Significant Connections for Families of an ID Child
Alfreda Green
Grand Canyon University: SPE 351
June 30, 2013

Significant Connections for Families of an ID Child Children born with disabilities have to face challenges every day, some more than others depending upon their disability. There are four types of intellectual disabilities, mild, moderate, severe, and profound. To determine if a child is intellectual disabled, his or her IQ would have to be tested and an adaptive behavior is reviewed (NICHCY, 2013). Having a good support system is the key for parents when having a child with intellectual disabilities. I had the opportunity to discuss this with a teacher, Mrs. Karen Derrick, who teaches Special Education. She has worked with different types of ID children throughout her career. According to Mrs. Derrick, the impact an individual with an intellectual disability has on the family structure varies from family to family and disability to disability. Rest assured it will have some impact. These can range from something as minor as having to wear ear protection at a fireworks presentation to having to learn sign language or even other alternate forms of communication such as eye gazing. All of these will impact the family. For example, there are some people that have an intellectual disability that may never potty train, therefore requiring diapering, possibly for their entire life. This means they have to have round the clock care, not to mention the added expense of the diapers themselves.
I also asked her about collaborative skills a teacher should possess when interacting with families who have a child with intellectual disabilities. She stated,
“Teachers need to have a wide arrange of collaborative items in their possession. Not every family will interact the same with their intellectual disabled family member, nor with the teachers, etc that spend time working with their family member. These skills include good communication skills, listening skills, being able to use "laymen terms" with the families. They may very well find it difficult to understand many of the technical terms that are used from time to time. They should also be loving, and understanding. Many times these family members are in denial, or shock. This throws in a whole other way of interacting with the family. Particularly where divorce and/or separation are involved. Chances are the parents aren't going to agree anyhow.” (K. Derrick, personal interview).
Knowing Mrs. Derrick has a child that is ID, I asked her to give me her personal opinion. She stated,
“Our family dynamics changed having a child with an intellectual disability. There were appointments for doctors, therapy sessions, all which required more time and money than what was required for the other three. In a way it was like playing favorites even though it was truly survival. We were all learning new strategies on how to handle meltdowns homework etc. nothing was the same as with the others. This meant time off work for appointments and who was going to take that time. We worked it as who had the most critical things at work that day. Sessions after school meant late dinners and late homework also for everyone, including the two of us who were working in advance degrees”.
“From a parent’s point of view, nothing would frustrate me more than a teacher who would suggest that my child was dumb or ignorant. One teacher I know stated he didn't belong in her class or even in that school and it should be considered putting him in a group home. I believe all teachers should work their hardest to try and understand that no matter the problem this is still a parent’s child who has a life for that child that is never ending.” (K. Derrick, personal interview) I had the opportunity to observe Mrs. Derrick prepare for an IEP meeting of one of her student. This particular student comes from a single parent home where the mother is the custodial parent. The student only visits the father, who lives in Texas, during the summer. Several days before the meeting was to be scheduled, Mrs. Derrick began going over all of the progress reports that was done with the student to make sure everything was accurate and in order so she can write up her report and give her opinion on his progress. She studied his IEP and her lesson plans to make sure that all of the guidelines were followed. She kept a record of the student’s progress from the beginning of the year to end and made a chart to show his growth. Once her report was done, and she talked with all of the necessary people at the school, a meeting was scheduled. She contacted the parents via e-mail, letter and phone to make sure they were able to attend and that the time was perfect for them. On the day of the meeting, Mrs. Derrick made sure that the team was present and ready. Once the parents arrived, they were greeted by Mrs. Derrick and were led to the conference room. Those that were in attendance were, Mrs. Derrick, the school counselor, one regular education teacher, a representative from the Special Education Department, and a representative from Families Helping Families, which is an organization that helps families with children who are intellectual disabled. The parent brought with her the child’s after school care-giver. The father of the student could not attend the meeting in person but was allowed to attend via conference call because he lives in Texas and has the child during the summer months. The father wanted to know how he could be more active in his son’s education and what could he do to keep him on the right track. Introductions were made and everyone seemed to be comfortable with each other because they all had one common goal in mind, and that was making sure the student receives the best education possible. Mrs. Derrick took control of the meeting by explaining the purpose and reason for the meeting. She presented all of her reports to the parent and asked and answered the parent’s questions and the questions of the others as she went along. Once she was done, she asked everyone if they had any more questions or feedback for the parent. The parent was also able ask questions of her own. According to the progress report that was presented to the parent, it showed the student with significant increase in learning from August to May. At this point the suggestion was made by the Pupil Appraisal person for the student to attend summer school. By attending summer school the student would be able to stay on track and keep progressing as he is doing now. The parent stated she would like for him to attend summer school but he is with his father during the summer in Texas. The PA told the parents that she would look into the summer school program there and get them the information they needed so he could attend. The representative from FHF stated that she will put the organization there in touch with the father so that he can be informed of the student’s needs while he is in Texas. Once all was in agreement of the outcome of the student and the student’s progress, the IEP received the required signatures. A copy of the IEP along with Mrs. Derrick’s reports was made given to the mother and a copy was made to send to the father. In my opinion, this was a very successful meeting because everyone came together for one single purpose: to make sure the student was receiving the best education possible. All the people that was involve, have dealt with the child through the school year and felt the child had a good support system from the family. Both parents were very informed of their child’s education and they both play an active part in it. The reason for the after school care-giver being present was to give her an idea as to what she can do to help tutor him in the afternoons. I feel Mrs. Derrick was well prepared and informative on her student’s progress. The parent left the meeting with a positive attitude regarding her child’s progress, teacher and the rest of the IEP team.

Reference
Derrick, K. (personal interview) June 25, 2013
NICHCY. (2013). National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. Retrieved June 22, 2013 from http://nichcy.org/disability.specific/intellectual#babies