The PEN Project & Partners Resource Network

Texas Resource Center for Early Parent Intervention

Welcome to our website!

So your ECI days are at an end and it's time to start that transition into school. Your child will start with preschool and then it's off to school! This can be a scary and trying time for both you and your child, School bus but with the right tools and information, that transition can be made with less anxiety and more anticipation.

There are many different areas to cover in your child's progressive move from ECI to school, some of them include:

Side-by-side comparison of the 2011 final Part C regulations to the 1999 regulations

This side-by-side comparison of the new regulations with the previous ones for Part C has been developed by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), its Division for Early Childhood (DEC), and the IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association.
http://tinyurl.com/4y73wgw

Video | Child Outcomes Step by Step

This video describes and illustrates the three child outcomes adopted by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and reported on by all state early intervention (Part C) and preschool special education (Part B/619) programs as part of their Annual Performance Report (APR). The video explains functioning necessary for each child to be an active and successful participant at home, in the community, and in other places like a child care program or preschool. It can be used to provide an overview to the three outcomes for professional development and training, orienting families, and introducing the outcomes to other constituents such as policymakers or funders. Now that’s a resource!
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~eco/pages/videos.cfm

Early identification of autism spectrum disorders | Learning module

This module describes the early characteristics of ASD and a recommended set of practices that will lead to early identification of ASD. This includes a description of surveillance, screening, and diagnostic assessment practices along with the tools and processes that will assist professionals in communicating with families about their young child’s status relative to ASD.
http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/content/early-identification-asd-module

CONNECT Module 4: Family-Professional Partnerships

Meet China, a preschool teacher at a full-day community child care and Aaron, a single father, whose 4-year old son, little Aaron, is in China’s class. Recently, China has become concerned about little Aaron. Learn how China and Aaron are developing a trusting partnership to help little Aaron. The family-professional partnership practices and module are also applicable for home visiting, early intervention, and other 0-3 settings. View Module 4 now.

Tots ’n Tech Research Institute Offers Tips for Using Assistive Technology with Young Children

The appropriate use of simple adaptations and assistive technology (AT) can support inclusion and natural learning opportunities for young children with disabilities. The Tots ’n Tech Research Institute publishes an online newsletter that provides many useful tips on how to adapt everyday materials to enhance the participation of infants and toddlers in a variety of daily activities and routines. The feature article of the latest issue is, “Using Assistive Technology to Support Socialization.” Past issues also are available http://tnt.asu.edu/home/news

Special Quest

The SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library supports the inclusion of young children with disabilities birth–five and their families, in early care and education settings. The SpecialQuest materials and approach have been used with over 5,000 participants nationwide, refined over the past ten years, and have been shown to create and sustain change. SpecialQuest Birth-Five provides these materials at no cost with funding from the Office of Head Start. http://76.249.171.46/specialquest/trainingmaterials/

Family Care Navigator

State-by-state help for family caregivers as well as those being cared for can be found in the Family Care Navigator which lists government, nonprofit, and private programs as well as legal resources. There's a Frequently Asked Questions section, too.

Family Caregivers Alliance: Assistive Technology (AT)

This website has all kinds of information on AT, including how and where to find independent living aids and adaptive equipment, home and vehicle modifications, possible funding sources, and more. It's definitely worth a look.