Collaborating With Families: Working With a Parent of a Child With Disability
Session 13 Activity
Click on the link below to access the online module, “Collaborating with Families”. Once you have completed viewing the module, answer the following questions.
https://iris(dot)peabody(dot)vanderbilt(dot)edu/module/fam/
1. Describe the range of emotions associated with being the parent of a child with special needs. Select two emotional states and describe how you as a teacher would work with a parent experiencing these emotions.
2. Identify and describe three roles that a parent of a child who has a disability might undertake that are unlike the roles typically associated with parenting.
3. Reese is a young girl with cerebral palsy. Her primary means of mobility is a manual wheelchair, though she is also able to take a few independent steps. Reese’s parents have recently separated and are in the process of divorcing. Reese, her mom, and two older siblings have temporarily relocated and are now living in the upstairs of her grandparents’ house. As a result of the move, Reese has transitioned to a new school. Although her mom is generally very involved with her child’s education, there are currently many stressors in her life. Describe at least two of the stressors, besides divorce, that Reese’s mom might be experiencing and explain how you think they might affect her time and involvement with the school.
4. Imagine you are a teacher in Reese’s new school. Describe three ideas you have for building a relationship with Reese’s family and how you would go about making the family feel welcome in your school.
Collaborating with Families
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Collaborating with Families
Parents of children with disabilities experience a range of emotions, including fear, anxiety, denial, anger, guilt, and depression (Iris Center, 2023). In particular, these parents feel more concerned about their children and go through changes that influence their beliefs, values, routines, and attitudes. As a teacher, one should be prepared to handle and work alongside parents of children with special needs. Indeed, the person should understand that these parents undergo challenging moments and that they need support. For example, if a parent is experiencing fear, as a teacher, one should pay attention to his or her concerns. Moreover, the individual should show support and empower these parents so that they can cater to their needs and those of their children. For parents with anger issues, it is good to provide them with appropriate resources, such as suggesting counseling services and support groups, to help them cope with their anger issues.
Parents of children with disabilities might undertake roles that are unlike those typically associated with parenting. Disability facilitates a “poor fit” between a person's capabilities to meet societal needs such that the individual experiences difficulties in everyday life (Berggren & Bergman, 2022). A parent of a disabled child might assume the role of a case manager to oversee all health and educational needs for the purpose of coordinating and communicating the child’s care. Additionally, the parent might be a medical expert so that he or she can know the health problems surrounding the child’s disability. The third role that a parent with a disabled child might take is being a transition specialist. In that light, the parent can create continuity to ease the transition between schools, post-school environments, grades, and teachers.
Apart from divorce, Reese’s mother might be experiencing other stressors. First, financial struggles might be a significant stressor in this scenario (Hsiao, 2017). Reese’s mother must come up with a strategy to support her children and take care of their needs. For instance, since the children have been taken to another school, the mother should ensure to pay fees and buy appropriate resources required in the lear...