2. Understanding the Family Steps to take to become more culturally aware: “Learn more about the family you are serving,--Work with people from the family’s culture-- Learn words and forms of greeting in the family’s language --Allow additional time to work with interpreters--Use forms of communication that are acceptable and meaningful to the family” (Allen & Cowdery, 2005, p. 165)
3. Communication with Parents Parent Observations Parents are more than welcome to come in the classroom and observe their child(ren) in their natural learning environment. This also gives them the opportunity to see what is happening in the classroom rather than just hearing about it from their child. Parent-Teacher Meetings Parents and teachers alike will have open communication and many opportunities to meet with their child’s teacher to ask questions and raise concerns that they may have This gives the parents a chance to build a relationship with the teacher and gain trust in him/her.
4. Communication with parents Home Visits This is a great option if the parents do not feel comfortable with coming to the school to meet. It also gives the teacher a great opportunity to understand the family at a much higher level. A home visit is only done with more than one adult (teacher and interpreter) etc. for safety reasons and for means of communication Email Technology is a amazing way of communication for parents and teachers alike. With online interpretation websites teachers and parents can translate the email to English, Spanish, Italian, etc. This technology could be taught at a parent-teacher meeting so that the parents could easily communicate with the teacher at any time.
5. Encourage use of home language To encourage children to use their home languages teachers will let them “teach” the other students simple greetings (i.e. hello, goodbye, girl, boy, etc) This would take place during a unit about other cultures or daily during circle time Doing this encourages the use and continuation of their home language and also opens the other children’s minds to the other languages of the world.
28. Resources for Early Intervention Behavioral Care Specialists “Behavioral Care Specialists offers intensive early intervention services for children diagnosed with autism, pervasive development disorders and related developmental disabilities. Our program is designed to provide our young patients with the language, social, pre-academic and independent living skills necessary for them to enjoy normal lives” (www.behaviorcarespecialists.com) Mainly for children aging from birth to 8 years of age Time 2 Shine Therapy Time 2 Shine Therapy is a non-profit organization that offers therapy services to children with autism and other delays no matter their economic status. They focus on skills in: communication, social and play, daily living, fine motor and sensory needs. For more information visit: (www.sfearlyintervention.org) 3 hour sessions five days a week (all done by an occupational and speech therapists)
29. Resources for Early Intervention Cont. Theratime Theratime is a small business that is geared towards helping children succeed in every way possible by providing physical, occupational, and speech therapy. The therapists focus on what is most needed by the child and also what their disability is and how they can help with the outcomes of how the disability affects them. Find more information at: www.theratime.com Birth to 3 Connections State Department of Education This office and website provides parents with the laws and rules that provide their children with the rights to being helped and educated. It also provides parents with the knowledge of what is possible for their children.
30. References Allen, K.E., & Cowdery, G.E. (2005). The exceptional child: Inclusion in early childhood education (5th ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning. Autism Society - Homepage. (n.d.). Autism Society - Homepage. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from http://www.autism-society.org Books: ARI's Recommended Reading : Autism Research Institute. (n.d.). Autism is Treatable : Autism Research Institute. Retrieved June 22, 2011, from http://autism.com/fam_readinglist.asp Home - Sioux Falls Early Intervention. (n.d.). Home - Sioux Falls Early Intervention. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from http://www.sfearlyintervention.org Welcome Sibling Support Project. (n.d.). Welcome Sibling Support Project. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from http://www.siblingsupport.org Welcome to Behavior Care Specialists Online. (2011, January 1). Welcome to Behavior Care Specialists Online. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from http://www.behaviorcarespecialists.com
