Building Relationships with Parents and Caregivers A Change in Perspective

Hot Button Activity-Parents and Caregivers Identify a couple of parent/caregiver behaviors that push your buttons and write down on your handout. After identifying several hot buttons, write down your feelings when you faced this behaviors. Then write down the impact your feelings have had on your relationship with the parent who exhibited these behaviors. Share your examples with the larger group.

Hot Button Activity-Teachers and Specialists Imagine you are a parent of a child with problem behaviors and identify a couple of teacher and/or specialist behaviors that push your buttons and write down on your handout. After identifying several hot buttons, write down your feelings when you faced this behaviors from the teachers/specialists. Then write down the impact your feelings have had on your relationship with the teacher/specialist who exhibited these behaviors. Share your examples with the larger group.

How to Talk to Parents/Caregivers about their Child’s Problem Behaviors Start with expressing empathy for the family/caregiver situation. Recognize that parents/caregivers are the experts of the child regardless of your views. Your role is to educate the parent/caregiver about what you are seeing, not to confront them. Recognize that a family’s life may not be conducive to immediately focusing on the child’s behavior. Review handout “Talking with Families about Problem Behavior”. Recognize the differences in families’ cultural views of behaviors.

Parent Views on Social Emotional Functioning A study compared parents' beliefs about daily child- rearing practices across three ethnic groups. Three belief constructs were identified. "Conformity" was least valued by European Americans. "Autonomy" was equally valued by European Americans and African Americans, and less by Asian Americans. There were no group differences in the importance of “Prosocial”. Early Child Development and Care, v178 n5 p Jul 2008

Parental Views of Control Parents have a locus of control which ranges from external to internal. Externals attribute outcomes of events to external circumstances Internals tend to attribute outcomes of events to their own control. Research conducted with non-Hispanic Whites indicates that parents of preschoolers with behavioral problems are more likely to have an external locus of control regarding parenting than parents whose preschoolers are free of such problems. Researchers compares parental locus of control (PLOC) among parents of clinic-referred Mexican American preschoolers to parents of nonreferred Mexican American preschoolers. Results demonstrate that referred Mexican American parents exhibited a more external PLOC than nonreferred Mexican American parents across a number of domains. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Vol. 16, No. 2, (2008)

Results of a study looking at parental issues of children with special needs indicated Parents of children with autism and behavior disorders experienced statistically and clinically higher levels of parenting stress than parents in the other two groups. Parents of children with behavior disorders reported that their children presented behavioral difficulties that were statistically and clinically more intense and numerous than those of all other children. Mothers of children with autism and behavior disorders experienced statistically and clinically higher levels of dysphoria than mothers in the other two groups which appeared to be specifically related to the stresses of parenting exceptional children rather than to personal dysfunction. Journal article by Jean E. Dumas, Lucille C. Wolf, Sandra N. Fisman, Annie Culligan; Exceptionality, Vol. 2, 1991 Parenting Stress, Child Behavior Problems and Dysphoria in Parents of Children with Autism, Down Syndrome Behavior Disorders, and Normal Development

Strategies to Build Relationships with Parents/Caregivers What are some strategies for helping parents/caregivers feel more in control of their child’s behavior. Brainstorm ideas about how to build relationships with all parents/caregivers Refer to handout “Welcoming Activities and Ideas”. Brainstorm ideas about how to build relationships with parents/caregivers of children with behavioral differences.