Reading Your Child’s Cues from Birth to Age Two

This week we are highlighting a resource from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) entitled, “Understanding Your Child’s Behavior: Reading Your Child’s Cues from Birth to Age 2.” It’s a very interesting and quick read, filled with practical examples and age-specific suggestions. The authors also include, “Three Steps to Understanding Your Baby’s or Toddler’s Behavior,” which is intended to help parents sort out the meaning of the cues they may see and hear from their young child. There’s also a fourth bonus step on viewing tantrums as communication with a variety of effective ways to respond. Check out this week’s resource here, and let us know what you think in the comments below.

The ICC-Recommended Early Start Personnel Manual (ESPM) describes core knowledge and role-specific competencies needed for early intervention service provision, incorporating current research and evidence in the field of early intervention. To access the ESPM, CLICK HERE.

This resource is related to the following ESPM knowledge-level competencies:

Core Knowledge (CK):

CK2: The role of primary social and emotional relationships as the foundation for early learning.
CK6: The sequences of development and the interrelationships among developmental areas/factors, including receptive and expressive communication skills and social and emotional development.

Evaluation and Assessment (EA):

EA7 (EIS): Knows strategies to determine child and family strengths, typical routines and activities and preferred teaching and learning styles.

Individualized Family Service Plan Development and Review (IFSP-DR):

IFSP-DR5 (EIS): Understands the rationale for the identification and selection of intervention strategies used in everyday routines, relationships, activities, places, and partnerships for early intervention activities.

Individualized Family Service Plan Development and Review (IFSP-i):

IFSP-i2 (EIS): Understands the individual nature of child learning styles and the importance of adapting intervention strategies.
IFSP-i3 (EIS): Knows generic and specific evidence-based early intervention strategies to support all areas of development.
IFSP-i6 (EIS): Understands the need for developmentally appropriate strategies (for example, hands-on, experiential, child-centered, play-based activities within daily routines), adaptations, assistive technologies and other supports that maximize the child’s learning opportunities.