Collaboration~ Parents as a part of the Multidisciplinary Team

I have a lot to learn about collaborating with parents, teachers, and other members of a MDT. As I read through this chapter, I realized how quick I am to want to do things individually and to just get things done because I don't like wasting time. One portion of chapter three talked about how the shared outcome, although it may take longer to reach it, will be better than what could be achieved alone. I really liked this because as I think about next weeks exam where I will be a part of a group essay, I would like to try and learn from my classmates instead of being concerned about how quickly we can accomplish something.

Everyone brings different talents to a collaboration meeting. This is true even when looking at our study groups for class. Even people with the same majors will find that the experiences of their group members can shape new perspectives and deepen learning. During collaboration meetings, individuals can work together if everyone is willing to have mutual respect for the ideas of their teammates. One way I can work on this is to actively listen to the ideas of the team members as we go through the five step process of the meeting. As I help identify the problem with the parents (as the special education teacher) I can offer my input in a way that doesn't make the parent feel like I am in control or that I am the one defining the problem.

Solutions are developed through a brainstorming process. One of my skills that I can use during this portion of the meeting is my ability of knowing how much time has passed and how much time we have alloted to each portion of the meeting. However, I need to do this in a respectful manner and not let my weakness of impatiences seep through.

Again, as we evaluate ideas as a team, I need to be careful to not hurt people's feelings and begin by stating my opinion as a OPINION, not the final call.

Another skill I can use is when our team will plan the specifics for that child. I am organized and can see all aspects of a goal. I need to make sure everyone is contributing and that we are all working towards the same goal,, the academic success of this child.

And finally, our team can implement a solution.

I have made a goal after this week to begin my career as a teacher with collaboration in mind. I want to call two of my students' parents each night to maintain a relationship with them and use sensitivity towards their children. Something else I want to learn throughout my career is how to focus on the individual, not their disability.

In class, we participated in a mock IEP and in a court ruling under the law of IDEA. I really enjoyed these activities because they helped me to find the relevance of what I am studying in class. 

Lesson 3 Disability Law

My post this week is going to focus on the IDEA parental rights for those who have children with disabilities. These stuck with me because of their importance for my future work with children from the range of birth to 8 years old.

I want to work with younger children and because of that, it is likely that I will be one of the first people to recognize developmental delays and red flags. Knowing the laws that protect parents and their children will help me to be an advocate.

Before this week, I had no idea that I would need the consent of a parent before I even assessed a child for a learning disability. I wasn't aware that they could then get their own testing done and that I would need their approval before placing their child anywhere other than a general education classroom. This leads into a discussion on least restrictive environment. The least restrictive is the general education classroom. The most restrictive is being taught in the home. Interventions, such as a paraprofessional or other professionals that come into the general education classroom add to restrictions in the environment. If one of my students struggles to learn social skills and to apply them, then having a para-educator sitting right next to him isn't going to help him to develop in that area. It may be necessary to have someone attend school with him, but ultimately, our goal as educators should be to have the least restrictive environment. Other restrictions include pulling the students out of the general education classes for portions of the day and attending a special class instead of a general education class. 

Before coming back to school at BYU-Idaho, I worked at a high school in American Fork. From this experience, I saw how hard my teachers worked to get all of our life skills students into general education classrooms as much as possible. I want to work for this goal too.

Under the laws of IDEA, parents have access to the records of their child's file and a knowledge of everyone that has looked at them. While I was working as a para-educator in American Fork, I saw the importance of this law. We had several students come into the life skills class to assist our students in their learning. Each of them signed a confidentiality form saying that they wouldn't talk about the students disabilities or about their behaviors. It is against the law to break confidentiality. If I want to be employed in the future, then I am going to have to keep this law.

Parents have the right to redefine their child's IEP through a Due Process system. This is important to understand so that when I work with future parents, I remember that their input is valuable because of their relationship with the school and their child. The parent will probably want what is best for their child. This leads me to the principle of IDEA known as FAPE ( free appropriate public education). 

Cases dealing with FAPE have helped to define that what is appropriate isn't always what is best. I want what is best for my children and future students however, this law isn't about that. It deals with getting what is appropriate.

FAPE is hard for me to fully understand because as a future parent, I am certain I am going to want what is BEST for my children, especially when they come to earth with limitations on their opportunities already. However, it is also important for me to remember that what I think is best, might actually harm them in the long run. For example, I might think having push in services for a child would be the best thing for them but socially, this isn't always the case (in fact rarely). 

I am grateful to understand about the informed consent laws because as I work with parents, I don't want to be flying by the seat of my pants, trying to figure out what I need to do. I can be organized and call them 10 days before a meeting is scheduled about their child and can talk with parents in collaboration to a lasting relationship with them. 

This week reminded me of the importance of understanding the rights of the parents as well as the rights of the school district that I work in so that I can be an advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves.

Lesson 2, Chapter 1

There is a place for the law. Although I may end up with more paperwork then I would without, the law is in place for the protection of individuals with special needs. Watching the video of the institution in Serbia opened my eyes to how good we have it in the United States and how quickly our law is changing to continue to protect the rights of any group of people.

Watching the videos in Serbia made me think about a little girl I used to work with that needed to have a medical procedure done for her health. Because of her disability, the issue was taken up in court so that the law could examine her individual rights. It was a pain for her family, to get through all of the meetings in court, but they were set up for her safety and to avoid things happening in the United States that aren't humane.

In class, members of my heterogeneous group shared insights about how the videos made them feel and we concluded that it was because of the law that people with special needs are protected, under the fourteenth amendment.

The Brown v. BOE case moved me to want to advocate more for what I know to be true. Thurgood spent YEARS working on the case that ultimately stated "Separate is inherently unequal." I thought about this statement over the week and about the implications for my future students. I want to include students with special needs in general education classrooms. It is a disservice to everyone involved to exclude people that are different from the general population. In a sense, everyone struggles with learning difficulties or differences in sociability. Because of this, I believe in educating people of all strengths. Research has also shown that this type of learning, in environments that include those that are different, prepares people for real life better than excluding all distractions from the learning environment. 

This week also motivated me to take the Law class that is required for k-12 majors but not for ECSE. If I am going to be an advocate for people with disabilities, than I need to understand how the law works and what is currently in place in the United States.

My philosophy of teaching will continue to change as I learn more about the differences between special education in the United States verses throughout various parts of the world. I learned a lot from my peers about accountability and the need for government officials to be aware of what is going on throughout the country. I need to be aware of elections going on within my own community so that when the time comes to vote someone onto the school board, I know who is running and can make a choice based on who can help ALL the children in the public schools, not just the general population of students. 

Introducing Post

Hey AnnDee! I am just posting this so we can make sure that we can both find each other's blogs. Hope you have a great weekend!