Teresa Mebane Matt Oakley Debbie Stout August 18, 2014

 Welcome/IntroductionsDeb  Overview Deb  Clip  Meetings and moreMatt  Parents Point of ViewTeresa  Questions(if time)Deb

L2Cc ?

 As a team… * When are they necessary * What should be discussed/What should NOT be discussed * Between the team and family  What we can do to ease anxieties and be transparent

 Meetings/Follow-up *Roles of the team *Use of Jargon *Ongoing communication with families - Team building

 Importance of the meeting - for professionals and for families  What we communicate with families - body language, texting, engaged listening  What families are non-verbally communicating with us Posture Supports Attendance

 Changes after the diagnosis  Day to day life  Dreams  Priorities  Relationships  The way they think of themselves and their child

 Fear  Sadness  Inadequacy  Guilt  Protectiveness  Confusion  Isolation  Hopefulness  Anger

 Past history with professionals  Negative experiences-misdiagnosis, rejection, rejection of child  Positive experiences- “savior” at critical time  Physical impact of parenting  Sleep deprivation and physical exhaustion  No time to relax, always on alert  Cumulative effect of stress  Parents own physical/mental health issues

 Parents can’t be objective  Parents are overprotective  Professionals not understanding the uniqueness of each student  Too little communication between school and home  Not taking the parent’s fears seriously  Not being listened to

 Professionals not understanding the relationship of child behavior to the disability  Feeling outnumbered at meetings  Use of negative body language during meetings- eye rolling, closed body posture, clock watching  Feeling patronized

 Getting to know the family  Step into the family’s world  Ask about family’s experience with the “system”  Put family behavior in context  Use information you learn to prevent problems and set goals  Connect the family with resources  Listen

 Develop a foundation of trust  Show that you see the individual, not just the diagnosis  Help parents appreciate their strengths  Keep family information confidential  Respect professional/parent boundaries  Accept that conflicts are inevitable  Don’t take parent behavior personally

 Teresa Mebane Family Support Network  Matthew Oakley Preschool Specialist  Debbie Stout Special Education Liaison

Have a wonderful year and we appreciate YOU!!