Routines exist within the family's and are the mainstay of child care schedules. The use of daily routines and naturally occurring events as a context for early intervention services is logically appealing, but a relatively new practice challenging service provider trained in a medical or educational model. Too often, EI team members are seen working one-on-one with a child to stimulate skills using a prescriptive approach. Routines offer a framework for teaching because they are meaningful to the child, require a short time sequence, are repeated frequently and support interaction between the child and careprovider. Families are able to identify many routines and community activities involving multiple careproviders available for intervention. They need recommendations from their team on how to embed intervention without the intervention taking over the routine or interaction. More isn't better when it interferes with meaningful and functional routines and interactions.

"How To" Implementation Strategies

• Routines, by definition, are functional and meaningful. Generalizable child skills are identified to maximize growth across all developmental and behavioral domains that are compatible with each routine. Providers demonstrate and support caregivers to integrate skills into common routines.
• Emphasis is on family schedules and routines as they already exist. Providers identify and build on what the family is already doing without imposing a prescribed set of activities or a regimen to practice. They help caregivers increase opportunities for practice across routines and not just within a single routine and learn to provide opportunities for learning without interfering with the routine.
• Team members work with the family to learn the specific intervention intervention strategies that support the child in functional and meaningful activities throughout the day.

Support Materials

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