The ESCALATE Southeast district consultant:
- is an expert in early childhood development with a specialty in autism
- offers assistance to early interventionists who have children with autism and pre-autism on their caseload and who are working in the Tennessee Early Intervention System's (TEIS) Southeastern District of Tennessee
- offers guidance to the teaching team in ESCALATE classrooms at Siskin Early Learning Centers
- provides support-based home visits to children in ESCALATE classrooms and their families
Kelly DeJong uses the conjoint behavioral consultation approach. This approach involves needs assessment, problem-solving and evaluation and is designed to be brief. The district-wide consultant accompanies the local early interventionist to a child’s home, assisting the early interventionist in developing skills and confidence in conducting home-based visits.
ESCALATE is funded in part through the Tennessee Department of Education via an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act federal award.
Siskin Children's Institute seeks to affirm the dignity and worth of every person. It is, therefore, the policy of the Institute to practice and ensure the fair and equitable treatment of all constituents with respect to race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, political belief, socio-economic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. The Institute promotes the full realization of this policy through all organizational practices including admission and participation in programs and services. |
Meet Kelly DeJong
Kelly DeJong, MRC, of the Center for Child and Family Research at Siskin Children’s Institute is the Southeast Tennessee District Autism Consultant for the ESCALATE project. She has more than seven years of experience consulting with families and professionals on best teaching practices in early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities. Her work crosses environments including home, school and community settings. Her focus has been on providing a service that addresses the needs of the whole family. She provides classroom support specifically to the ESCALATE classrooms, meets regularly with families whose children are in the program, and is a resource for early interventionists throughout the Southeast District of the Tennessee Early Intervention System. You can contact Kelly at 423.648.1772 or kelly.dejong@siskin.org.
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