Legal Aspects of Special
Education
And Social Foundations
Support for Families
Family-Centered Services
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Family-centered vs. child-centered
Education of the Handicapped Act of 1986
(forerunner of IDEA Amendments of 1997)
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Planning grants to states
Develop early intervention for B-3
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With disabilities
Those at risk for having disabilities
FAPE for preschoolers with disabilities
IFSP
Family-Centered Services
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Family support
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Service delivery
Emphasizes family strengths
Enhance families’ well-being and competence
Model and teach relationship skills
Commitment to collaboration
Research
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Emotional support and friendship
Personal, informal relationships
Linking to other families
Develop advocacy skills
Teach skills to work effectively with child with disability
Cognitive coping
Tenets of Family-Centered
Services
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Parents know their child best
Family makes final decisions
Family is constant in child’s life
Recognize family needs and respect
involvement
Value trust and collaboration
Respect cultural backgrounds
Concerns with FamilyCentered Services
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Role of professional
Focus of family concerns only
Consideration of other supports
Professionals are key to make changes
Family and Professional Roles
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Empowerment
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Focus on family strengths
Family control over services
Focus on collaboration
Variables
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Dispositions
Beliefs and attitudes
Methods of collaboration
Knowledge base
Outside influences
Family and Professional Roles
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Interpersonal interactions and knowledge of
children
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Family orientation
Positive attitude
Sensitivity
Responsiveness to needs
Informal interaction with parents
Community-based support
Family and Professional Roles
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Perspectives
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Families
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See lesser emphasis on child-intervention services
Values child-level activities more that family-level
activities
Professionals
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Family awareness of needs and resources
Support for future needs and interpreting assessment
Family coping skills
Building Alliances
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Feedback from families in policy making
Professional training
Pre-service training
Ongoing professional development
Communication &
Collaboration
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Enhance sense of community
Mobilize resources and supports
Shared responsibility and collaboration
Protection of family integrity
Strengthening family functioning
Proactive human service practices
Actions of Service Providers
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Respect family values, beliefs, and practices
Trust that the family knows best
Be sensitive to diverse backgrounds
Acknowledge family members as decision makers
Treat family members and people first
Recognize your role as a “guest” in family home and
life
Maintain appropriate boundaries
Be flexible
Enjoy the children and families
Relationships
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Parent-professional partnership
Phases of partnerships
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Getting acquainted
Exploration
Collaboration
Closure
Communication
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Active listening
Clear communication
Respectful interactions
Honesty
Respond to conflict
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Use appropriate behavior
Maintain perspective
Separate person from problem
Develop action plan
Professional Issues
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Maintain professional standards
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Maintain confidentiality
Maintain ethical behavior
Keep lines of communication open
Prevent burn-out
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Reflect on personal and professional interactions
Access team support
Access supervision and mentoring