I first learned about the Newborn Behavior Assessment Scale (NBAS) in 1987 when I traveled to Kansas from Paraguay, where I have lived half my life, as an intern at the Bureau of Child Research, University of Kansas. I have integrated the scale into every aspect of my early intervention practice, and I have continued to use it in my 10 years of experience working as a Home-visiting Family Support Advocate at Project EAGLE Community Programs Early Head Start, University of Kansas Medical Center. I find it a helpful tool for assessing newborns and talking with parents about their newborn's skills and behaviors. The NBAS gives me an opportunity to assess the neurodevelopment of infants more deeply and immediately integrate this information into an individualized early intervention plan for high-risk infants. I use the NBAS as the conceptual foundation for my work with infants and families.

Before moving to the U.S., I began my career in Asuncion, Paraguay. During my early years using the NBAS in Paraguay, I encountered some resistance from colleagues about the approach. The concept of focusing on strengths rather than deficits was unfamiliar and professionals were skeptical of Dr. Brazelton's ideas. I responded to this resistance by advocating for a more positive understanding of the newborn. As a member of the Partner of the America's program, I invited Frances D. Horowitz, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor and Dean for Research Studies from the Graduate Studies program of the University of Kansas to visit and participate in two major conferences: Ill Encuentro Latinoamericano, VI Congreso Paraguayo de Ginecologia y Obstetricia (The 3rd Latin American Meeting, 4th Paraguayan Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics) and Il Congreso Paraguayo de Perinatología (The 2nd Paraguayan Congress of Perinatology). Dr. Horowitz presented Perinatal and Infant Neuropsychological Developmental theories ("Teorias del Dessarrollo Neurosicologico Perinatal y del Infante"). The presentation jumpstarted a new, more comprehensive way to understand and examine newborns. The event reinforced the work I was doing with the NBAS and helped bring focus to the importance of building a positive parent-child relationship from the very beginning in the interest of the newborn's health and development.

For me, the NBAS is always a joyful and wonderful experience in my practice with newborns and their families. It is an opportunity for me to show parents their child's capacities and uniqueness. Parents will often say to me, "Oh, I didn't know he/she can see me!" or "I didn't know he/she can hear me!" or "I didn't know my baby recognized my voice and face." These are all powerful moments for me as an Early Intervention Specialist. They reinforce my belief that all professionals in Early Head Start should recognize newborn neuropsychological capacities as "teachable moments" with families and opportunities for individualized guidance that supports and educates parents, strengthening their skills as caregivers.