This webinar will provide:

• A brief overview of the updated Natural Environments Practice Guide.
• A run-through of two natural environments scenarios as a large group.
• An opportunity to have previously submitted questions answered.
• An opportunity to submit new questions, which will be answered after the webinar.

This webinar will not provide in-depth training. For more information on natural environments practices, refer to the Natural Environments Practice Guide or contact your regional Technical Assistance Specialist or ESIT Service Delivery/Technical Assistance Manager, Laurie Thomas, at laurie.thomas@dcyf.wa.gov.

Mon., July 29 | 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Click Here to Register and Submit Questions

ASL interpretation and other supports are available to fully access this event. Complete this form to make a request. DCYF may not be able to accommodate requests made less than two weeks prior to the webinar.

T-DMS Modules

We are all eagerly anticipating the launch of our new ACORN Data System. The ESIT T-DMS modules are available as an optional training resource until we make the transition to ACORN. We previously communicated these modules were archived; however, they have been restored to the DCYF Training Portal. While the completion of T-DMS modules is optional, the ACORN self-guided training modules must be completed by system users as part of the ESIT Initial Training Requirements.

ACORN Office Hours/ Mini Training Webinars

The ACORN Office Hours will conclude with the Office Hour meeting scheduled for July 26. We appreciate the engagement of Users and the input provided during the Office Hours series.

We are pleased to announce the launching of a series of Mini Training Webinars that will take place on Wednesdays from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., beginning Wed., July 31.

Register for Mini Training Webinars

The Training Webinars are going to be hosted as Zoom webinars. We will provide a 10-15 min targeted training in the beginning of our meeting and will answer any questions that were submitted by COB Tuesday of each week. 

The ACORN FAQ will be updated following the Mini Training Webinars and posted to the ESIT Website. 

ACORN Bugs, Glitches and Improvements

We have two forms available to submit feedback.

The first form collects bugs and glitches that users encounter while exploring the system. If you would like to report bugs or glitches, please submit these here.

The second form collects all feedback for system improvements. If you would like to submit ideas for improvements and changes, please submit these here.

For Review

The draft July meeting minutes and updated meeting materials packet have been posted to ESIT's SICC Meetings page for review. If edits are needed to the draft July meeting minutes or materials, please email Will Moncrease Jr.

SICC Direct List 

If you would like your email added to the SICC direct email list to receive the agenda and meeting materials in advance of upcoming SICC meetings, email Will Moncrease Jr., with the subject: Add me to SICC DL.

Questions?

Please contact DCYF ESIT Partnership & Collaboration Manager, Will Moncrease, Jr., at will.moncrease@dcyf.wa.gov.

The Three Pronged Approach (TPA) is the required protocol to gather information for vision and hearing as a part of the creation of the present level of development (PLOD) in every initial IFSP and annual review.

What is the TPA?

Developed by the Washington Sensory Disabilities Services (WSDS), the TPA is a comprehensive protocol to identify risks factors for a child’s vision and hearing to lead to possible referral for medical evaluation and/or to Blind/Low Vision and/or Deaf/Hard of Hearing Providers.

The protocol includes tools to:

1. review medical records and interview parents,
2. identify developmental skills related to vision and hearing, and
3. observe physical and behavioral characteristics.

Training is Available

Training modules on conducting the TPA are available now in the DCYF Training Portal for all ESIT Professionals. If you have questions, please contact your regional DCYF/ESIT Technical Assistance Specialist: Diana Golovkin at Diana.Golovkin@dcyf.wa.gov, Michelle Baker at Michelle.Baker@dcyf.wa.gov, or Iris Dunaway Dunaway@Iris.Dunaway@dcyf.wa.gov.

Universal Precautions are a set of principles designed to keep individuals (both providers and recipients of services) safe from exposure to infectious organisms and to educate those same individuals what the appropriate response is should an exposure occur.

This course was specifically designed to review the application of these principles to the settings in which SLPs practice and will include examples from the school, home health, long-term care and hospital settings.

We will review the modes of transmission, donning and removing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), scene safety, hand hygiene (like those of us who lived though COVID will ever forget), effective methods of cleaning, and reporting exposures. Time will be provided at the end of the presentation for participants to ask questions.

Thurs., August 8 | 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Live Webinar
Presented by Jennifer MaGee, BS, RN

Register Now for Infection Control Webinar

Note: Recording available. This program will be recorded for later viewing up to 14 days following the workshop. WSLHA will send out a link to the recording after the live session.

Pricing

• WSLHA Members | $35
• WSLHA Non-Members | $50
• ASHA CEU Members | $5
• ASHA CEU Non-Members | $7

Advocates and Home Visitors helped Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) distribute a survey about DV survivors experiences with Child Protective Services (CPS) and mandatory reporting.

We want to report back to you what we learned! We will talk about what survivors told us they needed before, during and after CPS interventions. Presenters: Leigh Hofheimer, WSCADV Senior Program Director, and Guest Speaker: Margaret Hobart, Ph.D. 

Fri., August 9 | 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Register for DV Survivors Experiences with CPS

Link will be sent from Zoom after registration.

Requesting Interpretation

The last date to request interpretation for this training is July 26. We are not able to guarantee interpreters requested after that date. If you have a preferred interpreter, please let us know in the Accommodation Detail section. This webinar will have automatically generated closed captions.

We are currently seeking clinicians who provide early intervention services to participate in a research study. We invite those interested in using a digital, switch-accessible play kit with their clients for four weeks. The switch kit was co-designed with families and clinicians, and can be thought of as a high-tech switch adapted toy. You can learn more about the switch kit in this video here.

All participants will be provided with a switch kit, including an iPad, to be used for the duration of the study. 

The study will include two, 1-hour sessions with the research team and completion of surveys during the 4-weeks you are using the switch kit. Participants will receive compensation of $50 and will have the opportunity to keep the switch kit for your clinic, without the iPad, upon the study's completion.

Questions?

For more details, kindly refer to the attached flyer. Should you have any inquiries or express an interest in participating, email Mia Hoff, PhD student, University of Washington, at miahoff@uw.edu, or by phone at (614) 561-7793 (text messages are preferred).

Speech learning starts in the womb and a critical amount of learning already happens before infants turn age 1. My lab conducts research that helps us understand whether and how speech learning during the first year of life can be predictive of later language acquisition and if there are strategies that we can use to help improve speech learning during this period. In a most recent study (Zhao, Boorom, Kuhl & Gordon, 2021), we have demonstrated that how infant brains process speech at 11 months of age is highly predictive of their individual grammar skills at 6 years of age, measured with SPELT-3. More importantly, we were able to identify children who exhibited atypical language development at 6 years of age based on their infant brain data. We are currently conducting a large-scale study to further understand early signs of atypical language development in infant brains, with the hope to improve early diagnosis and early intervention. On the other hand, infant speech learning before the age of 1 is highly malleable by environmental factors, such as the quantity and quality of speech input. In a series of studies (Zhao & Kuhl, 2016, Zhao, Llanos, Chandrasekaran, & Kuhl, 2022), we have shown that even a lab-based music intervention affects infant speech learning. The goal of the course is to give an overview of the state-of-the-art neuroscience research in infant speech learning, and to discuss potential ways to incorporate research findings into SLP clinical practice.

What Can Infants’ Brain Activities Tell Us About Speech Learning?
Wednesday, September 25 | 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Register for Webinar

Cost

• WSLHA Members - $35
• WSLHA Non-Members - $50
• ASHA CEU Members - $5
• ASHA CEU Non-Members - $7

For additional information and to register, visit the WSLHA website at: https://wslha.org/.

My name is Chia-Cheng Lee. I am a speech language pathologist at Akin/Childhaven. I am conducting a research study in collaboration with School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Moravian University. We are interested in learning more about the experiences, perceptions, and support needs of Mandarin-speaking, first-generation immigrant parents of children with communication delays.

See attached flyers for more information:

English flyer

Mandarin flyer

Questions? Contact Dr. Chia-Cheng Lee, at chiachenglee2020@gmail.com, or call (206) 536-0706.

Emergency Broadband Benefit Funds Available

The WA Office of Broadband has funds available to assist families with internet costs. More details on this benefit and how to apply are located here.

Discounted Internet Service Available to Low-Income Households

The federal Affordable Connectivity Program offers eligible households a high-speed internet plan for no more than $30 per month. More details on this program and how to apply are located here.

Digital Navigation Toolkit Available

Digital Health Navigators are individuals who address the whole digital inclusion process - connectivity, devices, and digital skills - to support community members and provide access to healthcare. The National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers (NCTRC) has released a new toolkit that provides helpful resource links relating to digital navigation.