Julie's Early Childhood Studies: October 2011

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Brain development

I am very intrigued with brain development. I think if more people were educated about the importance of meaningful interactions and conversations our children would be better equipped to meet their full potential. Please, educate everyone you can about the importance of stimulating brain development in young children.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Special Education Assessment

Special Education Experience

When my daughter Katrina was 12 months old, I knew she was not developing communication skills on target. She was not cooing or babbling at all. During her well baby check, I brought up my concern to the pediatrician. She said it was a bit early to assess her and we would check her progress when she was 15 months old. By the time she was 15 months old she was barely babbling. By 18 months, she had a speech pathologist seeing her twice a week for an hour at each visit. By the time she was three she had an occupational therapist because she had sensory integration issues. Her speech pathologist told me I should have Katrina assessed for ADHD/ADD, but the school system would not do it. They did not think she exhibit the symptoms. The school system had Katrina in a room for about a half hour and the speech pathologist worked with her every week for years. By the time, she was in school she was mainstreamed but with identified special needs in language and sensory integration. Her third grade teach wanted her to be screened for ADD but, again she only had a few of the signs so, they decided it was not warranted. By the time, she was in seventh grade she was still in special education programs with help pull out help and assistance within the classroom. By the end of seventh grade, her special education teacher thought she should be assessed for ADD. Katrina is not hyperactive at all, but she is very distractible. She was always quiet and shy so, teachers did not feel she met the stereotypical view of an ADHD/ADD kid. She was assessed for ADHD/ADD and was found to be ADHD/ADD with the emphasis of distractibility. She started on medication and during her eighth grade year, she was due for her three-year review they found she did not qualify for special education services. She is now a senior and is an “A”, “B” student. We have to wonder if she was assessed and was medicated earlier would she have been more successful in school earlier.

I am very interested in the educational system of Great Britain. After living in England for four years, I found their system very similar to ours. However, because mothers tend to stay home with their child until the child has entered school, early assessment and recognition of delays lags behind America for early intervention services.

The school age assessment process for Special Educational Needs (SEN) has the same goal as schools in the US. Schools and early education programs place great importance on identifying SEN so they can help the child as early as possible. Most children with SEN can have their needs met in a mainstream school. Once it has been decided that your child has SEN, a child's teachers will plan their education with guidance of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. The Code of Practice is a guide for early education settings (such as nurseries and playgroups), state schools and local authorities, on how they should identify, assess and provide help for children with SEN. If your child has SEN, their school will increasingly, step by step, bring in specialist expertise to help with the difficulties they may have. This step-by-step approach is set out in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. A school must tell the parents if they start giving extra or different help to their child because of their SEN. The basic level of extra help is known as a School Action, this can include a different way of teaching certain subjects, some extra help from an adult, using particular equipment. The child may need help through this step-by-step approach for only a short time, or for many years. The child's teacher is responsible for working with the child on a day-to-day basis, but may decide to write down the actions of help for the child in an Individual Education Plan (IEP). The IEP could include: what special or additional help is being given, who will provide the help and how often, what help the parent can give your child at home, the child’s targets, and how and when progress will be checked.

Sometimes the school will not write an IEP but will record how they are meeting your child's needs in a different way, perhaps as part of their lesson plans. However, they should always be able to tell the parent how they are helping their child and what progress they are making.

If the child does not make enough progress under School Action, their teacher or SEN coordinator (SENCO) will speak with the parents about asking for advice from other people outside the school. These could include a specialist teacher or a speech and language therapist. This kind of extra help is called School Action Plus.

If the school still cannot give the child all the help they need, the parent or a professional who has been involved with the child can ask for a 'statutory assessment' - a detailed investigation to find out what the child's special educational needs are and what special help the child needs.

For more information about the special education system in England you can go to this website.

http://www.nfer.ac.uk/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=73D5C46A-C29E-AD4D-061B-633AFFA30AD6&siteName=nfer

My Supports

Within my daily environment, I find the computer and
internet to be supportive to my needs. It supports me within my private and professional life. While at work I use the internet to receive training, seek professional development opportunities for our staff, find resources for families, search for websites to help with curriculum development, find out
information about possible field trip locations, print maps, keep current in NAEYC accreditation updates, and receive newsletters from professional organizations.
Within my private life, the internet provides my schooling,
recipes for healthy meals, weight loss tracking, shopping, keeping in touch with friends and families, maintaining my pet’s certifications, and entertainment.
The benefits of my computer and the internet are numerous. I
am able to sustain relationships from people in distant locations; I can further my education, maintain good health, saves time, and energy, and be more resourceful at my job.
If I did not have my computer or internet, I may not be able
to continue my education in the field I desire because the local university does not offer the course of study I wanted.
If I had to go to the library or elsewhere to do my schoolwork, it would take me away from my family for many hours during the week. If I did not have my computer or internet at work, I would not be as resourceful to staff, families and children.
If computers and internet service was not available to me at
any location, I would have to drive to the different helping agencies in my community to find resources. I would have to call NAEYC for updates and resources. I would probable talk a great deal more on the phone. I would attend expos and conferences to learn about companies who have goods and services for children as well as attend the workshops.

I am often nervous about completing homework
on Sunday’s. I often have physically debilitating migraines, which effect my cognitively as well, as physically. My thought processing is inhibited and I have to hibernate in a dark room. I take a daily preventative medication, which lessens the frequency. However but, still several times a month I get excruciatingly bad headaches.
I have incredible support from my family, doctors, and medication. My family supports me by taking on the responsibilities of the house, being quiet, providing me
with medication, and a cold compress for my head. My husband and daughter will pick up the medication from the pharmacy, or bring me to the Emergency Room if
the medication does not provide relief. My doctors are amazing. My neurologist is very thorough through diagnostic test and experimenting with a variety of medication. She is trying to improve my quality of life. The Emergency Room staff
provide a quiet dark environment, and medication which relieves the pain within a few hours.
The benefits of these supports allow me to recover more quickly, fell loved, and allow me to finish
any required work. Without the support system I have for my migraines, I would be in pain for a number of days, losing work and unable to complete homework assignments. Without my daily medication, I would have more frequent and
intense migraines. I would be isolated in my bedroom without being able to engage with my children or husband. Without my husband and children as supports, I would feel isolated and helpless. I would not be able to complete homework by
the required due date. The ramifications of not having quality supports would prevent me from furthering my education.
Without the reassurance of my supports, my life would be a great deal more secluded, hinder my professional growth, and inhibit my quality of life.

Quotes to Inspire

On Parenting:
"Parents often talk about the younger generation as if they didn't have anything to do with it."
Dr. Hiam Ginott

On Teaching:
" I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element int the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized."
Dr. Hiam Ginott

On Respect:
"Respect according to [people] should not depend upon the way in which they spend their working hours. In a social sense there shuld be only one class- The great class of humanity."
Eglantyne Jebb

On War:
"All wars are waged upon children."
Eglantyne Jebb

On Passion:
"I have a passion to create a safe and just world."
Louise Derman-Sparks

On Motivation:
"It's an instrinsic motivation, knowing the work I do will benifit the lives of children."
Raymand Hernandez MS Ed

Personal Childhood Web

Having a large family has been a complete blessing to grow up in. I have 4 brothers and 4 sisters. My parents we married for over 50 years. My dad passed away 5 years ago and my mother is still living in Plattsburgh Ny in the same house we lived in when I was growning up. My dad was 1 of 4 and my mom 1 of 7. I have 56 first cousins who I know very well growing up. It is difficult to pick just 5 people who influenced me the most. But here goes;

My dad was a hard working small business owner. He worked hard and provided for his large family. We had everything we needed and then some. He was French Canadian Indian with dark brown hair and a bushy mustache. He taught me how to work hard. He taught me many life skills, which help me throughout ever given day. I have manners and a lot of common sense. I can eat at fancy restuants and talk about world politics, realigions, and travel destinations. We watched 60 Minutes together every week and also snuck in a bit of Sunday Morning before Church. He taught me to dress up if I was going to the bank, lawyers or doctors. Most importantly he taught me patience.

My mother is a short little woman who while growing up always had a belly. She is French and Irish. Mom taught me to believe in Jesus Christ. She always had food in the pantry and on the stove. She taught me hospitaility. She also taught me how not to cook.

My brother Bryan is a short little guy with a bit of a belly on him. He is just a couple years younger than me and we think he has William's Syndrom. but he has never been diagnosed. He taught me to be tolerant and accepting of everyone. He taught me that playing your air guitar and dash board piano is perfectly acceptible for an adult as you drive down the road.

My Aunt Delima was my dad's sister. She died only a year before my dad. She was a large woman with jet black hair and a loud voice. She lived about a half hour from us but, we got together quite oftern. She taught me that family was always worth your time. She came to every family gather no matter how small. She baked the most amazing Christmas goodies and to this day Christmas is not the same. She taught me the importance of family.

About Me

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Brain development

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Special Education Assessment