Building Solution Focused Approach Practices into Services for Young Children and their Caregivers
Rosa Vilaseca - Lori Roggman - Mark Innocenti
Room: Arendt - Friday 9:30-10:30 am
Content
Most programs for at-risk families use an expert model, where professionals train caregivers to follow specific strategies aimed at improving child development. However, these strategies often fail to consider individual family strengths or needs and lack strong research support. In contrast, a family-centered approach, which leverages caregivers' strengths and emphasizes collaboration, has proven more effective. This approach, aligned with solution-focused practices, is not widely implemented but encourages active caregiver participation in the process. It highlights the importance of caregivers as experts in their own families and fosters a more respectful and collaborative relationship with professionals in order to improve children developmental outcomes.
Take aways
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Participants will become knowledgeable about family-centered practices when working with at-risk families who have infants/toddlers.
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Participants will have opportunities to discuss SOL approaches that have been effective and apply these to a different type of intervention.
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Participants will gain insights into the greater applicability of SOL practices in different intervention systems.
Workshop Format
The session will be within an interactive framework, dialoguing with participants to bring in their expertise about approaches and develop ideas for moving forward supported by viewing videos.
University of Barcelona, Spain
Rosa Vilaseca, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology of the University of Barcelona (UB), Spain. She has a long history of research in Neuro- Developmental Disorders emphasizing family-centered approaches to working with families with young children. Rosa is currently involved in projects demonstrating the efficacy of coaching families using family-centered approaches.
Lori Roggman
Utah State University, USA
Lori Roggman, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of Human Development at Utah State University, USA, whose research career has focused on how parents support early development and how professionals promote developmentally supportive parenting. She provides training and consulting, in the US and internationally, to improve the quality of services for families with infants and young children. She led the development of the PICCOLO observation measure of parent-child interaction, the HOVRS measure of home visit quality, and the book Developmental Parenting, to guide those who work with families with infants and young children.
Mark Innocenti
Utah State University
Mark S. Innocenti, Ph.D., currently retired, was Director of the Research and Training Division at the Center for Persons with Disabilities, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, and an Associate Professor in Psychology at Utah State University, USA. Mark has 40 years of experience working with infants and young children at-risk and with disabilities and their families. Mark currently provides training and consultation in the use of family-centered approaches in early intervention.