How having a special needs child impacts a family

1. Family Functions
SPED 232-Assignment 3
Sheelagh Lucas

2. Give a little love to a child,
and you get a great deal
back.-John Ruskin
 How do I show concern?
 Let the parents know how the kid is doing with
little notes, emails, or phone calls if time
permits
 Ask how “everyone is doing?” Knowing it may
take a little time out of your day, try to show
interest in the family. This will make them more
receptive to the teacher.
 If you can, recall a detail or two from each
conversation you can ask about…upcoming
event, other children, or something new going
on in the student’s life.
 All these things will show true interest the
parents want to see…this is how you
motivate the family to become more
involved with the education process…if
you seem to care, they will be more
willing to listen.
Motivation for Family
Involvement is easy to come
by. Parents need to
understand that the
instructors and school merely
want what is best for the
child. They need to seem
invested in that child’s well
being. It is easy to seem as
though there is not the love
and involvement that parents
want, especially in a young
child. But to motivate family
involvement, genuine
concern caring should be
shown.

3. Why keep the
parents motivated?
While some educators may not see
the purpose in keeping families
motivated in participation, it is very
important for each student. An
involved parent will be more likely to
carry over decisions from home. They
will be more likely to stay involved in
grades and decision making
situations in the school. This equates
to a better education for the student.

4. “Intelligence is the
ability to adapt to
change”
-Stephen Hawking
Families with children with special needs
often have to adapt their entire lifestyle
around that need. Their travel, family
interactions, daily routine and major
decisions are all affected. Teachers need
to aware of these family alterations and
understand what it means to them.

5. Routines!
Parents may ask for changes in
The teacher’s routine. If they are minor
And achievable, this may make the
Difference between a good day
And a bad for any student.
Location, Location, Location!
Like any typically functioning children, a
simple location change may mean the
difference between a student success and
a student meltdown. Some kids need to
be near doors, closer to teacher’s desks, or
slightly removed from other students.
Communication!
Some parents may ask for increased
communication with the teacher. This can
be emails, phone calls, or notes. I ask my
child’s teacher to fill out one of the forms
on the left a minimum of one time per
week. This allows me to keep tabs on what
IEP goals are being addressed and a basic
knowledge of how he is doing in school.

6. Why should we make so many changes?
 As instructors we need to understand a small flexibility on our behalf, goes a very long way
with the family
 This small effort really solidifies the parent’s desire for involvement
 How can I let parents know I am open to adapting?
 Tell them!
 Ask questions, “Is there anything I can do to help make Janie more comfortable?”
 Are there specific things you do at home that might be helpful here?
 An example of this would be specific language. We told teachers specific phrases “It’s
time to…” “Quiet Spot” that would help her in the classroom, and help us feel comfortable
with the teacher’s ability to adapt.

7. “You have a little brother with Autism because
he is really an angel. He had to go to a very
special family. If he went to other families,
then he would not have so much fun because
here he has three sisters. We are very luck to
have an Autism angel in our house, God does
not let just any family have that kind of little
brother!”-Emmeline Lucas, age 7
Impacts on a Family
that has a Child with
a Disability

8. “We must let go of the life we had planned so as to have the
life that is waiting for us”-Joseph Campbell
 My son may never be the Eagle Scout my
husband dreamed. I will most likely never
watch him play in traditional team sports
like his peers. I may never be Mother of
the Groom, or see grandchildren from this
particular child…in fact he may never
leave home in my lifetime to live a life of
his own…I simply do not know.
 But, what I can celebrate are tiny
accomplishments that grow into one.
When his therapists and teachers give me
little celebrations, they feel like the
biggest accomplishments in the world to
me and my family!
When asked how a child with disabilities affects a
family there are not singular words to describe
it…though I believe Joseph Campbell comes close.

9. “You were born with the
ability to change
someone’s life…don’t ever
waste it”
 Everything at home, affects this student…their
concentration, their ability to work, and sometimes
their parent’s ability to be available to meet their
needs. Understanding the family is one step closer
to understanding how you can make your time
with this Why do student as successful as possible!
Instructors
need to be so
aware of HOW
families are
affected?

10. Issues that may arise….
 Today, approximately one of six students in schools across the United States cannot benefit fully from a
traditional educational program because they have a disability that impairs their ability to participate in -
classroom activities
 84% of couples with children who have special needs divorce
 The cost of autism is staggering. It can cost a typical family $60,000 per year and expenses are rising even
further
 families with disabled children experienced uncovered, out-of-pocket expenses substantially higher than
those of families with no disabled children.
 Mothers of children with mental illness were two to three times more likely to be depressed than mothers
of healthy children
 Your student may be encountering a split home, poverty, financial hardship, family discord, or other
family troubles, this can cause definite ripples in the child’s well being. By knowing the hardships families
encur with a special needs child, you can better understand what is happening at home.

11. Siblings…. This portion of the family may also need attention. If your
student has a special needs sibling, you may need to have a deeper
understanding of their home life.
 Feel alone or neglected or jealous about the extra
attention given to a child with special needs
 Wish that they too had problems to get more
attention
 Worry that the disability is contagious and that
they might catch it
 Become overly helpful or noncompliant in an
effort to gain approval
 Try to ease their parents' burden by not making
demands or feeling guilty
 Feel guilty about their own good health
 Feel embarrassed or resent having to involve their
sibling with neighborhood friends
 Be afraid to express negative feelings to avoid
adding stress to the family
 Worry about the care and future of their sibling

12. What you can do as a teacher….
 Be aware of the child…if something
seems wrong, give them a chance to
speak their mind.
 Talk to the parents, let them know there
may be something bothering the other
child
 Pay attention to any major changes at
home that may impact the child and stay
aware!

13. “It matters not what
someone is born, but what
they grow to be."
-J.K. Rowling, (Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire)
 As parents, each and every one of us try to raise
our children to be one thing…good people.
Successful, yes, happy, yes, but mainly we all want
one thing. For them to be good people. No
matter their ability, their challenges, we all want a
single thing. As future educators, we all hope for
the same thing. To make an impact on someone.
To help them achieve their full potential. We want
to ensure that when they leave our classrooms for
another, they leave a little smarter, a little more
along their way to a fuller life.
 Understanding the families, their backgrounds,
what affects them. Those interactions are vital to
the well being of our students. They can help us
become more effective teachers.

14. References
 http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=45&articleid=204&sectionid=1
328
 https://www.mint.com/blog/planning/the-cost-of-raising-a-special-needs-child-0713/
 http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/reports/wrkwlfes.htm
 http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/insight-is-2020/201310/pity-the-parents-special-needs-children-part-
one
 http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/siblings_children_special_needs