2. 2
Another inclusive and special education is
parent involvement. It has long been
established that parent involvement in
education, and management of children with
disabilities and additional needs is essential
as they are the primary caregivers and have
direct influence on their children.
3. 3
This is anchored on Bronfebrenner’s Human
Ecological Theory, which states that there are five
environmental systems that comprises a child’s
social context.
4. 4
Where the child and his/her family belong, along
with peers, school, and the immediate community
(i.e., neighborhood).
5. 5
Parent involvement has been found to be directly
related to academic achievements in the school
performance of children. Educational collaboration
with teachers have been found to promote child
success in school. Moreover, programs for children
with disabilities become more effective and
successful when children and families are involved.
6. 6
Having established the critical role of parents in a
student’s development and academic progress and
achievement, it is essential that there is a close
home and school collaboration and communication.
To establish partnerships, problem-solving, two-way
communication, and shared decision making are
some of the practices needed.
7. 7
Parent-Teacher conference are face-to-face meetings
held between parents and teachers. Conducting such
meetings is necessary so parents of students with
disabilities and additional needs will be able to share
about their child’s background, strength and abilities,
history of difficulties, and practices they have been
implementing at home as well as interventions done with
other specialist. Together with teachers, they can
coordinate their efforts and services to support their child
both in school and at home
8. 8
Home-school communication may also be
conducted through written message, such as the
use of a home-school communication notebook,
where teachers and parents write homework
assignments, to the student’s behavior in the
classroom, as well as progress on program goals.
9. 9
With the influx of mobile devices, many parents and
families are more able to communicate though
electronic and digital means such as email, text
messages, and social network messaging systems. A
study found that parents and teachers perceive
technology as an effective tool to promote parent
involvement and thus value its use for communication.
Because it is instant and real-time, parents and
teachers are immediately able to receive messages
and updates about the student.
10. 10
A home-school contract contains an agreement
teachers and parents regarding behavioral and/or
academic goals for a student with a disability. Just
like any formal contract, this is a written agreement
between teachers, parents, and students (when
appropriate) on specific objectives as corresponding
reinforcements or rewards when they are met.
11. 11
Parents have strengths, abilities, intuitive
knowledge, and the commitment to help their own
child. They become advocates of their own children.
To maximize their involvement, schools provide
other opportunities such as parent education
training, workshops, and parent support groups.
12. 12
Parent education may take the form of providing
seminars and workshops to parents to equip them with
a better understanding of their child’s disability and
accompanying strengths, uniqueness, as well as
specific techniques and strategies that they can be for
a few hours done on quarterly basis or for a regular
period, such as every Saturday, depending on the
needs of the parents and the training capacity of the
school.
13. 13
Parent support groups are also helpful as parents are
able to ask other parents about tips and techniques to
work with their children. Parents should be empowered
so that they can participate in planning and organizing
parent support groups. Through such groups, parents
can draw support form one another during meetings as
they share techniques and strategies, even frustrations
and success about their children.
14. 14
To ensure that a child meets his/her developmental
milestones, it is crucial to observe and monitor his/her
development. The milestones or developmental skills
that needs to be mastered usually at the same rate act
as a guide for ideal development. It is done by
checking the progress of a child based on his or her
age to see if the child is developing within expectation.
For others, checking the milestones can help detect
any difficulties at a particular stage.
15.
16. FI
WHY SHOULD PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH
DISABILITIES BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS
OF PLANNING AND DECISION MAKING?
