As I have studied diversity this week and its effect on children, families, classrooms and communities I feel there is one area that we have forgotten to cover. Children with special needs are part of every community, most classrooms and some families in our areas. These families and children need our support, guidance and encouragement as much as the families from other cultures do. I feel it is important for teachers to understand the rights of the child and the family so they can better support them in the classroom.
I have chosen to learn more about The Division for Early Childhood (DEC). The DEC is one of 17 divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Their websites is http://www.dec-sped.org/. The DEC is about promoting policies and advancing practices to support children with special needs. I chose to research this site because as I present Special Quest trainings I want to have the most up-to-date information to present to the educators in my class on working with children with special needs. The DEC is nonprofit and is funded through membership dues and professional development activities. The DEC is hosting it's 27th Annual International Conference On Young Children with Special Needs & Their Families in Maryland on November 17-19, 2011.
A tab titled "Policy/Advocacy" is at the top of the page and important one that links families and educators of children with special needs to the topics related to policies being set and advocacy that needs to be done. They discuss what is happening in Washington regarding funding and budgeting as well as links to click on for more information regarding the budgets.
There is a button to click on the website that is called "recommended practices" I think this is a great piece to have on the website to keep teachers and families up-to-date on the best practices to reach the goals of the child. They use research as well as knowledge and skills from those who with children with special needs to create their recommendations section.
As the internet is used for information gathering for parents and educators I feel this website is an important resource for families of children with special needs and for all educators. Some teachers feel that they do not need to learn about children with special needs or how they can support them because they do not currently have these children in their classrooms. My advice to them is learn it now before you have a child with a special need so that you will feel prepared to support that child and family. There is nothing worse than feeling inadequate as a teacher and unable to fully support the children and families in your classroom. So being prepared for anything is the best course of action in my book. I think a prepared teacher, though she will not have all the answers, will feel ready to help, assist and love any child that walks through her door.
Hi Amy it's Denice and you are so very right when we talk we are talking about the whole child including children with disabilities because my daughter had a mild learning disability when she was younger and most of my friends where like you can get a check for her to label her. Well I didn't because I knew my daughter had a strong family that is educated that will work with her so she could achieve her educational goal without feeling ashamed because she had a learning disability. Needless to say my daughter i A-B honor roll student who doesn't need the IEP services but I keep the service just in case in high school she need extra help.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
I think educators not being prepared for children is a big issue. I truly believe being prepared is the key to a quality program. Educators getting the training they need is very important in preparing for children of all cultures and background.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteI've stated before that I have a Grandson with special needs. The resources you cited will help educators as well as family members seeking information. Thanks