Family Needs & Culture

1. Family Needs & Culture Putting the Deficit Model in a Cultural Context Zentall

2. Deficit Model Family Psychologist Child’s Deficit Medical Social Work Zentall Educators

3. Child’s Deficits • SENSORY/PHYSICAL ......... HI, VI • ATTENTION DISORDERS... • ADD......attentional bias toward external novelty • Autism....attentional bias toward familiar stimuli • Anxiety.............EH...preoccupation with stressors • PERCEPTUAL/MEMORY.... LD • CONCEPT FORMATION...... MiMH • MOTOR IMPAIRMENT....... OI, OHI • SKILL GAPS..................cultural experiences, moving, instruction Zentall

4. Blame the child Blame the parents Blame the teacher Zentall

5. “When a teacher talks to parents about their children, he inevitable intrudes on family dreams. To this parent a child may represent their last hope for a better future. Through him they may still dream of a gaining affluence, honors, escape from anonymity, and a place in society. What the teacher says about the child touches on deep feelings and hidden fantasies. A concerned teacher is aware of the impact of his words. He consciously avoids comments that may casually kill dreams.” Haim Ginott (1972, p. 215) Zentall

6. New Approach:Context/Child Interaction is Blamed • Blame = the setting requirements relative to the goals and adaptive behavior of the child • Intervention = use existing adaptive behavior and adjust the context Zentall

7. Adaptive Model Child Functional Analysis SCHOOL HOME COMMUNITY Professionals Psychologist Medical Social Work Family Educators Zentall

8. The HOME & Family Needs • Support • Information • Time Resource • Locating Services • Evaluation Zentall

9. Support • Social Isolation • Needs for social approval • One mother’s sum of past interactions with teachers: “A masterful combination of dishonesty, condescension, misinformation, and bad manners” Zentall

10. Information Related to Developmental Milestones • Initially 5-6 years when entering school • Later when Leaving school Related to Economics of Parents High SES: Attitudes and reactions affect normal sibs Low SES: Financial and daily burden of care Zentall

11. Locating Services: Service Maze • Health (medical/dental/mental) • Respite • Support • Daily Care • Transportation • Financial • Domestic • Education • Care of sibs and balance • Educational/Speech • Self-help • Legal and advocacy Zentall

12. Legal Maze • Police can use warnings w/ release to parental custody (1/2 of cases) • Judge can issue a warning, give probation, assign to detention center or training school (1/2 cases) • Legal system is responsible for the education of juveniles placed in an institutional setting Zentall

13. Barriers to Service 1.1/2 pediatricians with negative attitude 2. Services are slow and insensitive (low priority in state and fed budgets) 3. Lack of clarity of administrative structures and rules and high turnover 4. Parents inability to communicate needs 5. Lack understanding of rights 6. Lack ability to use and interpret services and information they have 7. Only 3% shop for evaluations Zentall

14. Organize parents’ approach to services • 1. Child’s needs? • 2. What are services? • 3. Is there a law or policy that indicates eligibility? 504, IDEA, SSI • 4. Method to obtain service? • 5. Possible actions or alternatives if service is denied? What is SSI? National program provide minimal income, medical, or other health benefits for child with disability Zentall

15. Cultural Barriers and Assists • Values and behavioral styles • Languages and dialects • Nonverbal communication • Awareness of one’s cultural distinctiveness • Identification, or feeling a part of the cultural group Zentall

16. Gender as a Culture • Masculine vs. feminine styles of discourse • different communication styles • Amount of time listening vs. talking • Interrupting • Use of indirectness and silence Zentall

17. Concerned mainly with status Crucial to be respected by peers Talk more in public setting Tell more stories and make jokes Find solutions to other’s problems Concerned mainly with connection Crucial to be liked by peers Talk more in private settings Stories express desire for communication Provide understanding and empathy different intentions when communicating Zentall

18. Learning Characteristics • Female Learners: • prefer more community and cooperative learning oriented environments, rather than competitive ones • are more relational than analytic in their conceptual learning • feel unempowered/disempowered by schooling experiences; they often feel silenced • view themselves less confidently than males do, especially in math and science. Zentall

19. Ethnic cultures: • Hispanic/Latino Learners: • Are more field dependent/sensitive • Are peer and group oriented and are more likely to perform well in small groups • prefer more personal and informal relationships with authority figures • 15% females as head of household • Family more important than individual--families warm and nurturing. Zentall

20. African American Learners • are more global. Tend to focus on the whole picture rather than on the parts. • often approximate space, numbers, and time rather than being tied to precise accuracy • are more field dependent/sensitive • rely on nonverbal as well as verbal communication patters • distrust mainstream people and institutions • 40% females head of household • 60% of children born to single moms Zentall

21. Native American Learners • don’t seek individualized recognition for achievement; group achievement is valued over individual achievement; performance must benefit the peer group. • prefer sharing and cooperative learning versus competitive learning environments • have a different concept of time from the mainstream perspective • Have less eye contact and verbal participation which can be interpreted as non-interest • seem to indicate a lack of interest in learning and a lack of motivation. • are more reflective than impulsive • more often have an internal locus of control and are self-directed • prefer to watch and then perform, rather learn in a trial and error fashion. • are more visually and imagery oriented than verbally oriented. Zentall

22. Asian American Learners • prefer formal relationships with teachers and other authority figures • are autonomous and conforming • are obedient to authority • are usually conservative and reserved • are more introverted Zentall

23. Fewer than 15% of teachers and fewer than 12% of school administrators are members of underrepresented populations. (1994 data) 10.3% of teachers are African American; 3% Hispanic; .9% Native American 92% of teachers are white with 80% being female One of the greatest challenges for consultants in multicultural settings is understanding the consultee’s world and viewing things as the consultee sees them. Zentall

24. Consulting in rural areas • Too many other responsibilities and paperwork—limited resources • More lesson preparations and extracurricular duties • Too few students for some kinds of grouping • Too few staff members covering too many curricular and special program areas • Isolation: • Minimal professional interaction due to sparse population • Long distances to travel and often poor roads and weather conditions for driving • “Different-ness” more noticeable in small populations • Resistance of students toward being singled out Zentall

25. Students Who Change Locations Frequently Up to 20% of population moves each year. A. Some forced to move due to eviction, ethnic or racial tension, or economic deprivation. B. Some are migrant workers who arrive late and must spend time catching up on academic work C. Military Stresses for family and children include: adjusting to new place/job, insecurity in making new friends, belonging to a minority group or limited English proficiency Zentall

26. Students who move frequently need: • Peer support groups • Emphasis on teamwork and cooperation in the classroom • Use a buddy system • Use mentors • Organize parent support groups • Hold periodic orientation program meetings throughout the year • Conduct in-service programs for school staff Zentall