Title, Edition ISBN © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 3 Collaborating with Parents and Families in a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Society

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2 Support for Parent and Family Involvement Parents and the family: Are the child’s best advocates Are a child’s first teachers Know certain aspects of their children better than anyone else Have the greatest vested interest in seeing their children learn Must live with the outcomes of decisions made by education teams all day, every day

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 Three Factors Responsible for an Increased Emphasis on Parent and Family Involvement Parents want to be involved in their child’s education Parents were an important catalyst of PL Educational effectiveness is enhanced when parents and families are involved Repeated research and practice demonstrates the benefits The law requires collaboration Each reauthorization of IDEA has strengthened and extended parent and family participation

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4 Benefits of Family Involvement Increased likelihood of targeting meaningful IEP goals Greater consistency and support in the child’s two most important environments Increased opportunities for learning and development Greater access to expanded resources

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 5 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 5 Understanding Families of Children with Disabilities Adjustment process for parents includes feelings of: Shock, denial, and disbelief Anger, guilt, depression, shame, lowered self esteem, rejection of the child, and over protectiveness Acceptance, appreciation, and pride Beyond acceptance, parents develop an appreciation for the impact their child had on the family

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6 The Many Roles of the Exceptional Parent Caregiver - Additional needs of an exceptional child can cause stress Provider - Additional needs often create a financial burden Teacher - Exceptional children often need more teaching to acquire skills Counselor - Must often help their child cope with the disability Parent of Siblings Without Disabilities - Meet the needs of their other children too Behavior Support Specialist - Some have to become skilled behavior managers Marriage Partner - Having a child with disabilities can put stress on a marriage Information Specialist/Trainer for Significant Others - Must train others Advocate - Advocate for effective educational services and opportunities

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7 Six Dimensions of Family-Professional Partnerships Communication – positive, understandable, respectful Commitment – share a sense of each others loyalty to the child and each others belief in the importance of the goals being pursued for the child Equality – team members feel a sense of equality, all members influence the outcomes for the child Skills – All team members demonstrate competence and are able to fulfill their roles Trust – share a sense of assurance, reliability, and trust for other team members Respect – Regard each other with esteem demonstrated through actions and communications

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8 Principles of Effective Communication Accept parents’ statements Respect parents’ point of view Listen actively Respond to the parents with interest and animation Question effectively Speak plainly and use open-ended questions Encourage Describe and show their child’s improving performance Stay focused The purpose is the child’s educational program and progress [Source: From C. L. Wilson, 1995]

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9 Professional Roadblocks to Communication Treating parents as vulnerable clients instead of equal partners Keeping professional distance (aloofness may hinder relationship - parents must believe teachers care about them) Treating parents as if they need counseling (treating parent as though the are the problem) Blaming parents for their child’s condition Disrespecting parents as less intelligent Treating parents as adversaries Labeling parents (resistant, denying)

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10 Breaking Down Barriers to Parent-Teacher Partnerships Not all ineffective parent-teacher relationship are caused by teacher mishandling – Some parents are just difficult and unreasonable. Confrontations may occur when a parent is advocating for additional services and the teacher feels the current services are meeting the child’s needs. Arguing is rarely a useful tool in a partnership Conflict resolution through dialoging Reflect – Acknowledge the other persons perspective – they may be more opened to listening Explain – Explain your perspective – be concise – listen twice as much as you talk Understand – try to understand from the parents point of view – self reflection is very important – What would I do if I was her? Negotiate – Work to a mutual solution – don’t give up

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11 Potential Barriers on Working with Parents and Families from Culturally Diverse Backgrounds Language skills Home-school partnerships – In some cultures teaming is not done – Education is the responsibility of the school Work interference – interferes with a parents involvement with homework or attending school functions Knowledge of the school system – low income parents may not trust the school – sending communications only in English & scheduling meetings when parents cannot attend reinforce apprehension Self-confidence – Parents believe their participation will not help – they are uncomfortable Past experiences - many had negative experiences – may have been victims of linguistic or racial discrimination

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12 Understanding and Respecting Cultural Differences Many families are English-language learners Many families live in low-income and poverty Practitioners should understand that, although parents may not have finished school or cannot read, they are “life educated” and know their child better than anyone else If families are undocumented immigrants, they are naturally fearful of interaction with anyone representing authority Families from culturally diverse backgrounds tend to be family- oriented Culturally diverse families may have different experiences with and views about disability; and some may hold idiosyncratic ideologies and practices about the cause and treatment of disability The educational system may be intimidating to the family

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13 Culturally Responsive Services for Families Have native-speaking staff members make initial contacts Provide trained, culturally sensitive interpreters during parent- teacher conferences and IEP/IFSP meetings When a language interpreter is not available, use a cultural interpreter whenever possible for conferences and family interviews Conduct meetings in family-friendly settings Identify and defer to the decision makers in the family Recognize that families from diverse cultures may view time differently from the way professionals do, and schedule meetings accordingly Provide transportation and child care to make it easier for families to attend school-based activities Work toward cultural reciprocity – understanding the values and belief systems of other cultures – some cultures may view a disability as a blessing or a punishment

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 14 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 14 Home-School Communication Methods Parent-teacher conferences Build rapport Obtain information Provide information Summarize and follow up Written communication Happy Grams and Special Accomplishment Letters Two-way home-school reporting forms and dialogue notebooks Home-school contracts Class newsletters and websites Telephone communication Phone calls to parents Voice mail messages for parents Transform notes on chart to letters

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 15 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 15 Other Forms of Parent Involvement Parents as tutors Properly conducted tutoring can enhance progress and provide enjoyment to the parent and child Short sessions – minutes Parents should praise the child’s attempts Child should have frequent opportunities to respond – minimal explanation & demonstration Keep parent responses consistent and positive – must be on child’s instructional level Tutoring should extend what was taught in school Parents should keep records – this will enable parent and child to see progress.

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 16 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 16 Other Forms of Parent Involvement Parent education and support groups Events that explain school policy Make-it and take-it work shops that parents can use at home Session on IEP planning or behavior strategies Needs assessments for parent training Open needs assessment – questions are posed such as “I wish I knew more about _____. Closed needs assessment – Select from a list of topics they would like to learn more about Parent-to-parent groups Parents as research partners

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 17 Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 9th Edition Heward ISBN X © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 17 Other Forms of Parent Involvement Parent-to-parent groups Opportunities to speak with parents who are experiencing similar circumstances (Share - Parent support group for students with physical disabilities)