NTAC/NCDB
Active Listening Training
Skit Sample #1
Players:
Mom- 24 years old
Grandma- 52 years old
Child- Sarita- 23 months old
Dad- 26 years old
Physical Therapist- 40 years old
Early Interventionist- Parent Advisor- 36 years old
Service Coordinator (if needed) - 37 years old
Context/Setting:
Sarita and her family live in an urban apartment setting in Tampa, FL. Sarita’s parents moved to Tampa from the Dominican Republic shortly before Sarita was born for job opportunities in the United States. After Sarita was born, her parents saved enough money for Sarita’s grandmother to come over and live with their family to provide support in caring for Sarita. The cost of living in Tampa is higher than the family expected and both parents work full time to pay the bills. Sarita’s grandmother is her primary caregiver during the day. Both the parents speak English fluently but Sarita’s grandmother speaks limited English and is proudly taking English classes at her local church.
The family has just received a report from their doctor’s office that Sarita has a hearing loss in addition to having multiple disabilities. Sarita can communicate thru gesture, eye gaze or physically prompting others. She is able to cruise around the apartment as long as she is holding someone’s hand or furniture. Her favorite thing to do is to be rocked by her grandmother. She loves to move constantly though her vision is very limited.
Role Cards:
Mom - Juanita
Concerns:
You do not understand what this report means and would like more information about what the doctor has written.
You are afraid that your daughter will never be able to speak.
You are afraid that your daughter will not have any friends to communicate with.
You are glad that Sarita’s grandmother (your mother) is such a strong support to you but you also feel that she sometimes takes over too much from your relationship with your daughter.
Your husband is hesitant to interact too much with Sarita and this is a worry to you. You wonder if he resents Sarita.
Attitude:
You appreciate the visits from the Service Coordinator and other professionals. But sometimes need time to clarify what’s being said. You look to the professionals to lead the meeting.
Active Listening Skills you Use:
Attending to Others
Clarifying
Probing
Reflecting
Supporting Early Interventionist/Parent Advisor
Giving Feedback to Your Mom- (to let Sarita be in contact with you)
Child - Sarita
Concerns:
You like that there are visitors in your home. You sense that your mother is tense and want to interact with her. You want to show the visitors your stuffed bunny. Your vision is limited but you can see things up close.
Attitude:
Happy to have attention. Seeking to communicate with others.
Active Listening Skills:
Attending to others (your mother and the visitors- physically)
Grandmother - Alexandra:
Concerns:
You do not understand the implications of the report but did not like the doctor that assessed Sarita. You feel that Sarita is a happy and special child that needs to be protected. You feel that her parents are too young and busy to know what is best for Sarita. You secretly wonder if it’s Dad’s fault that Sarita has disabilities because he does not regularly attend church. You openly wonder if the family has made a mistake to come to Tampa, FL. You don’t believe that the professionals know what is best for Sarita but you like the fact that they visit as it validates your role. You have done some of what the PT has suggested to help Sarita move more effectively and are most open to what he/she is changing.
Attitude:
You want others to listen to your thoughts about Sarita. You want Sarita to be safe and happy.
Active Listening Skills-
Occasionally attending but mostly wanting to be heard. When you feel respected, you listen more to others. When you see that Sarita is communicating more with others, you listen more.
Dad - Pedro
Concerns:
You think that the report implies that your child will not be able to attend schools. You are worried about the financial implications for having a child with disabilities. You feel proud about the job that you have and do not want free handouts from “social service” workers or professionals. You want Sarita to be happy and healthy but don’t know how much she can learn.
You see her care as predominantly the concern of Alexandra and Juanita. Sometimes when you look at her she reminds you of your favorite little sister.
Attitude:
You are proud of the work that you do and are a bit reserved around the professional visitors. You respond more openly to the professionals when you see them as teachers for your daughter who see potential in her. You are most respectful of the Service Coordinator as he helped you in finding a better job.
Active Listening Skills-
Attending after the ice is broken
Interpreting what the professionals are saying.
Summarizing at the end of the meeting
Supporting your wife
Being quiet
Physical Therapist - Janice/Jerry
Concerns:
Sarita holds her head in certain positions to see and you are somewhat uncomfortable with this. When Sarita walks or crawls her head is positioned to one side and up. You would rather see her in alignment. You wondered about Sarita’s hearing loss before it was discovered but only spoke about this to the Service Coordinator.
You believe that Sarita’s mother has a better sense of how to support her physically than her grandmother, though grandmother is with her throughout the day. You recommend speech therapy for Sarita.
Attitude:
Reserved, concerned, clinically aware of Sarita’s movement needs. Very focused on her delayed walking, crawling. Interested in seeing her progress. A bit uncomfortable in working with a deaf-blind child as you have never worked with one in the past. You believe in professional roles and the need for a team of trained professionals to work with Sarita.
Active Listening Skills-
Attending
Probing
Clarifying
Checking Perceptions
Early Interventionist/Parent Advisor - Lucy
Concerns:
You are the one who referred Sarita for a hearing test. It took several months in dealing with Medicaid and the family’s work/transportation schedule to get the testing completed. You know the doctor that tested Sarita can be unpersonable but he has tested several children with multiple disabilities in the past. You would like to see Juanita more empowered in her relationship and mothering role with Sarita. You are aware that the grandmother needs to be validated for what she does in caring for Sarita but realize that she can be overbearing. You would also like to see Dad become more involved and confident in caring for Sarita. You see this as a support to Juanita and Sarita. You are sorry to hear that your suspicions about Sarita’s hearing loss are confirmed but glad that now the team can begin incorporating new strategies for working with Sarita.
Attitude:
You become the team leader or facilitator in this meeting. The parents repeatedly look to you to guide this discussion. You are culturally aware of some differences in perception about what Sarita can do. You know that Sarita is naturally curious and has lots of capacity to communicate more formally.
Active Listening Skills-
Attending
Re-stating/Paraphrasing
Reflecting
Interpreting
Summarizing
Probing
Giving Feedback
Supporting
Checking Perceptions
Being Quiet
Service Coordinator - Paul
Concerns:
You are an overwhelmed worker with many, many cases. You are glad to have the PT and EI person with you as they are much more aware of the day to day needs of Sarita. You are concerned about the family’s access to services thru Medicaid and want the best for them. You look to the PT and EI person to lead the meeting. You offer most support to Sarita’s Dad who you helped find a better job thru a connection of yours in Tampa.
Attitude:
Busy, a bit overwhelmed, keep checking pager but willing to help.
Active Listening Skills-
Restating/paraphrasing, Attending, Summarizing
NTAC/NCDB
Active Listening Training
Skit Sample #2
Players:
DB Project Director
DB Project Coordinator
NTAC Representative
Parent Representative
Part B Representative- Vision Services
Part C Representative- Early Intervention Statewide Agency
Context:
An advisory board meeting subgroup has gathered to talk about a new plan that the DB Project has to initiate a series of trainings on the PLAI Curriculum. The DB Project would like for the Part-C Agency personnel to help their service providers and family contacts to attend the training and possibly help fund some of the training. Part C in this state is currently under Federal monitoring to improve its services to families in natural environments. Most of their staff feels overwhelmed with the challenges that the monitoring has imposed- mostly in terms of paperwork. The parent representative has a child with CHARGE syndrome who has just transitioned into a local pre-school program. She has had a lot of trouble helping the new teachers and staff understand what her child has been working on in terms of EI goals. The Vision Services representative has been concerned that most of her VI teachers and O&M teachers are not aware of the children in their districts until the child is first or second grade. The NTAC representative has been invited to the meeting by the Project for an unclear purpose.
Role Cards:
DB Project Director - Jessica
Concerns:
You wrote your grant to include major EI initiatives before this Federal monitoring came into play. Your former contact within EI has left and has been replaced by someone who will focus heavily on monitoring compliance. You are personally friends with Deb Chen and have seen the effectiveness of the PLAI curriculum in other states. You would like for your state to be “up to speed” in its EI focus. There have been several new children identified on your census in EI due to relationships that you have developed with health care professionals. Working with the EI system has become much more of a challenge.
Attitude:
Wanting to build this new relationship with EI. Not wanting to lose all of the work that you have done in the past. Concern about your Coordinator’s ability to balance the other initiatives including EI. NTAC has talked on and on about evaluation data and you would like to see how they can help you get credit for what you are doing- as that was noted in your grant reviewer comments.
Active Listening Skills:
You are not perceived as the best listener because your body language is not supportive. You give poor eye contact to others and sometimes check your watch. At the end of the meeting you are better at summarizing and checking perceptions.
DB Project Coordinator - Katie
Concerns:
You are not as well versed in EI concerns as you would like to be. Your major training has been around transition and middle school concerns for students. But you have been trying to learn more about the EI system. In the beginning of the grant you always considered this EI effort to be “Jessica’s thing” because of her interest and connections to it. You were always focused on other grant initiatives. Recently Jessica has indicated that she would like you to take on a more active role in EI. You just met the parent at the meeting and have been trying to support her as her daughter has started school. You asked the Director if you could invite the NTAC representative to attend this subgroup meeting as he/she has helped you with training in the past.
Attitude:
Open to learning about what others have to say. You have stronger listening skills than your Director and have always been a “people person”. You are not as comfortable with the EI system but are trying your best to become involved.
Active Listening Skills:
Attending, Restating, Reflecting, Interpreting, Summarizing, Probing, Supporting, Checking Perceptions
NTAC Representative - Don/Donna
Concerns:
This is a state where you are just beginning to build a relationship. Recently you have been approached by the Coordinator to assist her in developing transition training for a summer institute. You worked with her last year successfully on alternate assessment training for teachers. You perceive this state as reserved about your involvement so you are glad to have been invited to the meeting. You would like to see this state align its training with internal state requirements. Instead of developing a parallel system of training you would like to see the DB Project integrate its trainings into the state comprehensive standards for EI.
Attitude:
You are also open but you love to chat. Sometimes you catch yourself interrupting others or using “NTAC” speak regarding outcomes and evaluation. At the end of the meeting you are trying better to ask probing questions and to summarize more effectively.
Active Listening Skills:
Attending, you have trouble being quiet, Giving Feedback, Reflecting, Attending, at the end Summarizing
Parent - Carmen
Concerns:
You weren’t thrilled with all of your home intervention services as there were so many staff turnovers during that time. But in the end you were more pleased with the services your child received from EI than now that the child is in school. You are very concerned about how your child is transitioning to school. You are glad to have had the support of the Project Coordinator. You are motivated to see EI do more to help transition children more effectively. You would like to see the gap bridged for your child and others.
Attitude:
You are a bit intimidated by being called to this meeting but you want to help. You also have been told by others that you come across as “pushy” at times but you feel that that is the way to be heard. You are passionate about the services or lack of services in the school system. You attended an NTAC parent meeting and have heard about the PLAI curriculum from other parents. You believe that school teachers should be better supported and prepared for transitioning students.
Active Listening Skills:
You are quiet at first but really open up and share when you are passionate about transition for students. You are supportive when others are talking. You attend well. You also interpret others messages fairly well. But sometimes you talk too much.
Part B- Vision Coordinator – Elsa
Concerns:
You are glad to have been invited to this meeting because your staff has been complaining that kids are not being seen early enough. You would like to improve communications with the EI system and would like to know about effective strategies for serving younger kids. You would like for your staff to be better connected to the EI system. You also have some thoughts on how your team could support the parent at the table.
Attitude:
Open to learning and sharing. Would like to see some action steps taken and are ready to take action to support the initiatives suggested.
Active Listening Skills:
Attending, Probing, Clarifying, Giving Feedback, Reflecting
Part C- Early Intervention Coordinator- Jacob
Concerns:
You have been brought into this system from out of state to “clean-up” the problems from the Federal monitoring. You have expertise in Federal monitoring from another state. But you are frustrated not to have enough support in making the changes recommended. One of the changes does involve another way of thinking about natural environments but it requires a major overhaul of philosophy of service delivery in this state. You are interested in PLAI but don’t want it to be “fluffy”. You need researched based information that will help you achieve your goals. It can’t cost too much money or take too much of your administration’s time.
Attitude:
Guarded, matter-of-fact. You don’t know these folks and aren’t sure how they can help you. You also feel the need to let them know what you’re facing.
Active Listening Skills:
You aren’t the best supportive listener either but you are pretty good at probing, giving feedback and summarizing. You want things to have a point and sometimes seem impatient when the conversation is dragging out.
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