Relationship-Centered Practices in Early Childhood: Working with Families, Infants, and Young Children at Risk

Strong working relationships with diverse families and children are the foundation of successful early intervention. Discover fresh, practical ways to build these relationships in this essential guidebook, every professional's blueprint for working with children and families within the specific context of their culture, family structure, and risk factors.

Developed by two respected early childhood authorities--special education expert Gail Ensher and pediatrician David Clark--this book is a must for all professionals serving families of children birth to age 8 who have disabilities or who may be at risk. Presenting a clear framework for effective relationship-centered care in natural environments, Ensher and Clark give readers the up-to-date information and guidance they need to

• meet AAP guidelines and IDEA requirements for family-centered care, and address the new OSEP requirement that programs report how early intervention services have helped families and children
• respond appropriately to the different types of family diversity they'll encounter in their day-to-day work
• enhance their current models for early intervention in natural environments, such as coaching, consultation, and routines-based early intervention
• empower families to skillfully sustain and extend care long after early intervention services are complete
• improve teamwork and communication with a wide range of other professionals across disciplines and agencies
• inform their practice with the most current demographic information, all in one convenient volume

With dozens of engaging photos, case studies, anecdotes from parents and professionals, and a helpful list of resources for working with at-risk families, readers will get vivid insights that will help them to put relationship-centered care into practice. And the chapter highlights and thought-provoking discussion questions make this book ideal for university courses or independent study.

A must have for every early childhood professional working within today's changing family landscape, this book is the ultimate guide to relationship-centered care that improves both child and family outcomes.

Invaluable insights on different types of family diversity:

• Family structures. Get a better understanding of teen parents, older mothers and fathers, same-sex parents, single parents, and more.
• Risk factors. Manage the effects of factors like substance abuse, natural and man-made disasters, homelessness, family member loss, and child abuse and neglect.
• Child-related challenges. Address the ongoing effects of prematurity, disability, and sibling concerns.
• Cultural backgrounds. Strengthen interactions with families from specific cultural backgrounds, and learn how culture might inform families' perspectives on early intervention and medical treatment

In addition to her work as Professor of Education, Dr. Ensher is Coordinator of two master's degree programs in the School of Education at Syracuse University: Early Childhood Special Education and the Inclusive Program on Severe Disabilities. She received her doctorate in special education from Boston University in 1971. Prior to receiving her doctoral degree, she taught for 3 years in Hanover, New Hampshire, and Quincy, Massachusetts. She later assumed a position on the faculty at the Pennsylvania State University in State College prior to taking a position on the faculty at Syracuse University.

For many years, Dr. Ensher has been actively involved in teaching, writing and research, and community service related to families and young children who are at risk and have developmental disabilities. At Syracuse University, she teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels about methods and curriculum in early childhood special education, families of young children with special needs, the assessment of infants and young children, and the theoretical foundations of early childhood special education. She has extensive experience in clinical work with infants, young children, and their families and continues to train graduate students in this area of expertise. She has authored play-based assessments for infants and toddlers, most recently Partners in Play: Assessing Infants and Toddlers in Natural Contexts (Thomson/Delmar Learning, 2007). In addition, Dr. Ensher co-authored with Dr. David Clark the first and second editions of Newborns at Risk: Medical Care and Psychoeducational Intervention (Aspen Publishers, 1986, 1994).

Dr. Ensher is a single mother of two daughters adopted from Calcutta, India-Kimberly and Lindsey.

Dr. Clark is a pediatrician and neonatologist who trained at North Carolina Memorial Hospital, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and completed a Neonatology Fellowship at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. Dr. Clark's certifications include Diplomate, American Board of Pediatrics; the American Board of Pediatrics, SubBoard of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine; and the Neonatal Resuscitation Program, Regional Instructor.

Dr. Clark is a member of 25 professional societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics-Fellow, Section on Perinatal Pediatrics, Section of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Section on Transport Medicine, and Critical Care Section; the Society of Pediatric Research; American College of Nutrition; American Pediatric Society; and the New York Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Clark's curriculum vitae includes a total of 103 peer-reviewed publications; four books; more than 200 abstracts; and numerous invited chapters, reviews, and presentations.

Dr. Clark is the father of three daughters and a grandfather of five, including William David (WD), who tragically died at the age of 4 years during Hurricane Katrina.