How Teachers Can Work with Families of Special Needs Children

How Teachers Can Work with Families of Special Needs Children

Children with special needs deserve equal inclusive education opportunities (Heward 84). Since these children are abled differently, teachers should collaborate with parents and families to pat on their talents. Open-door communication is one of the crucial strategies teachers could employ to facilitate partnerships with families of special needs learners. Despite the challenges and stressors encountered by families and educators while dealing with these learners, collaboration could help families with the knowledge to empower their children to achieve their academic goals. As such, teamwork becomes essential to facilitate the easy transmission of knowledge. Therefore, in this paper, I will explore strategies teachers could employ to facilitate successful partnerships with families of special needs children.

Firstly, teachers should embrace open communication. Communication is crucial for establishing long-term relationships when working with special needs families. I believe in the importance of learning to embrace the local language of communication. When teachers are willing to learn local languages of communication, they help to facilitate the process of rapport building between teachers and the families of these learners. When communicating, one should show love, care, and concern towards these parents and, in this way, enhance trust. According to Heward, when teachers engage in collaborative communication with families of students with disabilities, they can understand their situation and needs, hence employing the best approaches to meet their educational needs (84). Therefore, establishing meaningful relationships depends upon the ability to communicate effectively with families as a critical part of building a successful working environment.

Secondly, teachers should make efforts to educate the parents. Teachers are believed to be more aware of the needs of special learners since they spend a lot of time with them. As such, they should help parents to understand their child’s disabilities better. Creating awareness in families while subjecting them to plenty of information will help them explore this knowledge to understand their children better (Mulholland et al. 48). However, while reminding them about their children’s needs, teachers should ensure that they remind families about their capabilities. It is important for a teacher never to negatively criticize a child but rather let the parents know how talented, capable, and experienced their child is. This acts as a way to motivate parents to keep helping their children without giving up. Therefore, educating families becomes an essential part of working together to help these learners achieve their goals in life.

Subsequently, teachers should avoid stereotyping as stereotyping blocks open communication with family members (Mulholland et al. 48). Teachers should also understand that every child is unique and special, so one should learn to deal with individual needs. Additionally, teachers should avoid making fun of a child’s condition because it could hurt the child and their family while reflecting the teacher’s ignorance and lack of empathy. As such, a tutor should never define a child based on their disability but rather let the families know that their child’s disability does not define who they are.

Conclusion

I believe that every child is special; therefore, teaching children with disabilities comes with great responsibilities and dedication. Often, families seek help from educators when dealing with children with special needs because they believe they are more empowered to address their needs. When dealing with parents, teachers should showcase high levels of professionalism, open doors of communication, and be empathetic and understanding. They should encourage parents rather than turn them down. This way, the children and their parents get the help they need without feeling left out.

Works Cited

Heward, William L., Exceptional children: An introduction to special education. Pearson Education/Merrill/Prentice Hall, 2006.

Mulholland, Rita, and Norma Blecker. “Parents and Special Educators: Pre-Service Teachers’ Discussion Points.” International Journal of Special Education 23.1 (2001): 48-53.

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Weekly Assignment #3:
Visit the following website: https://www.virtuallabschool.org/preschool/family-engagement/lesson-4.
Search the web and find other information and write a 2-page paper on how you as a teacher would work with families of special needs children.
If the above link does not work for you then feel free to choose a website on your own.