Advance Organizer

1. Basic Communication SkillsTen Guidelines for Communicating with Parents and FamiliesDr. Karen McFerrin

2. Advance Organizer Presentation: Strategies for Communicating with Parents Presenter: Dr. Karen McFerrin • Introductions • Purpose of the presentation: To discuss basic communication skills and strategies for working with parents, especially parents of children with disabilities • Basic Communication Skills (examples/nonexamples) (Knackendoffel et. al, 1992) • Ten Guidelines for Communicating with Parents and Families (Heward, 2006) • Resources • Questions and Answers • Evaluations Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

3. Basic Communication Skills *Listen Actively (Examples/Nonexamples) Includes: • Body posture • Eye contact • Facial expression *Use Nonverbal & Verbal Encouragers *Minimize Distractions Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

4. What to Focus Your Mind On • Focus on the content of the person’s verbal statements. • Focus on the Person’s feelings. a. Tune into the speaker’s voice tone; b. Tune into the person’s nonverbal behavior. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

5. Make Reflecting Statements • Paraphrase the Speaker’s Words; • Reflect the Speaker’s Emotions; • Pause at least 5 seconds after making a reflecting statement. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

6. Ask Questions • Ask Open-ended Questions Examples: “What would you like to discuss today?” “What solutions have you tried?” “What seems to be the problem?” “What successes has your child experienced recently?” Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

7. Close-Ended Questions Examples: • “How many assignments is Peter missing?” • “Do you agree with the proposed changes?” • “Are you feeling discouraged about this situation?” Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

8. Indirect Questions Examples: “I wonder how often this has happened?” “I wonder what might have happened to cause this behavior.” Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

9. Clarifying Questions Examples • “You’ve stated that John has a bad attitude. What does he say or do that indicates to you that he has a bad attitude?” • “What’s an example of how Jane reacts when you tell her NO?” Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

10. Summarizing • How to Summarize: 1. Begin with an initial phrase that introduces the summary. Examples: “Let’s go over what we’ve discussed so far.” “Let’s review what we have covered.” Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

11. How to Summarize (cont.) • 2. Make the Summarizing Statement. • 3. Ask the Person to Confirm or Reject the Summarizing Statement. Example: “Did I include everything?” 4. Listen Actively. 5. If Necessary, Ask the Person to Correct the Summarizing Statement. Example: “What have I omitted?” Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

12. Basic Communication Skills Activity Directions: Please practice using the Basic Communication Skills. • Listen to a (i.e., teacher, student, administrator, parent) problem. • Paraphrase the Problem in your own words. • Ask an Open-Ended Question to clarify the problem. • Ask a Closed-Ended Question to clarify the problem. • Make a Reflecting Statement about the problem. • Make a Reflecting Statement on the Person’s Emotion. • Ask the person the following questions: Is this correct? Do you want to add/change anything that I said? • Make a Summarizing Statement. To assist you in your Problem Summaries, I have designed a table for you to follow. • 2. Paraphrase the Problem (Retell the story/problem in your own words) • 3. Ask an Open-Ended Question • Ask a Clarifying question. • 4. Ask a Closed-Ended Question • Ask an indirect question. • Ask a Clarifying Question • 5. Make a Reflecting Statement • 6. Make a Reflecting Statement on the Person’s • Emotion • 7. Ask the person the following questions: • a. “Is this correct? • b. Do you want to add/change anything? • 8. Make a summarizing statement. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

13. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

14. Ten Guidelines for Communicating with Parents and Families Regardless the mode of parent-teacher communication or differences in cultural experiences and language backgrounds of the participants, the following suggestions are valuable guidelines for educators in their interactions with parents and families. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

15. Don’t assume that you know more about the child, his/her needs, and how those needs should be met than his/her parents do. If you make this assumption, you will usually be wrong and, worse, will miss opportunities to obtain and provide meaningful information. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

16. Collaboration & Support NOT GOOSE BUT GEESE You may be interested in knowing that science has discovered why geese fly in a V formation. It was learned that as each bird flaps its wings, it created an uplift for the bird immediately following. The whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. • (This is true for people too. They can go a lot further with support of others.) Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

17. 2. Junk the jargon. Educators who use technical terminology will have difficulty communicating effectively with parents (or with anyone else, for that matter). Speak in clear, everyday language and avoid the alphabet soup of special education (e.g., FAPE, IFSP, IEP). Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

18. Collaboration & Teaming • Further, whenever, a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance to trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation. (Some things are just done easier within a group.) Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

19. Don’t let assumptions and generalizations about parents and families guide your efforts. If you are genuinely interested in what a father or mother feels or wants, ask. Do not assume a parent is in the x, y, or z stage and therefore needs a, b, or c. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

20. Collaboration & Support • When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing so that another bird can fly point. (It pays to take turns doing the hard jobs.) Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

21. Be sensitive and responsive to the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of parents and families. The information and support services desired by families from different cultural and ethnic groups vary, and majority educators must work to be sensitive to those differences (Harry et al., 1999; Lynch & Hanson, 2004). Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

22. Don’t be defensive or intimidated. Unless you are one, you cannot ever really know what being a parent of a child with disabilities is like. As a professional teacher, you do know something about helping children with disabilities learn. That’s your job; it’s what you do every day with lots of children. Offer the knowledge and skills you know without apology, and welcome parents’ input. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

23. Collaboration & Encouragement • The geese honk from behind to encourage those in front to keep up their speed. (Words of encouragement for those in front of you will always take an organization a lot further.) Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

24. Refer families to other professionals when needed. As a teacher, you interact with parents and families in an effort to improve the child’s educational program. You are not a marriage counselor or a therapist. If a parent or family member indicates the need for non-special education services, offer to refer him/her to professionals and agencies qualified to provide them. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

25. Collaboration & Caring Community Finally whenever a goose becomes sick or injured, two other geese will fall out of formation and help the sick one until it recovers. Thank goodness for our geese! Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

26. Help parents strive for a realistic optimism. Children with disabilities and their families benefit little from professionals who are doom-and-gloom types or who minimize the significance of a disability. Help parents analyze, plan, and prepare for their child’s future (Giangreco et al., 1998; Turnbull & Turnbull, 2006). Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

27. Start with something parents can be successful with. For many parents, involvement in their child’s education program is a new experience. When parents show an interest in helping their child at home, don’t set them up to fail by giving them complicated materials, complex instructions, and a heavy schedule of nightly tutoring. Begin with something simple that is likely to be rewarding to the parent and the child. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

28. Respect a parent’s right to say “No.” Most educators are eager to share what they know and to help families plan and carry out shared teaching goals. Professionals sometimes “fail to recognize” the more basic needs of families. One need may be that a professional support person is not needed!....There comes a time when parents and other members of the family wish to be left alone. (Howard et al., 2005. p. 124). Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

29. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.” Sometimes parents will ask questions that you cannot answer or request services you cannot provide. The mark of a real professional is knowing the limits of your expertise and when you need help. It is okay to say, “I don’t know.” Parents will think more highly of you. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

30. Heward, W. L. (2006). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (8th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice Hall. Knackendoffel, A., Robinson, S. M., Deshler, D. D., & Schumaker, J. B. (1992). Collaborative problem solving: Teaming techniques series. Lawrence, KS: Edge Enterprises, Inc. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

31. Resources • http://www.exceptionalparent.com • http://www.beachcenter.org • http://www.nichcy.org • http://www.prenhall.com/heward • http://www.specialchild.com/index.html • http://www.assistivetech.net • http://www.cec.sped.org Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

32. Additional Print Resources • Gorman, J.C. (2004). Working with challenging parents of student with special needs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. • Lynch-Quinonez, C. (2000). Bless my special child: Prayers and insights for parents. Liguori, MO: Liguori Press. • Naseef, R. A. (2001). Special children challenged parents: The struggles and rewards of raising a child with a disability. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. • Simons, R. (1987). After the tears: Parents talk about raising a child with a disability. Denver, CO: The Children’s Museum of Denver, Inc. • Wilmshurst, L., & Brue, A.W. (2005). A parent’s guide to special education. New York: AMACOM. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

33. Post Organizer • 1. State the five basic Communication Skills? • 2. Describe two strategies for communicating with parents. • 3. How can you apply this information now? Free Template from www.brainybetty.com