to peers effectively. But... How do we get our littlest and earliest learners to these proven strategies? Years ago, we created pointing books for all of our learning to learn learners. Starting with simple tasks like imitating a pointing model to objects on a page (see example below). The process gradually advanced to more complex activities such as more objects on a page, following directions, etc. Eventually, the focus shifted towards shared reading and role-playing activities, aiding in the development of joint attention skills in our clients. I still suggest simple pointing books to our early learners who are just starting to figure out how to attend to a shared focus. #EarlyChildhoodDevelopment #JointAttentionSkills #InteractiveLearning #ChildEducation #Parenting

Being familiar with the ongoing debates regarding joint attention in early childhood development is part of implementing quality services... research drives clinical... clinical drives research. It all leads to evidence based practices, better assessments, more effective interventions, and culturally sensitive practices. Future research will clarify neural mechanisms, standardize tools, and improve strategies, ultimately benefiting children's social, cognitive, and language development. Let's continue to advance our understanding and support for joint attention. #ChildDevelopment #JointAttention #EarlyIntervention #Research #DevelopmentalPsychology

In the fourth phase of our Hybrid Model Launch, we are continuously refining our strategies for peer engagement during our weekly center sessions in the clinic. Recently, I conducted an on the spot mini training session where I demonstrated differentiated instruction for two young learners engaged in parallel play at the water table (kudos to my clinicians for bringing summer into the indoors during session!). This impromptu lesson evolved into a clinical training opportunity focusing on joint attention and responding to joint attention bids from a peer (albeit prompted at this stage), resulting in a new lesson plan tailored for our learning to learn and early learner groups. #PeerEngagement #HybridModel #EducationTraining #JointAttention #ParallelPlay

🌟 Thank You for a Great Partnership Meeting David Sergi! 🌟 I want to extend my excitement and thanks to you and Jaime at the Hospital for Special Care today for such a productive and lovely introduction to a great partnership. It was a pleasure to connect with you both and I can feel how driven your team of professionals are in our field. It was my pleasure to learn more about HFSC and how similar your models are to some of our programs here at Children's Hospital-Autism Center and how we can work closely as a community resource. Our discussions inspired great excitement to my day... Please keep us at Connections Behavior Planning & Intervention in mind for your needs for Washington community resources. Our likeminded services and programs highlighted the incredible potential of our collaboration. Here's to many more successful collaborations! Happy Friday! 🚀 Looking forward to our continued partnership together. #Partnership #Collaboration #Teamwork #FridayGratitude

🌟 Solutions, Problem-Solving Approaches and Creating Effective Play-Based Programs for Children with Autism 🌟 Developing play-based programs for autistic children involves addressing their unique challenges in play, communication, peer engagement, language, and executive function. Here are some solutions: 🔹 Individualized Play Plans: Assess each child’s strengths and needs to design customized activities that ensure engagement and motivation. 🔹 Structured and Semi-Structured Play: Provide clear instructions and establish predictable routines for play sessions. 🔹 Enhancing Communication Skills: Utilize visual supports, model appropriate behaviors, and integrate individualized goals and incidental teaching into play. 🔹 Facilitating Peer Engagement: Pair children with peers who have strong social skills, organize small group activities, and teach specific social skills. 🔹 Supporting Language Development: Create a language-rich environment and use interactive games to encourage communication. 🔹 Addressing Executive Functioning: Design structured play tasks that require planning and problem-solving, and use visual timers and schedules. 🔹 Incorporating Sensory Play: Include sensory-friendly activities and provide calm down spaces for breaks. 🔹 Parent and Caregiver Involvement: Offer parent training and ensure a strong home-school connection. 🔹 Multidisciplinary Approach: Collaborate with therapists to create a cohesive intervention plan. 🔹 Ongoing Assessment and Adaptation: Regularly assess progress and be flexible in adjusting strategies. What strategies have you found effective in supporting play for any type of learners? How do we plan for the same creativity, independence, and resilience for older children with limited leisure skills? And how about our adults, are play skills important for adults? Why? What does play look like for adults? 🌟 #AutismSupport #PlayBasedLearning #ChildDevelopment #InclusiveEducation #EarlyIntervention #SpecialEducation #Parenting #Therapy Check out the attached article, lots of strategies, tables, interventions, etc. for encouraging social development in play👇

🚨 Are We Over-Structuring Play for Young Children? 🚨 In the quest to optimize child development, have we gone too far in structuring play? Today's preschools and early learning programs are often filled with meticulously planned activities, leaving little room for spontaneous, child-led play. I often see a lot of pressure on teachers to push for not even pre-academic (play with letters), but academic goals for reading skills for children in preschool. Often these little ones are still missing language skills, communication systems, and social skills. 🔍 The Case for Unstructured Play: **Creativity: Unstructured play fosters creativity and imagination, allowing children to explore and invent without constraints. **Independence: Free play encourages problem-solving and decision-making, crucial skills for independence. **Emotional Resilience: When children navigate play on their own, they learn to cope with setbacks and frustrations, building emotional resilience. 🔍 The Downside of Over-Structuring: **Stifled Creativity: Too many rules and guidelines can limit creative expression. **Reduced Autonomy: Constantly directed activities may prevent children from developing self-guidance and autonomy. **Stress and Burnout: Overscheduling can lead to stress, even in young children, as they navigate a packed itinerary without sufficient downtime. But here's the kicker: in the push to ensure that all children, especially those at risk for developmental delays or autism, are included and supported, are we inadvertently diminishing the value of free play? While structured activities are beneficial, balance is key. I’ll challenge and work with my staff to develop a mix of guided activities and ample opportunities for free, unstructured play, child led play. But what does that look like??? …creativity, resilience, and happiness… language development, communication, and peer interaction… self-advocacy, initiation, and flexibility… What do you think? Are we over-structuring playtime? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #EarlyChildhoodEducation #PlaySkills #FreePlay #ChildDevelopment #ParentTraining #Parenting #Autism #Inclusion

🧸 Play is a crucial component of early childhood development, essential for cognitive, social, and emotional growth. In programs for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, play and leisure skills play a vital role. However, there are specific areas that need more focus to ensure all children, especially those at risk for autism, benefit fully. 🌟 In our hybrid program, we prioritize peer interaction for our early learners, enhancing play skill development, social skills, and SEL. As we enter our 4th program phase, we are dedicated to fostering peer engagement during weekly center visits. This progression from EIBI to small group instruction and school integration is pivotal for our students' growth. Key areas in play skill development include (take a look at a clip below from a play skill framework I have developed while working in early childhood programs): - Imaginative Play: Fostering creativity and role-playing to deepen understanding. - Social Play: Group activities promote cooperation, sharing, and empathy. - Motor Skills Play: Physical play supports gross and fine motor development. For children at risk for autism, focusing on: - Joint Attention: Building shared focus for communication development. - Structured Play: Providing routines and clear guidance for engagement. - Sensory Play: Addressing sensory sensitivities and enhancing processing. Crucial aspects often lacking in play skill development are: - Individualized Support: Tailoring activities to meet unique needs. - Parental Involvement: Equipping parents with strategies to support play at home. - Early Intervention: Identifying and addressing delays in play skills, especially for children showing early signs of autism. #EarlyChildhoodEducation #PlaySkills #AutismAwareness #ChildDevelopment #InclusiveEducation #ParentTraining