|
|
|
|
|
Contents:
Things that Students with Special Needs Wish You Knew By Ellen Notbohm There is a great need and hopefully willingness to understand the world as a child with special needs experiences it. Here, in their voice are things that children with autism and other special needs wish their teachers knew. Behavior is Communication. All behavior occurs for a reason. It tells you, even when my words can’t, how I perceive what is happening around me. Negative behavior interferes with my ability to learn. But merely interrupting these behaviors is not enough; teach me to exchange these behaviors with appropriate alternatives. Start by believing this; I truly do want to behave appropriately and learn. Look beyond the behavior to find the source of my resistance. Keep notes as to what happened immediately before the behavior and a pattern will emerge. Never Assume Anything. Without factual backup, an assumption is only a guess. I may not know or understand the rules. I may have heard the instructions but not understood them. Perhaps I knew it yesterday but can’t retrieve it today. Look for Sensory Issues. A lot of my resistant behaviors come from sensory discomfort. One example is fluorescent lighting. The hum it produces is disturbing and the pulsing nature of the light can distort my visual perception, making objects in the room appear to be in constant motion. Perhaps I need to be seated closer to you. I don’t understand what you are saying because there are too many noises “in between” – the lawnmower outside, Jasmine whispering, chairs scraping and pencil sharpeners grinding. Keep your expectations reasonable. The school assembly with hundreds of kids and some guy droning on about the candy sale means nothing to me. Maybe it would be more beneficial for me to help the school secretary. Help me transition between activities. It takes time for me to move from one activity to the next. Give me a five minute warning before an activity changes. A simple clock face or timer on my desk is a good visual cue for transitioning independently and comfortably. Criticize gently.
Speak in low tones and lower your body as well, so that you are
communicating on my level rather than towering over me. Never try to
impose discipline or correction when I am angry, distraught, over
stimulated, anxious or otherwise emotionally unable to interact with
you. Help me understand the inappropriate behavior in a supportive,
problem solving way rather than punishing me or scolding me. The last word: believe. That car guy, Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you are right.” Believe that you can make a difference for me. It requires accommodation and adaptation. There are no inherent upper limits on achievement. I can sense far more than I can communicate and the number one thing I can sense is whether or not you think I can. Expect more from me and you will get it. Encourage me to be everything I can be, so that I can stay the course long after I’ve left your classroom. With permission this article has been edited from the August 2006, just kids magazine. What Parents Want from Professionals Since this newsletter’s front article describes what students wish their teachers knew about them, I thought it appropriate to discuss what parents expect from service providers to build collaborative partnerships. This data was collected at the University of Kansas by Martha Blue-Banning, Jean Ann Summers, H. Corrine Frankland, Louise Lord Nelson and Gwen Beegle and presented in the Journal of Exceptional Children, Volume 70, No. 2. Study participants emphasized the importance of communication. Participants described the need for quantity in communication (i.e. that communication should be frequent and open). More often, however, comments concentrated on the importance of the quality of communication. Family members stressed that communication should be honest and open, with no hidden information, no “candy-coating” of bad news, clear and free of jargon. Participants expressed the importance of professionals demonstrating commitment and dedication. They repeated that professionals should consider working with children and families to be “more than a job” and that professionals should see their children as more than a “case or number.” Many parents believe that a committed professional recognizes both the importance of their relationship with them and their child. Parents stressed the need for equality between families and service providers. It is important for professionals to acknowledge the validity of parents’ points of view. Parents described positive relationships with professionals who “went to bat for” their child or who “stuck their neck out” to advocate for services. Examples of positive partnerships included observations about skills and competence of service providers. Family members admired professionals who could “make things happen” in terms of concrete help for their child or family. There were numerous descriptions of professionals who were skilled at adapting instructional materials and modifying the curriculum to insure success. Family members admired teachers and therapists who were willing to learn and keep up to date with new technology in their field. Parents also wanted professionals to have high expectations for their children. In addition, respect emerged as an essential component of partnerships. Respect is a word frequently used in the literature describing partnerships but seldom defined. Probing for clarification, it was determined that showing respect meant valuing the child as a person rather than a diagnosis or label. In addition, “respect” meant simple courtesy: (a) calling parents by their last name or asking permission to use their first, (b) being on time for meetings, (c) agreeing to meet after hours and (d) acknowledging parents’ contributions and efforts. Interestingly, parents and professionals agreed on what constitutes positive behavior on the part of professionals. Both, in separate groups, stressed the need for communication, commitment, equality, skills and respect. The results of this study underscore that common sense and ordinary human decency are at the heart of positive partnerships between families and professionals working with children with disabilities. Families repeatedly emphasized that for them the quality of their partnerships with service providers was critical to the overall quality of their lives. Time and again, participants referred to stress and exhaustion caused by the perceived necessity to fight for services, cope with humiliating regulations and attitudes and deal with breakdowns in their relationships with professionals. At the very least, the quality of family/professional partnerships is one of several critical prerequisites for successful student and family outcomes. This data should encourage schools to consider providing training to professionals on developing high quality relationships with families in order to maintain these positive outcomes. by Beth Burton When asked to write about our family, I was at first reluctant. My husband, Jon, asked if it was because I felt that our four-year-old daughter, Parr, was not a special needs child. I believe I was hesitant because, although Parr gets physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, has a communication device to help her talk and uses a walker, she is simply a child that needs some extra help. So, I was unsure as to what I could write about. However, after much reflection, I decided the basis of my hesitancy was exactly why and what I should write: that Parr is, in most ways, a typical child. I sometimes forget that Parr has special needs, particularly when we are at home. Equally important, our therapists, teachers and the wonderful team at Lekotek see and treat Parr the same as our family does. She is first and foremost a child; a smart child with a sense of adventure and a clever sense of humor. Parr was born almost three months premature because of a hemorrhage in the placenta. The doctor noted that, although her tiny heart was pumping strongly, there was not much blood for it to pump. Six weeks later she came home and we believed everything was fine. Seven months later the effects of the lack of oxygen became more discernible. Parr could not roll over and could not sit up. She continues to experience some developmental delays. And along the way, we continue to have incredible people in our lives teaching and encouraging Parr and, most importantly, building her self-esteem. She has become quite a feisty, loving, and confident little girl. She loves her baby dolls and takes very good care of them. She is learning to swim. She is becoming an excellent horse woman, with maybe a little too much confidence on her horse, Callie. She has an undying devotion to both Winnie the Pooh and Clifford the Big Red Dog. We owe her wonderful personality, in part, to the people at Lekotek, who have helped Parr and our entire family in many ways. On every occasion that I have mentioned or merely wondered aloud about a different type of therapy or assistive program in their presence, Kristen Davis, our Lekotek leader, and Helene Prokesch instantly respond with helpful advice, solutions and information at their fingertips. I have personally never experienced such a willingness and ability to help as I have at Lekotek. Moreover, as far as Parr is concerned, Lekotek is simply synonymous with fun. She attends Leko-Music and is part of Lekotek’s preschool inclusion project. She enjoys Saturday morning Happy Tail visits, where she frequently asks to take home Tripod, the three-legged dog. During play sessions, Kristen presents opportunities to experience diverse computer programs and equipment. Most recently, Parr mastered and became independent using the joystick as the standard mouse was difficult. She attends other Lekotek events meeting other children who use walkers and she thinks that is really neat. So, although initially hesitant, I am glad I am able to share our experiences and share a little about one of the most wonderful people I know, my daughter; a little girl whose special needs are not what makes her special. I am also happy to have the opportunity to praise and thank our friends at Lekotek for helping Parr and so many other children be just who they are: children. Ernie’s Toys, created by Ernie McWilliams was developed to provide appropriate toys for Lekoteks’ neonatal play visits. The toys are used in the Scottish Rite NICU where Lekotek leader, Peggy McWilliams, works with premature infants with special needs. Peggy provides Lekotek services to these children both in the hospital and at home once discharged. Most of these babies were born at 24 weeks gestation or less. Typical infant toys/equipment, as well as most toys available in special needs catalogs are either too large, too heavy or too busy. One special need Peggy strives to meet is a toy that will engage the child while in a side-lying or tummy-lying position. These positions strengthen the child’s upper body while providing an opportunity for visual, fine and gross motor development. The Multi-Sensory Playstation was created for this purpose. This Multisensory Play Station is made of durable clear plexiglass and secured with metal brackets. Beads are connected with eye bolts which allow for engaging objects to be interchanged to capture the child’s changing interests and current needs. Also available are Preemie Rattles by Ernie’s Toys. These rattles were constructed with the needs of premature infants in mind. Each rattle weighs only ounces and the handle is 5/16th of an inch in diameter. It is amazing to watch these tiny babies hold a rattle and even bring them to their mouths! The babies first reaction is to “release” when a large or heavy object is put in their hands; this is not so with these tiny rattles. If your child would enjoy one of these toys contact Lekotek of Georgia (404) 633-3430 or Ernie’s Toys at (770) 496-1942.
|
|
|
Home | Services | Products | Resources | Calendar | Newsletters | How Can I Help? | Ask Lekotek | Search | En Español Lekotek of
Georgia, Inc.
|
