Parent Educators Provide Materials to Pediatric Primary Care Practices

Working with parent educators to provide Milestone Moments booklets and other materials to, and conduct trainings with, pediatric primary care providers.

Examples

• Parents of children with disabilities, known as “Parent Detailers,” were trained to deliver information about child development and developmental screening, including the Milestone brochure, to staff in primary care offices. During the visits, Parent Detailers recounted their personal experiences with screening, referral, diagnosis, and access to services. Parents received a modest stipend for training and each visit they conducted.
• Parent educators held an hour-long training with staff at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) across New Jersey to discuss parents’ experiences with developmental screening, referral, and diagnosis, as well as highlighting the importance of early screening and the use of validated screening tools. Representatives from the local early intervention program attended many of the trainings to provide information about the program and the referral process. Following the training, practices were given printed materials to reinforce and supplement the training, including Milestone Moments booklets in English and Spanish, a binder with other “Learn the Signs” materials in English and Spanish, screening guidelines and tools, information related to community resources and supports for practices and families, and personalized flow charts illustrating the next steps for a child who receives a positive screen. Each site received a stipend for attending a training session and an additional stipend for completing a follow-up questionnaire.

Evidence

• Parent Detailers: The program assessment showed that physicians and office staff viewed the parent detailers as highly credible and valued the information they received.
• New Jersey FQHCs: Attendees reported that the training increased their knowledge of screening and early intervention, they found all of the materials useful, and they intended to distribute the materials to families.

Project leads:
New Jersey FQHCs – The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of New Jersey

Academic detailers featured “Learn the Signs. Act Early”. materials in educational sessions for healthcare practitioners.

Individuals who educate healthcare providers on various health issues (academic detailers) can be trained on ways to communicate the importance of developmental monitoring and screening. “Learn the Signs. Act Early.” materials and information on how to find and use the materials can be incorporated into detailing sessions to facilitate provider learning and provide examples.

Example

• The Connecticut Act Early team distributed LTSAE materials through the Educating Practices in Communities (EPIC) program that uses academic detailing to educate providers on many health issues.

Project Lead:
Ann Gionet, Title V Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Director, Connecticut Department of Public Health