Articles

Here are some articles we think are helpful for families of children with disabilities...

[] The article "Making sense of disability: low-income, Puerto Rican parents' theories of the problem" by Beth Harry focuses on the problem we are experiencing with our special education departments and culturally diverse parents who don't understand how the system works and feel that their children are not getting the adequate education that they deserve. First off, the main problem is some culturally diverse parents are unsure of what the U.S. public school system means by "Special Education" and what exactly it regards to. Also, when it comes to placing these kids in the deferent programs there comes the problem of parents knowing their children do not belong in these programs but because of the language or cultural barrier, are unable to effectively voice their concerns. Harry also goes on to write that another problem is how most parents in our society perceive the term learning disabled as a very negative stigma that automatically causes people to limit the abilities of the individual who has been labeled as such. However, this is not always the case. Many students who are leaner disabled can be very competent with a wide variety of tasks they can complete inside or outside of school. The author also focuses on how parents who have a language barrier with the school system can perceive a learning disability the incorrect way which also can lead to problems. I really enjoyed this article and never thought about how there would be a language barrier between parents and the school system and how that can become a problem for their students.

[]  The article "APPROPRIATENESS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES" by Karen Diamond is a persuasive article that speaks the point that research has shown in recent years that students, with learning disabilities, who have parents that put them into integrated programs at an early age is better for their development than if their parents had kept them in separate special education programs. The author then goes on to mention that according to their research students with learning disabilities who are integrated into some mainstream classes show improvement in language, cognitive, and motor development that are just as good as students in separated classes. The author then mentions that young students with disabilities are much less likely to engage in activities in an inclusive setting that a child who does not have a disability. The author then concludes that the student's development has more to do with the type of learning experience that is provided as opposed to a classroom setting. From this the reader is supposed to infer that integrating more students with learner disabilities and students without learner disabilities would be a good thing because the same results would be achieved without having a separation within the schools.

[]  The article "Meeting the Needs of Parents Around the Time of Diagnosis of Disability Among Their Children" by Key Workers focuses is a persuasive article that is basically on what the title projects. The author writes about what it is that parents, who learn their child has been diagnosed with a disability, will need and the process that they go through. The article also mentions that there are worker programs that provide families with information, give them emotional support, and serve as middle men throughout the different agencies. The author then goes on to mention how valuable these programs are and how helpful they can be to families going through a very pivotal moment in their lives. The author also discusses how these programs have not been implemented on a large scale mostly due to financial reasons. The article then shifts into talking about the figures and data which are in favor of these programs that help families that have recently discovered their child has been diagnosed with a disability. The article concludes by the author driving the point home that these programs are very important and that the most crucial part of the process is the initial discovery that there child has a disorder and that these programs should get more funding and be implemented on a global scale

[] This is a short article about how children with disabilities are given their own special pre-school graduation ceremony. One of the quotes from the article comes from the mother of a child with cerebral palsy. She said, “It’s amazing what a little independence can do.” She said that they both have grown by being part of this special needs pre-school. This will have an effect on my teaching by letting me know that children with special needs have the desire to achieve and accomplish as much as they possibly can and that rewards are universally longed for.

[] This article is from the Community Science day that we held at UCF on July 10th, 2010. It does a fine job of showing that children with learning disabilities, or any disabilities for that matter, can have a very strong affinity toward science and math. It shows that science can be a lot of fun if done the right way. This will impact my teaching by showing me how to coordinate and put together an event and tailor it for children with special needs and their parents.

[] This article goes into detail about the fact that children that are ESL are being put into special education classes when it would be more accurate to put them into a SE-ESL (Special Education for English as a Second Language) class. The writer of the article also details that there may also be ESL students who needs adaptive considerations as well. He tries to provide ways of bringing attention to these situations that exist and potential solutions for dealing with them effectively. This will have an effect on my teaching if I ever have to deal with the challenge of having a student with these special needs whether they are learning disabilities or physical/mental disabilities along with learning English. Should this very situation arise, I can rely on my knowledge and the help of others to make the necessary adjustments to make sure that they are getting the best education that is available to them.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[] <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This article contains an interview by Allison Martin with Dr. Mark L. Batshaw, author of the book, When Your Child Has a Disability. In the first part of the interview, Martin asks Dr. Batshaw what advice he would give to parents of a child with a disability. I loved his response. He stated, “It is really important that the child's disability not become the entire focus [of the household]. The child should live in your house rather than you living in their house. Otherwise, the family is defined by the disability, [causing] the child, the marriage and the other children to suffer. Your child has special challenges AND he is also a member of the family.” I loved this because it is so true. If a family allows the child with a disability to become the focus of the household, nothing else will be balanced. All of the parents’ time and energy will be devoted to the child with a disability, and not on the other children, spouse, or normal household needs. I fully agree that the child should be treated as an equal, and not receive MUCH more special attention than the other people in the household.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Dr. Batshaw also touched on the subject of adoption. He stated that couples adopting children from other countries must be aware of the chances of their adopted child having a disability. He said that many times the country where the child is coming from will be subject to certain disabilities, therefore there is a higher risk of the adopted child having that disability. This is something that should be researched by the parents before they adopt the child so that they are fully aware and prepared to care appropriately for the child. Lastly, Dr. Batshaw spoke about how he became involved in researching the families of children with disabilities. His story is quite remarkable: while his wife was pregnant with their daughter, she went into labor and experienced complications, thus forcing her to have an emergency cesarean operation to deliver the baby. While waiting for the results of the surgery, and contemplating the chances of their child having a disability, Dr. Batshaw promised himself that whether or not his child was born with a disability, he would commit his career to helping parents of children with disabilities. It truly is an amazingly touching story. I could use this information for my future teaching career because I now know that it could be very important to send home materials for parents to help cope with their child’s disability. I could give them helpful hints on how to help their child succeed.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[] <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This is an article by Dianne Maroney, focusing on the importance of attachment between a child with a disability and their parent(s). The article begins by talking about the evolution of the “theory of love” or, in other words, the attachment theory. In the 1920’s Arnold Gesell, a famous pediatrician, and John B. Watson, a well-known psychologist, had conflicting theories regarding the treatment of children. Gesell suggested that children were what they were the minute they were born, and it didn’t matter what parents did to change or shape them. Watson, on the other hand, contended that children were completely a product of their environment and too much “spoiling” by parents—usually the mother—could be dangerous. Watson’s theory became well recognized and generally accepted in the US. Children were often told to keep quiet and left alone so as not to “spoil” them. Almost two decades later John Bowlby, who is now considered the father of the attachment theory, introduced the idea that the relationship between the mother and infant in the first years of life is the key to determining who we are, our ability to develop quality relationships, and our overall future well-being. Bowlby’s research has since been extensively studied by others and his ideas and beliefs have been confirmed.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The article then goes on to explain that this attachment between parent and child is critical in any relationship, but even more so with children with disabilities. When a child has developmental delays, the attachment between parent and child may not be as easy to achieve. The article explains that this could add stress to the relationship between parent and child because many times the parent feels it is impossible to understand their child. Sometimes, the parents cannot provide for the child’s needs because it does not understand what the child wants or needs at that moment. To solve this problem, Maroney suggests taking extra effort to understand their special child. She states “from the moment the child arrives home, parents must watch carefully and learn what each behavior means through patterns, body and verbal language, and how he tolerates your interactions.” I could use this information in my future teaching career because I think it is important for everyone in the disabled child’s life to connect with them and make them feel accepted and loved. I want my students to feel that they belong in my classroom, not like an outsider.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[] <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This article focused on working with culturally and linguistically diverse children, youth, and their families. The article paid special attention to culturally diverse students with behavioral disabilities. The article talks about how oftentimes, culturally and linguistically diverse students are placed in special education classes and labeled with a behavioral disability because of their difficulty and frustration in understanding information presented in the classroom. The article also states that “the field of emotional and behavior disorders has been challenged to reach consensus on how the condition is defined and who should be served with respect to children across all ethnic groups and socioeconomic status.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The article goes on to talk about how important it is for the parents of these students to play an active role in their education, and pay special attention to their behavioral patterns. The parents of these students could prevent behavioral disabilities from forming by doing anything in their power to help their children understand the content of the classroom and succeed the best they can. After reading this article, I now understand the important of assisting the parents of the culturally and linguistically diverse children with disabilities in my classroom by giving them any helpful resources I can, and encouraging them to monitor not only their child’s progress in the class, but their behaviors as well.

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