PIWI

Parents Interacting With Infants (PIWI) is an evidenced-based set of practices that focuses on enhancing the social and emotional development of infants and toddlers. The training emphasizes the importance of expanding on and strengthening caregiver-child interactions and relationships. The three most important key outcomes of the PIWI Model are competence, confidence, and mutual enjoyment for both children and their parent(s)/caregiver(s).

The primary focus of PIWI is parent-child groups but it may be used in home visitation and other settings. PIWI has been successfully used in community based Head Start, early intervention and other settings with a diverse range of parents and children. PIWI is not a curriculum but PIWI groups do follow a specified schedule which includes an opening, a focal topic for parent child interaction and observation, a summing up and home activity.

Regardless of setting, dyadic and triadic strategies are foundational. Dyadic Strategies are alterations of additions that adult parents or caregivers intentionally use during parent-child interactions to facilitate a better match with children and to foster their development. They include setting the stage for interaction, maintaining the child’s interest and attention, establishing reciprocal roles (turn-taking), matching and following, and supporting and scaffolding learning.

Implementation guidelines include Developmental Observation Topics or DOTs.  DOTs are aspects of children’s development selected to organize parent’s observation and understanding of their children and help in planning environments and activities for this purpose. Examples of DOTs include children’s temperament, how children use parents or caregivers for security, and how children respond to others’ emotions.

PIWI was developed by Tweety Yates, Ph.D. and Jeannette McCollum Ph.D., University of Illinois.