AboutPatricia Ireland-Williams Expertise I am a retired K-12 Public School Principal (8 years as a teacher and counselor) and 23 years as an administrator. I can help parents with questions about how the system works, provide ideas on how to solve school issues or assist teachers in coping with the plethera of stressors they face.
Experience I am currently an educational consultant and have served on the State of Arizona Solutions Team.
Question I am currently seeking my teaching degree and have to survey a few people with some experience. My question to you is "Would you describe needs and challenges of families caring for children with special needs?" Thank You for taking the time to answer my questions. Thanks, Carla
Answer This is a huge question but the bottom line is that it is difficult to raise a child in the first place. When one (often multiple) disabilities are exhibited by the child many parents exhibit a variety of behaviors: denial, anger, blame, hostility, etc. etc. When the child is then diagnosed the same can occur because the parent now knows that this special need most likely will be a lifetime issue. There are a lot of frustrations for parents when encountering school systems in that most loving parents who accept their child's special needs sometimes continue to either be a)overprotective or b) take a hands off approach and expect the school to take care of everything.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of parents who have major issues in their lives, were themselves often labeled "special ed" and feel like total victims. They often hate "the system" and create many challenges for themselves, their children and the caregivers (including the school). The only way I have found to help them is to give them lots of time to vent and encourage them to get involved in helping the school better the education of their child. Sometimes that happens, sometimes it doesn't. You have to focus on your successes and learn from the other experiences.
I have seen it all. When my career began, most all special needs kids were sent "off" to special schools (which I felt was punishment for not being "normal"). I was delighted when mainstreaming began and special needs kids were integrated into "regular" schools. Now, retired, I continue to work with the disabled population as a volunteer. I can usually tell you right off the bat how the person was treated by their family, friends and school by their success as a disabled or handicapped adult. Those who were treated with isolation often still feel isolated whereas those who were raised in inclusion feel a lot better about who they are as people today.
I believe that in order to do a great job with special needs kids, ALL personnel who work with them need sensitivity and adaptive skill development training. Parents need the same support. We must work together as a team because we are creating lifelong skills for these special people.
