I am observing in an early
childhood program in the public school.
All the children in the classroom have identified special needs and also
have an IEP. I spoke with one of the
parents when they dropped off their child.
Mrs. Wilson has a child with autism and her son is four years old. I explained to her that I was involved in an
advocacy project for the promotion of social/emotional development for young
children. I asked her if she believed that
her son was emotionally at his age level or did she feel that he was
behind? She replied that she really was
not aware of his social/emotional level but she did not believe that he acted
like other four year olds his age; she believed that he was more on a three
year old level. Since I have had this
child at my daycare in the past I agreed with her that he was probably only on
a three year old level with his social/emotional development.
Mrs. Wilson also shared with me
that she believed that special needs children were normally behind
social/emotionally. I told her that from
my observations that I believed that this was true. I asked her if she had ever had a discussion
with her son’s doctors concerning his social/emotional development and she said
that topic had not come up. Her answer
was one that I had suspected because in my experience a doctor does not focus
on this aspect of a child’s development.
I then asked her if she had any conversations with her son’s teachers at
early childhood concerning his social/emotional development. She said that they had not discussed this
aspect with her. She also said that the
only thing that they talk to her about is his behavior and usually only his
poor behavior. The answer to this last
question was a surprise to me because I thought that as an early childhood
teacher they would be focusing on the child’s social/emotional
development.
I also spoke to Mrs. Gray who has a
five year old child with physical disabilities and he is also in the early
childhood program. Her child has a quick
tempter, plays very intense, throws a temper tantrum when he doesn’t get his
way, and has a very short attention span.
I asked her if she knew about social/emotional development and she
replied that she did and she believed that her son was at the level of
development that he needed to be. I have
been observing her son since early January and he definitely is not at the
social/emotional level of development that he needs to be. I asked her what indicators she used to come
to this determination. She replied that the child’s doctor had told
her that he was perfect and not to be concerned about his social/emotional
development. This was a real surprise to
me and I can only image that the doctor has not spent any amount of time with
this child.
I asked her if the early childhood
teachers had ever talked with her concerning his social/emotional development
and she said that they had not mentioned it.
They only talked with her concerning his poor behavior and this was
almost daily. At this point of our
conversation, I wondered if she was not connecting his poor behavior with his
lack of social/emotional development.
These conversations confirmed what
I had believed that a child’s social/emotional development is not being fully
considered and many early childhood teachers do not know how to identify a
child’s social/emotional level or how to help the child move to the next level
of development. As a result, my advocacy
will be focusing on providing additional education to early childhood teachers
so that they can help a child promote their social/emotional development.
Kathy, first of all I would like to say that you choose a great topic to advocate for. I think that your observation went well because sometimes it is hard for some parents to discuss their children issues. I think that you showed the parent that you were interested in her child and that you really care about her child. It is so sad and it hurts me when she said that the teacher has no concerns about her child and the only thing that they share is his behavior. That is so sad beacuse as a teacher, it is our duty to make everything that we do in that classroom about the child. I feel so bad for this parent because know one want to get a bad report on their child everyday. I think that this parent could learn more on how to handle her child and redirect him but it seems that she doesn't have the resources or help that she need. I am proud of you for showing her that someone cares about her and that there is help that she can get for her child. It just so sad that she can't get it from her child's teachers.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic Kathy! I feel from reading your post that your observation went well. It seems like the two parents you interviewed seemed pretty open and honest with you altho it may have been hard for them. I definitely feel the second parent you interviewed could learn more about her child's behavior or maybe she is just in denial. Maybe she could sit down with her child's teacher and discuss is poor behavior that the teacher is constantly seeing and they can compare behavior at home.
ReplyDeleteKatherine it is appropriate to seek help from health care professionals if a child’s behavior is causing long-drawn-out suffering for the child, parents or ECE provider. Behavior problems that continue over a period of time and in different contexts (i.e., at home and in the ECE program), often despite negative outcomes (such as time-outs); sometimes require involvement from mental health professionals. Catching problems early and trying to help is best. It is important not to let problems simmer and then create a crisis situation. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. The parties involved should arrange a planning meeting and involve the family early on if a child’s behavior is problematic or puzzling. The parties should also establish a system for evaluation and referral. ECE providers should be able to identify behaviors which are “red flags” or warning signs that suggest social and emotional difficulties outside the normal or expected range.
ReplyDeleteThe following behaviors suggest that the preschool age child’s social and emotional development may be unable to play with others or objects:
• absence of language or communication
• frequent fights with others
• very sad
• extreme mood swings
• unusually fearful
• loss of earlier skills (e.g., toileting, language, motor)
• sudden behavior changes
• destructive to self and others
Based largely on the ECE provider’s observations of the quality of the behaviors, the ECE provider must determine whether a child’s behavior is part of normal development or a warning sign for social and emotional difficulties. To assess quality of behavior, the ECE provider must observe the child closely and decide the following:
• Whether the behavior appears casual and pleasurable for the child or whether the behavior is driven, excessive, out-of-control or has an unpleasant quality to it.
• Whether the child is otherwise healthy and well-adjusted, or has other behaviors that raise concern.
Meeting the needs of children with social and emotional problems can be difficult. It is important for ECE providers to know when and how to seek additional information and help from the family, colleagues, supervisors and mental health specialists. When problems arise during these first years, early identification and interventions are more effective and less costly than interventions at a later age when the issues have become more serious. Intervening early increases the chance of preventing further social and academic difficulties. Early interventions also promote school retention, help schools be more productive, strengthen social attachments, and reduce crime, teenage pregnancy, and welfare dependency.I just had to reently deal with parent's whose child exhibited some of these behaviors. The parents were not in denial and admitted that they were experiencing some of the very same problems at home. Referral services were made and now the child is receiving the help needed. I must say you can start to see some change even at this early stage.
Katherine,
ReplyDeleteI think that it is sad that children at such a young age have a hard road ahead of them. However, I think that it is important that their parents support them in every way. Children do need a support system not just at school but at home. It's important that they know it is not their fault that they are like that but they are perfect just they way they are. For parents they do have support groups that they can attend to have any questions that they have answered. I think that some parents are in denial, because they believe that there is nothing wrong with their child. When people say that there is something wrong these parents tend to get mad. However, they will have to deal with it eventually. It is going to be hard for the parents as well as the child but it needs to be addressed.
Thank you,
Teresa Smith
Kathy,
ReplyDeleteAre social worker/school psychologists available to assist the teachers in this program with children that are delayed with their social emotional development? Sometimes, it takes a lot of support, documentation, interventions etc. to get parents to understand their child may have emotional issues.