Bethany Kibiger didn’t know too much about early intervention until her own son needed help with a speech delay. Then she met Jess Tofany, who came out to her house to provide speech therapy. Bethany quickly became a huge advocate of the birth to three program. “I loved that Jess would come out to my home and help me support my son’s language development in everyday routines,” she shares. “I loved the program because it was individualized to the specific needs of my son and what would work for my family.” Shortly afterwards, her company reorganized and she was looking for a new job. “When Jess offered me a special instructor position, I was thrilled to be part of early intervention and be able to make a difference in families' lives just like Jess did for me and my family. After 10 years at Happy Hearts, it still feels like the best dream job ever.”
Bethany grew up in Indiana, where she got a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Manchester University. After a year of nannying in New York, she started teaching. She worked several years in pre-K to 4th grade classrooms and during this time she went back to school and got a masters degree in special education and reading from the College of New Rochelle. In the middle of her teaching career, she moved to PA. She later went into the behavioral health field and worked at a school for children with autism. During this time, she went back to school to become a board-certified behavior analyst. When she met Jess after having her son, her career trajectory changed again. Early intervention felt like a perfect match because it allowed her to work one-on-one with families, support their unique needs, and form deeper, more meaningful relationships than she was able to in a school environment.
As a special instructor, Bethany assists with everything from speech and language to behavior, play skills, following directions, and attention. She also specializes in children with autism or who have high energy needs. She finds the coaching aspect of early intervention so empowering. “I always tell families that we're in this together. I tell parents, ‘You are the expert. You know your child the best.’ I come with knowledge, experience, and a ‘bag’ of tools and strategies to try. We work together to figure out what is going to work best for your child.” Her absolute favorite part of providing services is watching those magical lightbulb moments when a parent understands what’s going to work for their child and how to advocate for them. “I love the shift from ‘I don't know what to do’ to knowing ‘this is what my child needs.’”
Even after 10 years in early intervention, Bethany is still learning new strategies from parents that she then gets to share with other families. For example, she is working with a child who loves climbing, rough play, and spinning. His parents bought him a sensory spinning chair to promote safe physical play. Bethany had never seen one before, but the child absolutely loved it. This made her think of another child she worked with who spun in circles most of the time and wasn’t interested in engaging in other activities. She shared with the family her experience with a new type of play equipment, the spinning chair. It ended up being a game changer for this family. Every time the child needed some sensory input, he initiated using the spinning chair which provided greater input than spinning his body in circles. Afterward, the child was able to engage in purposeful learning opportunities to promote new skill development.
“I’m not the professional who knows everything,” Bethany says. “This is a team effort. We’re all learning and working together.”
Older siblings can be a very helpful part of that team. Because children look up to their older brothers and sisters and want to do what they’re doing, siblings can help support strategies in remarkable ways. Bethany once worked with a child who needed support in following directions and learned best when things were on her terms. If her older sister was there and followed the same instructions, the child would be interested and want to join in by practicing the directions repeatedly which promoted learning of the targeted skill. The family was able to turn that repetition into a game. “Siblings can be a true gift to teaching siblings,” Bethany shares. “I love when siblings are involved because it can create teachable moments and opportunities. Younger siblings look up to their older siblings and want to be like them. Sometimes they are more willing to try something that is a bit of a stretch for them when a sibling is doing it.”
For families who are new to early intervention, Bethany encourages talking openly to their service provider about any concerns and leaning on them for support. “All questions are important and valuable. It’s okay to be vulnerable and to share. There will be ups and downs. It helps to lean on someone who’s gone through this journey before. It’s my job to provide that support and if I don’t have an answer I’ll find it for you.”
When Bethany isn’t working, she loves parenting her son, who’s now 13 years old. She enjoys continually learning professionally, hiking, gardening, and trying new adventures. She also likes to test new recipes. Her son loves being a tester, especially if it involves chocolate. She appreciates how being a special instructor for Happy Hearts allows her to have a flexible schedule so she can balance work and family. “I absolutely love the freedom to create a schedule that will allow me to enjoy my life to its fullest. My job is so rewarding and fulfilling. It’s been a pretty amazing journey.”
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