What About MY TOYS? Common Questions About Using a Bagless Approach in Early Intervention

Abstract

76 YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN Vol. 23, No. 2, June 2020 https://doi.org/10.1177/1096250619829739 DOI: 10.1177/1096250619829739 journals.sagepub.com/home/yec Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions © 2019 Division for Early Childhood Lauren is an early interventionist with 5 years of experience with birth to 3-year olds. She recently started a new job working in an early intervention (EI) program. Lauren quickly noticed that her colleagues in the agency did not bring toys with them to their in-home intervention sessions. She began to question why her colleagues were not bringing in toy bags and wondered how they were interacting with the children and meeting their individual goals without a variety of toys. When she discussed her concerns with her supervisor, Lauren learned that this program emphasized the use of “bagless” intervention. Understanding “bagless” intervention was important to Lauren because she wanted to adhere to the program’s philosophy while also staying current on early childhood practices to ensure she was providing the best services for families. Bagless intervention is a term used by professionals to describe EI services in which the provider refrains from bringing a bag of toys into the home for sessions. Instead of using a toy bag to work on child outcomes, the service provider uses materials in the child’s home, as well as family routines, to address the developmental outcomes that each family has for their child. Bagless intervention has become a recommended practice, replacing more traditional methods of therapy 829739 YECXXX10.1177/1096250619829739YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDRENA Bagless Approach in Early Intervention / Williams and Ostrosky research-article2019