Make a sentence with each word and word combination. 2. Read the text “Parents and families of persons with disabilities”2. Read the text “Parents and families of persons with disabilities”. Use dictionary if necessary. Today knowledgeable professionals who work with exceptional learners are aware of the importance of the family. They recognize that the family of the person with a disability can help in their educational efforts. To ignore the family is shortsighted because it can lessen the effectiveness of teaching. Even though we now recognize how crucial it is to consider the concerns of parents and families in treatment and educational programs for individuals who are disabled, this was not always the case. Processionals’ views of the role of parents have changed dramatically. In the not too distant past, some professionals pointed to the parents as the primary cause of the child s problems or as a place to lay blame when practitioners’ interventions were ineffective. For at least two reasons, we now know that automatically holding parents responsible for their children s problems is inappropriate. First, research has shown that the direction of causation between child and adult behavior is a two-way street. Sometimes the parent changes the behavior of the child or infant; sometimes the reverse is true. With specific regard to children who are disabled, some researchers point out that these children, even as infants sometimes have difficult temperaments, which influence how parents respond to them. Some infants, who are disabled, for example, are relatively unresponsive to stimulation from their parents, making it more difficult to interact with these children. With an understanding of the reciprocal nature of parent-child interaction, we are thus more likely, for example, to sympathize with a mother's frustration in trying to cuddle an infant with severe mental retardation or a father's anger in attempting to deal with his teenager who has an emotional or behavior disorder. Second, researchers have found that the family can have a positive influence on the educational process. Many believe that the goal should be to develop and preserve the natural parent-child relationship as much as possible. In sum, a healthy parent-child relationship is inherently beneficial. Current law mandates that schools attempt to include parents in crafting their children's individualized education programs (IEPs). In the case of children under 3 years of age, schools must involve parents in developing individualized family service plans (IFSPs). The focus of the IFSP is to be family-centered. In other words, the IFSP not only addresses the needs of the individual child who has a disability, but also focuses on the child's family by specifying what services the family needs to enhance the child's development. Most authorities also stress family systems theory. There are several family system theories, all of which assume that the more treatment and educational programs take into account the relationships and interactions among family members; the more likely it is they will be successful. One such model is composed of family characteristics, family interaction, family functions, and family life cycle. Family characteristics provide a description of basic information related to the family. They include characteristics of the exceptionality (e.g., the type and severity), characteristics of the family (e.g., size, cultural background, and socioeconomic status), personal characteristics (e.g., coping styles), and special conditions (e.g., spousal abuse, maternal depression). Family characteristics help to determine how family members interact with themselves and with others outside the family. Family members can have a variety of functional and dysfunctional ways of relating to one another. Some authorities point to the degree of responsiveness of the parent to the child as key to healthy child development. The more the parent responds appropriately to the young child's body language, gestures, facial expressions, and so forth, the more the child's development will flourish. Family functions are the numerous routines in which families engage to meet their many and diverse needs. Economic, daily care, social, medical, and educational needs are just a few examples. An important point for teachers to consider is that education is only one of several functions in which families are immersed. It is only natural, of course, that teachers should want to involve parents as much as possible. Positive benefits can occur when parents are part of the treatment program. Most family theorists consider four stages in the lives of families: early childhood, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Transitions between stages in the life cycle are often stressful for families, especially families with children who are disabled. The birth of any child can have a significant effect on the dynamics of the family. The parents and other children must undergo a variety of changes to adapt to the presence of a new member. For example, the child with a disability might require alterations in housing (e.g., the family might decide to move closer to therapists), household maintenance schedules (e.g., chores might not be done as quickly because of lack of time), and even parents' career goals (e.g., a parent might pass up a promotion to spend more time with the child). Traditionally, researchers and clinicians have suggested that parents go through a series of stages after learning they have a child with a disability. Some of these stages parallel the proposed sequence of responses that accompany a person's reactions to the death of a loved one. Based on interviews of parents of infants with serious physical disabilities, a representative set of stages includes shock and disruption, denial, sadness, anxiety and fear, anger, and finally adaptation. Psychologically these are the most difficult moments of life for families with disabled children: · Discovering there is a development dysfunctionality of the child. Emergence of fear; uncertainty over the future upbringing of the child; interminable grief. · Senior pre-school age. Realization of the fact that the child eventually will not be able to go to ordinary comprehensive school. · Teenage. Child’s awareness of his disability leads to difficulties in establishing contacts with peers and especially with the opposite sex. Isolation from society. · Senior school age. Difficulties with choosing future profession and further job-seeking. Inner conflict. In addition to ambivalence about the cause of the child's disability, parents can feel vulnerable to criticism from others about how they deal with their child's problems. Parents of children with disabilities sometimes sense, whether correctly or not, that others are scrutinizing their decisions about their child's treatment, educational placement, and so forth. The public can sometimes be cruel in their reactions to people with disabilities. People with disabilities—especially those who have disabilities that are readily observable—are inevitably faced with inappropriate reactions from those around them. And understandably, parents often assume the burden of responding to inappropriate or even cruel reactions from the public. In addition to dealing with the public's reactions to their child's disability, parents are faced with the delicate task of talking with their child about his or her disability. This can be a difficult responsibility because parents need to address the topic without making the disability seem more important than it actually is. In other words, parents do not want to alarm the child or make the child more concerned about the disability than is necessary. Some parents have a tendency to hold back information, wanting to spare their son's or daughter's feelings. What they fail to realize is that, in the long term, being given correct information at an early age is very good for healthy development. And, if kids are informed, they can answer questions themselves, rather than depending on Mom or Dad to speak up for them. Although a relatively large body of literature pertains to parental reactions, there is much less information about siblings of people with disabilities. Being less mature, they might have trouble putting some of their negative thoughts into proper perspective. Siblings of the same gender and those who are close in age tend to have more conflicts, and at older ages, there is some evidence that women have a closer attachment to their sibling with a disability. Having access to accurate information helps siblings to achieve a more positive adjustment.
III. 1. Answer the questions: 4) How have professionals’ views of parents changed? 5) What are the best way for families to be involved in treatment and education? 6) What are the most difficult moments of life for families with disabled children? 7) How might teachers encourage parents to maintain an active role in their child’s education? 8) What do you think are the keys to effective collaboration with parents?
2. Say whether the following statements are true or false: 1) Parents of children with disabilities are destined for a life of stress and misery. 2) Emotional, informational, or material aid provided to a person or a family; this informal means of aid can be very valuable in helping families of children with disabilities. 3) A legal term that gives a person the authority to make decisions for another person; can be full, limited, or temporary; applies in cases of parents who have children who have severe cognitive disabilities. 4) Family systems theory stresses that the individual's behavior is best understood in the context of the family and the family's behavior is best understood in the context of other social systems. 5) Sittings of children with disabilities often recount being aware at a very early age that something was different about their brothers or sisters. Siblings’ attitudes change at different stages of their own lives; for example, adolescents become more concerned about public perception of themselves and their siblings with disabilities. 6) IPSP is a plan for services for young children with disabilities (under three years of age) and their families; drawn up by professionals and parents. 7) Parents are to blame for many of the problems of their children with disabilities.
3. Give synonyms from the text to the following words: - opposite; - to drag in(to); - youth; - duty; - preferment; - negation; - indecision, doubt; - endless grief; - defenceless; - to refer.
4. Which word in the list is odd? 6) early childhood, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, retirement age. 7) shock, disruption, denial, sadness, disgust, happiness, anxiety, fear, anger. 8) discovering there is a development dysfunctionality of the child, adulthood, senior pre-school age, teenage, senior school age. 9) housing, household maintenance schedules, parents' career goals, hobbies. 5) economic, daily care, social, medical, educational, informational, material, vocational. 5. Make up the plan of the text. Here are the topics\ paragraphs in the wrong order. Make it correct: 1) Family involvement in treatment and education; 2) Family system theory; 3) Professionals’ changing views of parents; 4) Parental reactions; 5) Siblings reactions; 6) The effects of a child with disability on the family. 6. Continue the sentences: 1) Today knowledgeable professionals who work with exceptional learners… 2) To ignore the family is shortsighted because… 3) Family can have a positive influence on… 4) Current law mandates that schools… 5) Most family theorists consider four stages in the lives of families… 6) Parents of children with disabilities… 7) Some parents have a tendency…
7. Fill in the blanks with the words from the text: Most authorities also … family systems theory. There are several family system theories, all of which … that the more treatment and educational programs … into account the relationships and interactions among family members; the more likely it is they will be successful. One such model is … of family characteristics, family interaction, family functions, and family life cycle. Family characteristics … a description of basic information related to the family. They include characteristics of … (e.g., the type and severity), characteristics of the family (e.g., size, cultural background, and socioeconomic status), … characteristics (e.g., coping styles), and special conditions (e.g., … …, maternal depression). Family characteristics help to … how family members interact with themselves and with others … the family. Family members can have a variety of functional and dysfunctional ways of … to one another. Some authorities point to the degree of … of the parent to the child as key to healthy child development. The more the parent … appropriately to the young child's body language, gestures, facial expressions, and so forth, the more the child's development will …. Family functions are the numerous routines in which families engage to meet their many and diverse …. Economic, daily care, social, medical, and educational … are just a few examples. An important point for teachers to consider is that education is only one of several functions in which families are …. It is only natural, of course, that teachers should want to … parents as much as possible. Positive benefits can … when parents are part of the treatment program. Most family theorists … four stages in the lives of families: early childhood, childhood, …, and adulthood. Transitions between stages in the life cycle are often … for families, especially families with children who are disabled.
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