What Do All Children Need?

This is a great article from KSL.  What is the best thing you can do for your infant or toddler to help prepare them for school?  Here is the answer!  And it's free! 

Conversing with an infant can feel like a one-sided exchange. But, it turns out, keeping up the conversation may be one of the most effective methods for closing Utah’s child achievement gap.

Researchers have found that in the first three years of life, children born into affluent families will have heard 30 million more words than children born into poverty. This word gap correlates with an achievement gap when they enter school. But what should have parents and educators on the edge of their seats is that reducing the word gap also tends to reduce the achievement gap. It seems that verbal interaction — even baby talk — stimulates a child’s brain in a way that advances their capacity to learn.

With Utah’s high birthrate and unusually high percentage of young children in its homes, the Beehive State should take careful note. And it’s not simply listening to words that is most beneficial. The words with the greatest impact are interactive verbal exchanges where intonation, word selection and facial expression are specifically in response to the child’s own expressions — whether intelligible or not. Enhanced verbal interaction helps a child’s brain forge new neurological connections, leading to greater educational achievement in later years. This can result in more success and social stability throughout life.

The group Envision Utah has joined the rising tide of enthusiastic advocates of the 30 million word initiative that encourages parents, teachers and schools to take steps to build children’s brains by talking and reading with them. One can, and perhaps should, quibble with the messaging surrounding this an other initiatives. For example, the sheer number of words, 30 million, can seem overwhelming to even the most conscientious parents. Yet community leaders and lawmakers shouldn’t quibble with the takeaways — meaningful linguistic interactions with infants can potentially help solve Utah’s school achievement gap.

Indeed, one of the most well-documented obstacles to adolescent academic achievement is the fact that some students have a distinct advantage going into school over other students. This difference refers to an observed pattern where groups of students persistently outperform other groups of students, usually correlated with socioeconomic status.

This achievement gap also tends to impose “heavy and often tragic consequences via lower earnings, poor health and higher rates of incarceration.” Researchers conclude that in the aggregate the economic cost of the achievement gap is equal to that of the Great Recession.

Endless field studies have found that it is exceedingly difficult to close this gap. In fact, schools are often considered successful if they simply prevent the gap from growing. This is why the initiatives that promise to potentially move the needle, getting parents and communities to talk more to their children, merit more attention and support.

It is rare to find low-cost solutions to complex and controversial dilemmas. When it comes to reducing the achievement gap, increasing the amount of verbal interaction with young children is something that everyone can do to help the next generation. Children born in impoverished circumstances have many obstacles ahead. But if more parents, siblings, friends and caretakers start talking and engaging, their future may become a little bit brighter with each new word.

Language Arts Activities for Infants and Toddlers

Here is a list of Language Arts Activities for families with infants or toddlers.  Try some of these out and see what new things you can enjoy with your littles!

This list can be found at:

http://earlyliteracycounts.blogspot.com/2010/08/50-literacy-activities-for-babies.html

Next Steps

The Executive Appropriations Committee has begun to meet to discuss the final budget for the state of Utah for the upcoming fiscal year.  Many of the people working for Baby Watch Early Intervention Programs have been able to meet with Senators and Representatives to share your stories and provide more information regarding the funding request.  Overall, the response has been positive and we have heard more than once that 25 - 50% of the emails they are receiving are from Baby Watch Early Intervention families!  You are all doing a great job to help us get this issue in front of those who need to know!  What amazing families we get to work with!

Please keep up the good work.  Continue to contact legislators with your stories and the request that we receive $2.7 in order to meet the demands of the 49% caseload increases since 2014 and to continue to provide services to eligible children and families.

Here is the link to the members of the Executive Appropriations Committee members;

http://le.utah.gov/asp/interim/Commit.asp?Year=2017&Com=APPEXE

We Need Your Help!

The Department of Health submitted a funding request to the Governor last fall.  Governor Herbert included $2.7 million dollars for Baby Watch Early Intervention Programs additional funding in his recommended budget.  This money would allow the 15 early intervention programs in Utah to continue to provide home visits to children from birth to three and their families in their homes.  During the last meeting of the Social Services Appropriations Committee last week, our request for funding was voted down several times and finally ended up just above the "cut line" as $1.5 million one-time funds.  The list of recommended budget items now goes to the Executive Appropriations Committee for a final decision.  The $1.5 million will keep Utah early intervention programs flat funded for the upcoming year.  If we are not in the budget for this legislative session, services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays will be affected.

Please contact your Senator and/or Representative on the Executive Appropriations Committee.  Below is a link to access their contact information.  Please be respectful, but let them know that without at least $1.5 million, services will be cut.

Davis County Legislators on this committee include Senator Jerry Stevenson, Senator Stuart Adams, and Representative Brad Wilson.  Here is the link:
http://le.utah.gov/asp/interim/Commit.asp?Year=2017&Com=APPEXE

Early Warning Signs of Autism

This is an article from healthbasics.co.  If you have questions or suspicions of autism, talk to your pediatrician or early intervention services providers for resources.  Early Intervention staff do not diagnose, but they can give you information about where to go for testing.  Also, since early intervention services target delays, services do not change with a diagnosis.

Understanding autism

Autism is a spectrum of closely related disorders with a shared core of symptoms. Autism spectrum disorders appear in infancy and early childhood, causing delays in many basic areas of development, such as learning to talk, play, and interact with others.

The signs and symptoms of autism vary widely, as do its effects. Some autistic children have only mild impairments, while others have more obstacles to overcome. However, every child on the autism spectrum has problems, at least to some degree, in the following three areas:

• Communicating verbally and non-verbally
• Relating to others and the world around them
• Thinking and behaving flexibly

There are different opinions among doctors, parents, and experts about what causes autism and how best to treat it, but also there is much that we still don’t know. There is one fact, however, that everyone agrees on: early and intensive intervention helps. For children at risk and children who show early signs, it can make all the difference.

One baby’s story

Melanie is a healthy one year old, but her parents are worried about her development because she’s not doing many things that her older brother did at her age, like playing peek-a-boo and mimicking expressions and gestures. Melanie’s mom and dad try to engage her with toys, songs, and games, but nothing they do gets her interest, let alone a laugh or a smile. In fact, she rarely makes eye contact. And although her hearing has been checked and is normal, she doesn’t babble, make other baby noises, or respond when her parents call her name. Melanie needs to be checked out by a child development specialist right away.

Early detection of autism is up to parents

As a parent, you’re in the best position to spot the earliest warning signs of autism. You know your child better than anyone and observe behaviors and quirks that a pediatrician, in a quick fifteen-minute visit, might not have the chance to see. Your child’s pediatrician can be a valuable partner, but don’t discount the importance of your own observations and experience. The key is to educate yourself so you know what’s normal and what’s not.

• Monitor your child’s development. Autism involves a variety of developmental delays, so keeping a close eye on when—or if—your child is hitting the key social, emotional, and cognitive milestones is an effective way to spot the problem early on. While developmental delays don’t automatically point to autism, they may indicate a heightened risk.
• Take action if you’re concerned. Every child develops at a different pace, so you don’t need to panic if your child is a little late to talk or walk. When it comes to healthy development, there’s a wide range of “normal.” But if your child is not meeting the milestones for his or her age, or you suspect a problem, share your concerns with your child’s doctor immediately. Don’t wait.
• Don’t accept a wait-and-see approach. Many concerned parents are told, “Don’t worry” or “Wait and see.” But waiting is the worst thing you can do. You risk losing valuable time at an age where your child has the best chance for improvement. Furthermore, whether the delay is caused by autism or some other factor, developmentally delayed kids are unlikely to simply “grow out” of their problems. In order to develop skills in an area of delay, your child needs extra help and targeted treatment.
• Trust your instincts. Ideally, your child’s doctor will take your concerns seriously and perform a thorough evaluation for autism or other developmental delays. But sometimes, even well-meaning doctors miss red flags or underestimate problems. Listen to your gut if it’s telling you something is wrong, and be persistent. Schedule a follow-up appointment with the doctor, seek a second opinion, or ask for a referral to a child development specialist.

Regression of any kind is a serious autism warning sign

Some children with autism spectrum disorders start to develop communication skills and then regress, usually between 12 and 24 months. For example, a child who was communicating with words such as “mommy” or “up” may stop using language entirely, or a child may stop playing social games he or she used to enjoy such as peek-a-boo, patty cake, or waving “bye-bye.” Any loss of speech, babbling, gestures, or social skills should be taken very seriously, as regression is a major red flag for autism.

Signs and symptoms of autism in babies and toddlers

If autism is caught in infancy, treatment can take full advantage of the young brain’s remarkable plasticity. Although autism is hard to diagnose before 24 months, symptoms often surface between 12 and 18 months. If signs are detected by 18 months of age, intensive treatment may help to rewire the brain and reverse the symptoms.