The Iowa Distance Mentoring Model (DMM) for Early ACCESS promotes the systematic implementation of family guided routines based intervention (FGRBI) for families of children eligible for Part C services and supports by incorporating evidence-based practices for professional development with technology strategies and supports. IA-DMM engages early intervention providers, service coordinators and program administrators in a systematic change process using an implementation science framework to increase the use of recommended practices with children and families.

A state level team and ten regional implementation teams have been developed. Membership for each regional team is unique but the goals and outcomes are the same across the implementation stages.

Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May

Training F2F ✗ ✗

Webinars ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

Video coaching ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

Observational feedback ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

Weekly emails ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

Website resources ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

Online modules ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

Social media ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗

State and Regional Implementation Teams

“Go to” Leaders and Data Managers

TA&PD Providers

State and Regional Level Administrative Personnel

Higher Education

Community Stakeholders, Families

EI Providers

Early Childhood Organizations/Agencies

Planning

Complete state and regional

needs assessments

Assess feasibility, fit and

sustainability of approach

Identify stakeholders and participants for implementation

teams

Installation

Establish communication

system

Ensure resource availability

Initiate provider competency development

Plan for professional development

Initial Implementation

Deliver coaching resources

Establishing fidelity markers

Monitor for continuous

improvement

Full Implementation and Expansion

Large scale implementation

with fidelity

Infrastructure for sustainability

Stages of Implementation

Since Fall 2013, 86 early intervention providers (e.g., special education teachers, SLPs, OTs, PTs, service coordinators) across Iowa have participated in a 9-12 month professional development sequence. Concurrent to the training, state and regional level implementation teams have focused on the development of the infrastructure to support the systematic change process and its sustainability.  

To facilitate ongoing collaboration and enhanced performance, an online Community of Practice has been established in addition to the website repository.

Video illustrations of families and providers are available at http://fgrbi.fsu.edu/video.html  

Change has been measured internally by observation of EI provider behavior videotaped during home visits and externally through surveys and interviews of providers, families, administrators and key stakeholders. Results include a decrease in the time spent by providers working directly with the child while the parent observed, decrease in use of toy bags, increase in time spent in family identified routines and activities, increases in time spent coaching, use of coaching strategies, and types of routines. 

What does research say enhances practice change?

• Plan ahead for the stages of implementation• Develop a culture of continuous learning• Offer incentives and supports• Identify and utilize internal leaders• Align professional development and personnel

evaluation with practice change• Support collaborative learning• Use child performance and family satisfaction data• Monitor implementation (and prepare for dips and

distractions)

Application of Implementation Science in Two States’ Professional Development InitiativesDavid P. Lindeman, Ph.D., University of Kansas, and Juliann Woods, Ph.D., Florida State University

http://dmm.cci.fsu.edu

Currently in Kansas, a tiered model for training and technical assistance (TA) is utilized for early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education programs (ECSE) through varying levels of intensity and founded in implementation science. This model supports implementation of evidence-based practices that promote positive outcomes for diverse populations of children and families. Professional development and TA activities are fundamental vehicles for supporting professionals to learn about recommended practices and established or new intervention strategies and research.

Question 2: Did we teach them?• Participant evaluations of ESI regulations training (1.5

clock hours) indicated need for additional instruction on identifying dangerous behaviors, escalation cycle, prevention strategies, and function-based assessment of challenging behavior.

• Participant evaluations of Safety First (6.0 clock hours) suggested high satisfaction, e.g., 80% rated training as very good to excellent 90% rated instructor knowledge as very good to

excellent 88% would probably/definitely recommend to others 67% felt confident they could implement with fidelity

• Follow-up surveys sent three weeks after training suggested participants are using or intend to use strategies.

The design of this model supports: • Provision of results-based training. • Provision of general to intense support on topic(s) identified

by program receiving assistance.• Increase of knowledge, skills, and capacity with a focus on

acquisition and fidelity of implementation.• Provision of feedback, coaching/consultation, and on-site

follow-up.• Establishment of outcomes and evaluation strategies to

measure staff behavior change and improved child outcomes.

• Support implementation and sustainability of systems change.

Recent examples support the utilization of this model for both general training and targeted technical assistance for a variety of topics using both on-line and face-to-face delivery. Training with Support Materials: All and Some Recently, new regulations were adopted in Kansas for the use of emergency safety interventions (ESI). Training on the ESI regulations was based on materials and training from the Center for Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning and the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention, paired with the Safety First Curriculum, the emergency safety intervention training developed by the Oregon Social Emotional Workgroup.

Question 1: Did we reach them? • ESI was provided to nearly 500 participants at six trainings

and six state conferences.• Safety First training was provided to 600 participants at 22

sites.• ESI and Safety First information was disseminated quarterly

to newsletter subscribers.• Virtual Kit on ESI received 995 website pageviews

http://www.kskits.org/ta/virtualKits/index.shtml

Online Technical Assistance: FewA primary goal of technical assistance is for practitioners to transfer knowledge from the learning situation and apply that knowledge to their work. The strongest effects occur when adult learners are involved in and are supported in reflecting on and evaluating their own experiences. This evaluation examined lessons learned from the development of an interactive online technical assistance approach.• Participants included 106 EC/ECSE professionals.• Groups size ranged from 10 to 18 participants.• Groups met synchronously for one hour each week across a

five to six week period. • All participants were provided reading assignments to be

completed before online meetings and asked to implement different elements of the approach each week.

• Online meetings were structured to encourage interaction, sharing, and reflection.

• A wiki was used to communicate with participants and share additional resources.

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As a result of your participation has your work-related knowledge in-creased?

As a result of your participation have your work-related skills increased?

As a result of your participation, will you change what you do back on your job?

Read Book Shared with CoWorker Implemented new strategies

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Believed their ability to support literacy/math development with young children had in-creased as a result of their participation

Believed the math/liter-acy approach was easy to integrate into their classroom

Believed students had demonstrated improved math/literacy under-standing as a result of teacher implementation

Two-Month Follow-up Survey

Contact David Lindeman at lindeman@ku.edu Contact: Juliann Woods at jwoods@fsu.edu