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FAMILY
NETWORK PROJECT
The Family Network
Project (FAMNET) is a three-year project funded by the
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
that offers help to families of children with developmental
disabilities. FAMNET helps families by teaching them new
ways to deal with their child's problem behavior. As
families learn new positive behavioral support (PBS)
strategies, they create a behavioral support plan to fit
their child and family. They also learn from other parents
who have children with similar challenges.
Families from
selected communities receive PBS through bi-weekly parent
groups. On the weeks in between, members of the FAMNET team
visit each family's home to help families practice what they
have learned and to fit their child's support plan into
their daily routines.
FAMNET has
developed PBS training materials and they provide training
for organizations that offer services to families as well as
providing in-service training for teachers and
administrators.
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THE
INDIVIDUALIZED SUPPORT PROJECT & ISP OUTREACH FOR STATE
SERVICE SYSTEMS
The Individualized
Support Project (ISP) was a demonstration program that
received federal funds to develop, implement, and replicate
a comprehensive early intervention program for young
children with challenges in behavior and communication
development. In this last year of funding, the ISP staff
continued to work collaboratively with CARD-USF to infuse
components of the model within the supports provided by
CARD-USF in their work with young children and their
families. ISP was also replicated at CARD-FSU and
CARD-FU.
The ISP has
received much attention from professionals and early
intervention systems who face tremendous challenges in
developing early intervention supports for young children
with autism and their families. Across the country, early
intervention providers are struggling to provide supports
that result in meaningful outcomes and can be delivered
through publicly funded early intervention programs. The ISP
is an attractive model for early intervention providers as
it is designed to build the capacity of families and child
care providers to meet the unique intervention and
behavioral support needs of young children with autism. In
ISP, children and their families receive comprehensive
supports within natural settings.
This year, the ISP
received outreach funding to assist early intervention
programs in Pennsylvania and Connecticut to replicate the
ISP model. Over the three-year grant period, project staff
will provide training, coaching, technical assistance and
information dissemination to early intervention personnel in
the targeted states. In addition, conference presentations,
workshops, and publications will continue to promote ISP as
a viable and effective early intervention approach. As ISP
is promoted, many professionals have commented on the value
of the CARD and expressed interest in having a similar
system with their state.
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POSITIVE
BEHAVIORAL SUPPORT PROJECT: TEAM TRAINING & TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE
CARD staff
continued participation on Florida's state training team on
positive behavioral support. This interagency group (i.e.,
consisting of representatives from DOE, C&F, CARD,
family groups and other providers) delivers training for
educators, families, and outside agency personnel to promote
their capacity to use proactive, assessment-based
interventions for individuals with severe problem behavior.
During the past fiscal year, the team provided comprehensive
training in three new communities and numerous other
awareness and introductory presentations. In addition, their
work has lead to an expansion of this DOE/BISCS funded
project to include technical assistance for school
districts.
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FAMILIES
AS TEACHERS PROGRAM
This exciting
program was created in May 1997 with funding from the
Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. This program
focuses on promoting positive outcomes for, and a greater
understanding of people with developmental disabilities and
their families. Its goal is to enhance partnerships between
professionals and families of children with
disabilities.
Families and
professionals have been trained by the Families As Teachers
staff to understand the purpose and scope of the program.
The content of the curriculum was written by families to
promote the concept of family-centered care by sensitizing
professionals to the way families think, feel, and need
support. Families want professionals to understand,
appreciate, and capitalize on the depth of knowledge
families have about their children. When a collaborative
relationship between families and professionals is formed,
together they can have a tremendous impact upon treatment
and services that a child receives.
Workshops are
approximately two hours in length, interactive, and activity
oriented. Workshops and/or family visits have included the
following disciplines: Medical residents, medical students,
nursing, special education, counseling, and speech therapy.
Future outreach will include occupational therapy, physical
therapy, dentistry, optometry, clinical psychology,
pediatric nursing, and social work.
In addition to the
workshops, professionals are offered the opportunity to
experience the joys and challenges of families in their
everyday lives through visits with the family in their home.
Professionals may encounter a variety of experiences through
the family visits. They may attend the child's school, go
out to dinner, swing on the playground, or attend a therapy
appointment.
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