YOUNG CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS UNIT 6 SEMINAR

Sarah Barrett, MS Special Education

Welcome to Unit 6 Seminar

Hi Everyone! We have made it through week 5 and we begin Unit 6 today!

Our agenda for tonight’s discussion focuses on discussing your role in enabling and empowering families of children with special needs.

Course Outcomes

Describe the importance of partnership with the family of a child with special needs

Identify strategies for advocacy on behalf of a child with special needs

Explain the importance of empowering families of children with special needs

Demonstrate how to write a letter of advocacy on behalf of a child with special needs

Empower a family with special needs

Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)

Public Law 101-476 (IDEA) clearly defines the rights of children with disabilities and their parents.

A basic provision of Public Law 101-476 (IDEA) is the right of parents to participate in the educational decision-making process.

Rights under Public Law 101-476(IDEA)The child is entitled to a free, appropriate public

education

Appropriate means that it meets the unique educational needs of the child.

The school must notify the parents if the child needs evaluation or a change in educational placement, or refuses a request for an evaluation or a change in placement.

The parent has the right to request an evaluation if they think the child needs special education or related services (Child Development Institute, 2007)

Rights under Public Law 101-476(IDEA)The school needs a written parent consent that states

the parent understands and agrees in writing to the evaluation and initial special education placement for the child.

Parent consent is voluntary and may be withdrawn at any time.

Right to obtain an independent evaluation if disagree with the school's evaluation.

Right to request a reevaluation if they suspect the child's current educational placement is no longer appropriate. The school must reevaluate the child at least every 3 years, but the child's educational program must be reviewed at least once during each calendar year (Child Development Institute, 2007)

Rights under Public Law 101-476(IDEA)The right to request that the child be tested

in the natural languageAn interpreter can be requested for a child

that is hearing impaired. The school must communicate with parents

in primary language. The parent has the right to review all of the

child's records and obtain copies of these records, but the school may charge a reasonable fee for making copies (Child Development Institute, 2007)

Rights under Public Law 101-476(IDEA)The right to request a hearing to challenge

the questionable information in the child's records.

The parent must be fully informed by the school of all the rights provided to parent and child under the law.

The parent has the right to participate in the development of the child's Individualized Education Program (IEP) or, in the case of a child under school age, the development of an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

Rights under Public Law 101-476(IDEA)

The school must make every possible effort to notify the parent of the IEP or IFSP meeting and arrange it at a time and place agreeable to the parent.

The child has the right to be educated in the

least restrictive school setting possible. The right to due process (Child Development

Institute, 2007).

Role of the Early Childhood Professional

Facilitate empowerment for familiesRespect family choiceAppreciate cultural differencesValue linguistic differencesCommunicate effectively with familiesRecognize you are part of a team to help

the child (Allen & Cowdery, 2009).

Ideas to discuss in our DB this week *Have a family fun night at the school. *Cultural food events. *Phone calls home. - Charlotte *Research a families culture *Tone of voice – Chantal *Family involvement/class project – Betty *Learn phrases in the students’ home

language. *Learn about the child’s disability/ask

questions

Support Parents

Autism Speaks Walk 2009

Advocate for a child or family

Recognize that the parent has a long term involvement in the child’s current and future educational processes

Understand that parents may be on burn out mode

Help parents develop coping strategies

Give parents opportunity to share what form of communication works best for them (Allen & Cowdery, 2005).

Advocates for the family and childStress positives or appreciative comments about

the child’s day in front of child and parent

Discuss concerns in private

Encourage parental observations

Encourage involvement in parent support groups

Provide home visits and other services as needed (Allen & Cowdery, 2005).

Unit 6 Project

You will write a letter to the parents of a child who has recently demonstrated signs of developmental delay.

*In our unit 6 you can click on an example of a business letter.

*Please check the rubric for unit 6 before turning in your letter

WHO WE ARE WRITING ABOUT:

Joey is a three year old child who has a language delay. He does not pronounce beginning and ending sounds. Some concerns with his speech and language include: articulation, fluency, word finding, expressive language, receptive language and letter recognition. During a recent observation, there also seemed to be delays in Joey’s behaviors; social maturity, frustration tolerance, and interaction with peers.

GRADING RUBRIC Unit 6-Letter about Developmental Delays Total:125 points Content 100 points ·         Use of sample business letter ·         Inclusion of reasoning for the letter to parents ·         Discussion of concern about the delays ·         Description of support for the parents and the child ·         References to the readings/unit material

Mechanics/Structure: 25 points Spelling, Grammar checked Clear writing, smooth transitions Complete sentences (no sentence fragments, run-ons) Subject/Verb agreement, punctuation, capitalization, etc. 12 point font (Arial or Times New Roman) Double-spaced   Inclusion of a title page/reference page

SAMPLE Sarah Barrett

1234 E. Chester Dr.

Scottsdale, AZ 85667

Mr. and Mr. John Doe

1234 E. Sycamore St.

Chandler, AZ 85667

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Doe,

I am a teacher at Chandler Christian Preschool. I have been teaching preschool for 5 years and love my job. I currently have Joey Doe in my pre-k class along with 10 other wonderful kids. I recently became concerned about Joey’s language development when …….

While researching language delay in my Kaplan University class, I began to make connections between the behaviors Joey was displaying and my university material.

My hope is that ………

Sincerely,

Sarah Barrett

***** DO NOT FORGET YOUR TITLE PAGE AND REFERNCES!!!****

Have a Great Week!

Don’t forget to get started on your unit 9 project. Don’t wait until the last minute!

Sarah

References

Allen, E.K., Cowdery, G.E. (2009). The Exceptional Child: inclusion in early childhood education. United States of America: Thompson Delmar Learning

Child Development Institute. (2007) Rights and Responsibilities of Parents of Children With Disabilities. Retrieved May 11, 2008 from website link in unit 6 in CE240: Caring for Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs by Kaplan University.