The SKILL BASE courses provide content to help Early Start providers support development within specific developmental domains and for children with specific disability conditions.
Facilitating Cognitive Development
(SB:Cog)
Topics covered in this course include: cognitive developmental milestones, assessment in the cognitive domain, indicators of common disabilities related to cognitive development, service planning to address needs in cognitive development, and evidence-based intervention strategies.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Describe terms, components, and the elements of cognitive development in young children.
- Identify common conditions that include intellectual disability as a characteristic.
- Increase knowledge of current practice and approaches to communicating about and supporting the development of children with intellectual disabilities.
- Discuss tools and practices appropriate for evaluation and assessment of communication development.
- Develop functional, relationship-based outcomes based on the needs identified through a developmental assessment and a family interview.
- Describe appropriate, evidence-based intervention practices that may be used to promote overall cognitive development and to address concerns in the cognitive domain.
Course Content Week-by-Week
Weeks 1-2: Development of Cognitive Skills
- Define essential components of infant-toddler cognition.
- Describe the scope and sequence of typical cognitive development in infants and toddlers.
- Define common terms in the cognitive domain pertinent to infants and toddlers.
Weeks 3-4: Red Flags, Common Disabilities, and Referrals
- Recognize behaviors and characteristics that indicate a need for assessment.
- Identify the most frequently occurring disabilities that have cognitive delays or disabilities and primary characteristics.
- Describe the challenges associated with referring a child for assessment based on red flags for cognitive delays or disabilities.
Weeks 5-6: Essentials of Assessment of Cognitive Development
- Identify multiple tools and practices to assess development and progress in the cognitive domain.
- Restate findings of a cognitive evaluation/assessment report(s) to a child’s family.
- Describe how cognitive assessment can be conducted using typical family routines and activities.
Weeks 7-8: Outcomes, Services, and Coordination
- Identify a family’s concerns, priorities, and resources for their child’s cognitive development.
- Identify possible functional, family-focused outcomes for a child with a cognitive disability.
- Explore service and support options based on the needs of the child and family.
Weeks 9-10: Intervention Strategies to Work with Children and Their Families
- Identify resources and strategies for promoting the cognitive development of young children.
- Describe relationship-based intervention strategies to support families as they support the cognitive development of their young children with cognitive delays or disabilities.
- Identify strategies for integrating developmentally appropriate intervention into natural environments to support the cognitive development of young children.
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