Cultivate effective partnerships between parents and professionals through honest, respectful and skillful communication The authors draw upon the metaphor of "dance" to better understand the complexities and possibilities of forming partnerships between educators, administrators, early childhood providers, therapists, support staff, other professionals, and parents of children with disabilities. This revised edition of Do You Hear What I Hear? Parents and Professionals Working Together for Children With Special Needs is rich with stories, examples, and practical insights. This book, written from both the parent′s and the professional′s points of view, provides a developmental approach to understanding and forging positive adult relationships, while also providing concrete ways to advocate for children. The authors′ years of experience as successful consultants, trainers, and educators lends this helpful resource a deep sense of realism and compassion. They remind the reader of how essential the parent-professional partnership is—and why it IS a dance that matters. Key features include: Practical insights and evidence-based approaches to forming partnerships Easy-to-read, non-technical language that speaks to both the heart and the mind Sample letters and other forms of communication shared between professionals and parents Stories and examples of real-world conversations between parents and professionals Effective ways to handle difficult situations Rich with humor and heart, this highly readable book offers helpful steps for self reflection, personnel preparation, and parent-professional training. Educators and parents will find expert guidance for listening to each other′s music, trying out each other′s dance steps, and working toward a new dance that includes contributions from all—with the ultimate reward of seeing children achieve their highest potential.

For preservice students taking special education courses as well as inservice educators seeking professional development. An engaging discussion of the legal, ethical, practical, and cultural considerations of working with families of special needs children. With a strong focus on the families of special needs children, this first edition text provides students with both the information to understand the challenges and needs of these families as well as the skills and strategies required of educators working with such families. Containing a thorough discussion of the common legal and ethical concerns surrounding children with special needs and their families, this book also emphasizes the many individual differences among families. With that in mind, the authors focus on diversity in families with special needs children, cultural considerations, age, and communication with special needs families. In addition, a distinctive final chapter called "A Family's Voice," gives students the special opportunity to hear about the unique thoughts and experiences of a large selection of family members of children with special needs.

The importance of partnerships between professionals and the parents of children with special needs/disability is well established in childcare legislation. But is it reflected in practice? Written for practitioners and those in training, this book recognises that forming partnerships can be a fraught process involving dissent as well as cooperation. Naomi Dale draws on case histories from her own experience to examine key partnership issues such as consent, confidentiality and diagnosis delivery. She combines up-to-date theory and research with practice to provide a wealth of suggestions and ideas for effective family work. Working with Families of Children with Special Needs features useful exercises with each chapter, making it an excellent resource book and practice manual for multidisciplinary professionals.

This guidebook on family–professional partnerships has been used as a go-to early intervention resource in university coursework, for inservice professional development, and as a support to families in (or considering) early intervention. This new edition has been completely revised to reflect recent research and respond to feedback that the author accumulated from users of the book, including practicing professionals and university instructors. With a focus on how families and professionals can collaborate effectively so that infants and toddlers (0–3) learn, grow, and thrive, chapters address: child learning and development, family functioning and priorities, early intervention as a support and not a substitute, and planning “what’s next” after early intervention. Specific components of early intervention—evaluation and assessment, program planning, intervention implementation, service coordination, and transition—are also discussed. This hands-on resource uses stories of families in early intervention to illustrate key concepts and provides checklists that readers can use to assess their experiences in early intervention. “This guidebook is my go-to source with families, professionals, and students. The newest edition expands upon an already exceptional book with the most recent policy and evidence-based practice recommendations. I can’t keep enough copies in my library.” —Susan Fowler, director, Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse “Supporting and empowering parents to help their infants and toddlers with delays and/or disabilities to learn and grow is key to future successes. Bonnie’s Keilty’s comprehensive work on the new edition of The Early Intervention Guidebook for Families and Professionals will help to insure that Part C Early Intervention around the country will stay focused on its work with and for families.” —Roxane Romanick, Founding Board Member Early Intervention Family Alliance

More than 6.5 million children in the US receive special education services; in any given community, approximately one child out of every six will get speech therapy, go to counseling, attend classes exclusively with other children with disabilities, or receive some other service that allows him or her to learn. This new revised edition is a step-by-step guide to serving children and youth with disabilities as well as the family members, caregivers, and other people involved in their lives. The authors show how staff can enable full use of the library’s resources by integrating the methods of educators, medical and psychological therapists, social workers, librarians, parents, and other caregivers. Widening the scope to address the needs of teens as well as preschool and school-age children, this edition also discusses the needs of Spanish-speaking children with disabilities and their families, looking at cultural competency as well as Spanish-language resources. Enhanced with checklists, stories based on real experiences, descriptions of model programs and resources, and an overview of appropriate internet sites and services, this how-to gives thorough consideration to Partnering and collaborating with parents and other professionals Developing special collections and resources Assessing competencies and skills Principles underlying family-centered services and resource-based practices The interrelationship of early intervention, special education, and library service This manual will prove valuable not only to children’s services librarians, outreach librarians, and library administrators, but also early intervention and family support professionals, early childhood and special educators, childcare workers, daycare and after school program providers, and policymakers.

The challenges of teaching a child who has a disability are many and varied. Nothing helps the process more than strong collaboration between the child's teachers and the child's parents. This new book is all about creating that collaboration, maintaining it, and using it to help children who have disabilities reach their personal educational potential. The authors take a developmental approach to their subject, focusing on the uniqueness of each family and each child from infancy, through the primary grades, to middle school, high school, and adulthood. Throughout the book, the "voices" of real parents lend authenticity to the material; and the essential role of the family in the education of its children is seen as of paramount importance. This book also addresses current educational trends toward maximum inclusion for all children--children with ethnic, cultural, and linguistic differences as well as those with physical and mental disabilities. For Special Education teachers.

Cultivate effective partnerships between parents and professionals Written from both the parent’s and the professional’s points of view, this book draws upon the metaphor of dance to highlight the essential partnership between teachers, administrators, support staff, and parents of children with disabilities. Rich with humor and heart, the book offers helpful steps for self reflection, personnel preparation, and parent-professional training. Key features include: Practical insights and evidence-based approaches to forming partnerships Easy-to-read, non-technical language that speaks to both the heart and the mind Sample letters, conversations, and other forms of communication between professionals and parents Effective ways to handle difficult situations