Talking To Families With Exceptionalities Awareness Pt-1

Early education intervention professionals often eagerly await the opportunity to embrace their partner (the parent). The professional's arm is usually opened, seeking to embrace the parent, and ready to support the parent as they enter into a world that is not what they ever expected.

The parent is not often excited about the acceptance of support, or the world they are expected to accept. The professional's arm is wide open; in contrast, the parent's arms wrapped around their chest. These actions demonstrate the feeling of hesitance, uncertainty, and unenthusiastic.

If the parent chose to accept the support or embrace the open arms, they are ultimately accepting their child has special needs. Most parents are not openly willing to enter into this complex, strange, scary world. The parent entering into this world must release their initial dreams and become aware and welcoming to their new world.

As an early childhood special education professional, I work with students with various disabilities. The reason I became an early childhood special education professional is that I feel that our youngest children's developmental delays and disabilities are not being identified.

My bonus sister is now an adult, she became a part of our family when she was sixteen. I believe her current condition could be more progressive, had she received early intervention services. As well, parents are un-accepting of their child as having the label of a delay or disabilities.

These young children are pushed to the side or are not given a chance to be successful in their various environments, including home, social situations, and the classroom. I love the term "See the able, not the label." I often come across parents who do not know or understand how to work with their children with delays and disabilities.

The special education professional and the parent's priorities are often different. It is as if each person involved is reading a different book. The mother is reading Little Red Riding Hood; the father is reading The Three Little Pigs. The occupational therapist is reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and the early educator is reading Green Eggs and Ham. At times it seems the only words they can agree on is Alice in Wonderland.

It is essential to recognize the disconnect between the early interventionist and the parent. Often the early interventionist misses the mark when communicating with the parent. Parents' lack of competency skills and uncertainty of their role makes reading the same book and embracing the open arms of the professional difficult. The lack of trust and fear of the unknown often compounded. The professional already knows so much more than the parent and are usually leading the interactions.

Early childhood special education professional is often master-prepared. Children with special needs can make a tremendous amount of growth when they receive the support necessary to be successful rather than being left alone. I believe all general education teachers and parents should gain a level of education to help with their process and efforts working with exceptional children. Parents and general education teachers can benefit from specialized training on learning characteristics, behavioral challenges, and evidenced practices for children with exceptional needs.

In summary, it is advantageous for special education professionals to devote time and effort to learn to communicate and connect with the parents effectively. Through connection, the professional can convey respect, understanding, knowledge, and the desire to have the parent to accept the embracing required to serve the children with special needs.

Breakthrough and Discovery Center, LLC provides coaching services for parents, educators, and professionals who work with children with exceptionalities.