Provisions for family involvement and the parents' role was established with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act) in 1975. Policy makers realized the importance of the role of the family and created provisions for them to have an active role in the development of the IEP, out of absolute necessity to help the child reach the goals of the IEP.
Family involvement in the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is very important, and much emphasis must be placed on this collaboration between parents and teachers, school administrators, and professionals working with these children. When a child is identified with a disability, it is obvious that the family will need some education from professionals and teachers about how to best provide the child with services. But equally important is the education that the parents will provide to the teachers and professionals about the child's environment, responses, level of learning and development, and preferences. This information is invaluable in working with the child with disabilities.
A second point about parental involvement is that the parent will be able to help the child better if they have a full understanding of what the child is experiencing in the classroom. For instance, a speech therapist works with three of my students at Headstart, and the speech therapist sends detailed notes home to the students' parents explaining what she worked on each Monday. She will include specifics such as "Lucas needs to work on his /k/ sound, as in 'Mrs. Becky'." She also informs me, the teacher, on what they worked on and some methods I can incorporate daily with the students, which I pass on to the parents. Communication all the way around is crucial, between the family, teacher, administration, and professionals.
The ultimate goal of family involvement and open communication is to reach the goals mutually agreed upon on the IEP and help the child. Educators must be very careful to make sure the family feels comfortable and welcome in the IEP process. They should not use educational jargon and arcane language which may alienate the families who are just learning about their child's particular diagnosis. Educators and professionals must be diligent in helping the families to reach out to the support that they will need. Educators are responsible to help the parents see the importance of their role in educating their child with disabilities.
Resources:
ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, Arlington, VA.
Cook, R.E., Klein, M.D. and Tessier, A. (2008) Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Special Needs (7th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall
I completely agree that parents are much better equipped when they have some understanding and knowledge about their child's special need. More importantly, the ultimate goal of family involvement is to reach a better open communication between professionals and families. It is this communication that is so vital to providing the child with the best possible care as can be. I love that you also mention that the educational jargon is sometimes very overwhelming for the families. Usually, they just want to know what is "wrong" and how to "fix" it. It is important to also provide positive feedback of the child as well. The concerns should be addressed just as much as the accomplishments are praised!
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