eNotes
April 3, 2020Updates from the ECTA Center
U.S. Department of Education Points to ECTA Center as Hub for Best Practices for Young Children With Disabilities During COVID-19
The ECTA Center was asked by OSEP in late March to serve as the 'hub' for resources to support IDEA early intervention and early childhood special education (0-5) service delivery.
ectacenter.org now offers daily updates on:
- Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
- Supporting Children and Families during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Tele-Intervention and Distance Learning
- Activities for Families at Home
These resources support state and local programs, practitioners and families, and provide continuity of learning for young children with disabilities, and their families.
Using the SS-OO-PP-RR: Guiding Home Visiting during the COVID-19 Pandemic
In this video, Juliann Woods, Jenny Seuntjens, and Larry Edelman discuss the use of the SS-OO-PP-RR framework for guiding home visits, whether in-person or delivered through video conferencing. They also discuss general considerations when delivering home visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
News from the Field
Tips Offered to Avoid 'Zoom-Bombing'
Zoom has become a "go-to" application for meetings and instruction since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the increased use of videoconferencing, opportunities for "zoom-bombing" have also increased. Zoom-bombing is when unwanted guests intrude on video meetings for malicious purposes.
The FBI warns that two different online classrooms in Massachusetts were interrupted by uninvited, unidentified persons posting pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language. Zoom has encouraged desktop users to update to the latest version of the app, and setting a meeting or webinar password. Tips to avoid this happening include disabling guest screen sharing, requiring a host to be present and using the waiting room. This article offer recommendations to reduce hackers' ability to zoom-bomb.
Zoom Security Guide
This guide helps Zoom users access security features and functions related to meetings, webinars, chat, file sharing, and voice calling. Major areas covered include meeting security, administrative control and special security features.
When Home Becomes The Workplace: Mental Health And Remote Work
For those accustomed to and appreciative of conventional "office life" and a steady rate of social interactions at the office, the shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic might cause a surprising, even if relatively mild, deterioration of mental health. This article alerts readers to two potential mental health consequences of working remotely such as isolation and burn-out and practical ways to alleviate them.
Parenting During Coronavirus: You Are Enough
This article presents an honest, first-person account of the stress of striving for "perfect" parenting through a pandemic. Although grateful for guidance and resources, the author, a mother of two and professor of infant and toddler special education, acknowledges that these resources also stress her out because the expectation level is so high. She offers tips and encourages parents to "...drop that load of expectations and take a deep breath. From one friend to another: You are enough."
Real-time Resilience Strategies for Coping with Coronavirus
Challenging times require us to consider how our thoughts and actions might help or hinder our resilience and that of those around us. This brief, 12-point guide focuses on how to cope in the days ahead, based on the best science as well as the author's experiences working in emergency management and conducting international resilience training programs. Guidance includes choosing where to focus your attention, having a 'timed wallow' and finding ways to help others emotionally or practically.