This week we talked about a few things that I feel are very
important. The class discussed the importance of adult learning when it comes
to early intervention within the family, as well as how mental illness is
portrayed today and what we need to do to help families. I thought it was great
that we learned coaching for adults. When we speak to adults about their
children we need to teach them what and why we are using certain strategies
with their child. We need to teach them how to use these strategies in the
routines within their homes. As we do this they will discover the importance of
RBI’s as well as be more trusting of the interventionist who is allowing them
to be a part of their child’s therapy.
With mental illness I found it very shocking how hidden it
is. Society thinks it isn’t a huge issue because those who have mental
illnesses may be ashamed of them. As we let others open up about mental illness
we can help them release frustrations and teach them coping strategies in how
they can deal with their mental disorder. We need to look at it the same way we
look at other disabilities.
The resource that helped me the most this week were the
statistics as well as the TEDx talks. The statistics on mental illness were
shocking. And the TEDx talks helped me understand a mother’s perspective on
mental illness, as well as a teacher’s perspective on helping adults be a part
of their children’s education.
For applying this in the future I would say that I am becoming
prepared to teach parents strategies rather than do the strategies for the
parents. I am learning the importance of being impartial and holding my bias.
My peers did a great job of sharing personal experiences as
well as experiences they have had with other people in their lives. It opened
up my mind to mental illness and the reality of it. I don’t know many people
dealing with depression, or anxiety that have made me aware of it. I’m glad my
classmates were willing to participate in the discussion.
“This problem is too big for me to handle on my own.
Sometimes there are no good options. So you just pray for grace and trust that
in hindsight, it will all make sense.” TEDx talk which is a mother’s
perspective on dealing with her son who has a mental illness.
This week for my HWD project I wanted to get some field
knowledge on working with children with disabilities and their parents. This is
not my expert interview but I needed more information on what it is like
working with children who come from different backgrounds. My mother is a
special education teacher in an elementary school in Utah. She teachers K-5,
and has children in her class who come from very low SES families, as well as
middle class families. She said that the success a child has during the week
can quickly be back tracked when they go home, IF the parent is not working with
the child at home. This made a lot of sense to me because it is vital that
every day the child is utilizing strategies and the parents are implementing
them in their routines.
This applies to early intervention because I need to provide
the parent’s with strategies that they can easily use and resources they can quickly
find. My mother says the reason she sends home daily notes on each child is so
the parent is aware of the child’s progress and lack of progress. She gives the
parents strategies to use at home, and whether they use them or not, at least
they have the information available. As
I work with families who are too busy to sit down and implement strategies within
their routine, I want to focus on loving the family who is taking care of the
child. I want to have communication with them in between intervention sessions
to help me be aware of their child’s progress and what I can do to help them
keep their child progressing towards their goals.
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