1. Today’s Families and Their Partnerships with Professionals
Chapter 4

2. Who are the Holley’s What are some challenges this family faces?
Describe some parental difficulties
What are your thoughts on Jamie being away from his family for long periods of time in order for the boys to stay in their schools

3. Definition of Family What is your definition of a family?
How does your definition include or exclude certain groups of people?
How will your family change in the next 5 years? In the next 10 years?

4. Demographics
35% of students with disabilities come from families with annual income less than 25,000
20% of students without disabilities come from families with annual income less than 25,000
22% youth with disabilities come from families where head of household has less than a high school education vs. 13% youth without disabilities

5. Individual Characteristics Youth with Disabilities
Youth without Disabilities
No biological parent present 19 3
Biological father present 4
Biological mother present 35 21
Both biological parents present 42 73
Single-parent household 36 26
Average number of children in household 2
Percentage of youth with disabilities living in a single-parent household is significantly higher

6. Domains of Family Life Emotional well-being Parenting
Family interaction
Physical/material well-being
Disability-related support

7. Emotional well-being
Feelings or affective considerations within the family
Friends of others who provide support
The support families need to relieve stress
Time to pursue own interests
Outside help available to care for special needs

8. Parenting
Activities that adult family members do to help children grow and develop
Know how to help their child learn to be independent
Know how to help their child with schoolwork and activities
Know how to teach their child to get along with others
Know how to have time to take care of the individual needs of every child

9. Family Interaction Relationship among family members
Enjoy spending time together
Talk openly with each other
Solve problems together
Show they love and care for each other

10. Physical/Material well-being
Resources available to the family to meets its members’ needs
Transportation
Take care of expenses
Feel safe at home, work, school, and in the neighborhood
Medical and dental care

11. Children of Poverty IQ scores are 5-13 points lower
Children develop vocabulary later
11% dropout rate (5 times higher than families in the top 20% of income distribution)

12. Disability-related support
Support from family members and others to benefit the person with a disability
Achieve goals at school or work
Make progress at home
Make friends
Have a good relationship between the family and service providers

13. Survey results (500 parents)
45% parents believe special education program is failing in preparing for life after high school
35% special ed. program is failing as a reliable source of information about disabilities
35% frustrated in seeking special ed. services
33% believe current school is doing a fair or poor job in giving their child what they need

14. Partnership Principles
Communication
Professional competence
Respect
Commitment
Equality
Advocacy
Trust
Communication: be friendly, listen, be clear, hones, and provide and coordinate information
Professional competence: providing a quality education, continuing to learn, setting high expectations
Respect: honor cultural diversity, affirm strengths, treat students and families with dignity
Commitment: be available and accessible, go above and beyond, be sensitive to emotional needs
Equality: share power, foster empowerment, provide options
Advocacy: seek win-win solutions, prevent problems, keep your conscience primed, pinpoint and document problems, and form alliances
Trust: be reliable, use sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, trusting yourself

15. When is the first time you were able to …..?
Choose which food to eat first
Choose toys to play with
Choose your bed time
Get yourself dressed
Choose what clothes to wear
Tie your shoes
Choose what extracurricular hobby/activity you like to do

16. When is the first time you were able to …..? Cont.
Go on a sleepover
Baby-sit another person
Drive a car
Have a bank account of your own
Call up friends on the phone
Choose who to be friends with
Get your own account

17. Now think
How would the time line be different if you had a disability?
What activities do you think you would not do on your own?
What activities would be added if you had a disability?