Update

(from Baby TALK Dialogue, Winter 1997)

The following are highlights of "what's new" with Baby TALK's Touchpoints involvement:

Representatives from Baby TALK, from Napa, California, and from Greenville, South Carolina, who were trained in January 1996 returned to Boston in October to share progress on the implementation of Touchpoints. Some refinement of the model was shared, and common challenges were explored together with the Touchpoints Team.

Jan Mandernach, Baby TALK Researcher, and Claudia Quigg, Executive Director, were both certified on the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale in Boston. They were examined by Jean Gardner Cole, Master Trainer, along with Sue Strzyzewski of Greenville. This instrument, first developed nearly thirty years ago by T. Berry Brazelton, is designed to demonstrate a newborn's abilities and individual "style" and is being used all over the world.

Dr. Brazelton, Dr. Maureen O'Brien, Claudia and Jan presented about Touchpoints at the Zero to Three National Training Institute in Washington, D.C., in December. They described Touchpoints and then shared its application through the Baby TALK program in Decatur.

Touchpoints has gone online! Parents and professionals can get advice and information from Dr. Brazelton at: http://www.touchpoints.org

Ann Stadtler, the nurse practitioner on the Touchpoints Team, shared her approach to toilet training at seminars for parents and professionals in Decatur in April 1997. Ann has been running toilet training groups for several years and her approach has been highlighted in national publications.
The Touchpoints Team is offering training both to individuals and to community teams who are interested in either applying this approach to their own practices or developing their community services into a Touchpoints Site. Contact Maureen O'Brien (617) 355-6948.