Carlena Lowell 1

Competency #3 Reflection
The third competency area, Family Partnership, is one of great significance for me as
part way through this graduate program I changed professional roles to one based in Part C.
During the summer of 2013, my professional duties shifted to become much more family-
oriented, and many of the assignments I completed, particularly from summer 2013 to spring
2014, supported my growth and learning in this area. Given the importance of this competency
to me, I have selected five products: 1.) an electronic resource guide for parents, 2.) an ecomap
completed with a family, 3.) documentation and reflection on the facilitation of a three month
review of Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) services, 4.) a reading/resource list for a
particular family, and 5.) a family focused interview.
The electronic resource guide was developed to give parents local, state, and national
resources in the areas of advocacy; parent education/support/fun; current research in early
childhood special education; medical information; best practices; and local support. This guide
allowed me to research and gain knowledge of twenty-one different resources, and to have
information to pass onto parents who should need it. This product is representative of sub-
competency 3.3 Knowledge of varied sources of family and community diversity and of practices
that reflect cross-cultural competence in all aspects of service delivery.
The second product is an ecomap (McWilliam, 2010) I completed with a family who
participated in SEI 523: Home-Based Practicum in Early Intervention. The ecomap was
developed by asking the mother a series of questions to find out about the familys formal and
informal supports, and provided me with a rich experience of working with a parent. In addition,
Child Development Services (CDS) is adopting parts of McWilliams approach, including the
ecomap, and this served as a wonderful introduction for me. This ecomap supports sub-
Carlena Lowell 2
Competency #3 Reflection
competency 3.4 Knowledge of the tenets of family-centered practice and the implications for
family-professional relationships and program policies and practices.
The third product for Family Partnerships is the documentation and reflection on a three
month review of IFSP services for the family with whom I completed the ecomap. This
assignment allowed me to consider things that went well, and things I needed to improve upon,
during quarterly reviews of IFSP services with families. This was a wonderful activity to
support my growth academically, as well as professionally. This product reinforces sub-
competency 3.6 Ability to work collaboratively with families to develop, implement, and monitor
individualized plans including IEPs or IFSPs.
The fourth product is a reading/resource list developed for the aforementioned family
based on the familys identified concerns and top three outcomes developed from a Routines-
Based Interview (McWilliam, 2010) completed with the mother. I was able to consider the
familys wants and needs in order to provide them with a list of culturally appropriate readings
and resources. Sub-competency 3.7 Ability to assist families to obtain needed resources and
supports in a manner that builds on the familys strengths and competencies was represented
with this product.
The final product for this area is a family focused interview. Through this semi-
structured interview, I was able to develop six themes by analyzing things that were continuously
discussed. This assignment was early in the program, and greatly aided in my ability to elicit
important information from families, which is something I do with regularity at this point in my
career. This product provides evidence for sub-competency 3.8 Ability to communicate with
families in a culturally competent manner.
Carlena Lowell 3
Competency #3 Reflection
Reference
McWilliam, R. A. (2010). Routines-Based Early Intervention. Baltimore, MD: Paul H.
Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.