Title: The Role of Families During Transition Planning
1The Role of Families During Transition Planning
- Family Systems Perspective During Transition
2The Family as a Mobile
- In a mobile, all the pieces, no matter what the
size or shape, can be grouped together and
balanced by shortening or lengthening the strings
attached, or rearranging the distance between
pieces. - So it is with a family. None of the family
members is identical to any other they are all
different and at different levels of growth. - As in a mobile, you cant arrange one without
thinking of the other. - From Viginia.Satir, (1972). Peoplemaking.
Palo Alto, CA Science and Behavior Books.
3Family Systems Framework
INPUTS
- Family Characteristics
- Description of the family
- Personal characteristics
- Special challenges
- Family Life Cycle
- Stages and Transitions
- Changes in
- Characteristics
- Changes in Functions
- Changes in Life Roles
Cohesion
Adaptability
Extended Family
Marital
Family Interaction
PROCESS
Siblings
Parent-child
Family Functions Affection, Self-esteem,
Economics, Daily care, Socialization, Recreation,
Education, Spiritual
OUTPUTS
Adapted from Turnbull, A.P. Turnbull, H.R.
(2001). Families, professionals, and
exceptionality Collaborating for empowerment
(4th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ Merrill
Prentice-Hall.
4Family Characteristics What is Your Definition
of a Family?
- 3 Dimensions of Family Characteristics
- Descriptors of the family
- Personal Characteristics of members
- Special Challenges
- Changing Characteristics of Families
- Changing Composition
- Changing Employment Patterns
- Greater Ethnic and Cultural Diversity
5Changing Characteristics of Families What does
it mean for us?
- What are our current expectations for families to
be engaged in transition? - Can we expect single-parent families working
full-time to be equal partners in transition? - Do we need to rethink meetings?
- Does the changing composition of families impact
our assumptions about postschool outcomes?
6Family Interactions
Adaptability
Cohesion
Cohesion boundaries of family members
Adaptability how well the family copes under
stress.
Extended Family
Marital
Siblings
Parent-child
7Role of Siblings in Transition
- Provide first experiences in peer relationships
- Support inclusion in neighborhood, school,
community - Adult siblings often take increasing role in care
or coordination of services - Role siblings will take often depends upon family
expectations relationships - Advantageous for transition professionals to have
a sense of sibling relationships support
involvement as desired by family
8Thought Questions about Siblings.
- What is the potential role of siblings in the
families you work with? - In which situations would it be positive? Which
ones would be negative? - Do you think it is appropriate to have brothers
and sisters (younger and older) involved in
educational planning and implementation? At what
age? - What strategies might enhance positive
interactions and involvement of siblings in
transition planning?
9Family Functions
- Economic
- Daily care
- Recreation
- Socialization
- Self-esteem
- Affection
- Education
- Spiritual functions
10Family Life Cycle
Developmental
Unexpected
11Emergent Adult Role
- Assumptions in society
- What is reality for families with adolescents
with disabilities? - Stressor for families uncertain of status
capabilities of adolescent with disabilities - Typical experiences for teenagers often missed
with adolescent with disabilities - Cultural issues adulthood ? independence
- Obstacles families face in self-determination
- Strategies for supporting self-determination
12Thought Questions Emergent Adult Roles for a
Student you know.
- How has this student participated in any emergent
adult roles? - How do you think the students family feel about
promoting self-determination or more adult roles?
- Are there strategies you can think of to assist
the students family in overcoming obstacles to
supporting adult roles? - Is it possible to promote self-determination
within family-centered and culturally appropriate
ways?
13Family Issues
- Professional perceptions of families
- Past negative experiences
- Limited and conflicting experiences
- Lack of opportunities
- Lack of knowledge, authority, power
- Stress during transition
- and Dilemmas
- Independence vs. Avoiding risk
- Less involvement vs. More involvement
- Stability vs. Disruptions
- Doing for vs. Teaching
- Maximize potential vs. Accept as is
14Why Should Families Be Involved?
- For Students in General
- Higher achievement
- Positive attitudes and behavior
- Higher graduation rates
- Greater enrollment in postsecondary ed
- Students with Disabilities
- Quality transition plans
- Higher rates of postschool outcomes
- Student preferences
15Increasing Parent-Professional Collaboration
- How does my school actively seek and/or provide
opportunities for family involvement? - Are my families involved in the transition
planning? If not, how can we make this a positive
experience for them? - What strategies do we use to actively solicit
feedback, ideas, comments, and concerns from
families and students? - How do we communicate with families?
- What information and skills do parents need to be
full partners in transition?
16Strategies to Support Families in Transition
- Encourage Early Expectations
- Help Parents to Recognize the Importance of their
Contributions - Support Parents to Honor Choices of their Child
- Increase Role of Social Support Network
- Address Parent Concerns Regarding Future
17Why Focus on Culturally Diverse Families?
- Participation is lower due to unfamiliarity with
US practices, different perspectives level of
involvement need, cultural unresponsiveness of
the system (Al-Hassan Gardner, 2002) - Professionals operating under assumptions
inherent in special education and practice. (Rao,
2001) - Insensitivity toward the familys culture
during transition, this is particularly true
parents report transition services are
unresponsiveness and even hurtful (deFur, et al.,
2001). - Culturally diverse families are less involved in
school-based activities passive participation
may in fact lead to poor postschool outcomes
(Greene et al., 2003)
18Cultural Base for Special Education
SPED
19Continua of Cultural Beliefs
- Are there cultural characteristics that are
similar across the three families? - Do you have a cultural cluster more similar to
one of the families? What implications does this
have for the quality of your interactions with
each family? - Do you think having a comfortable and trusting
relationship with your focus family would have an
impact on working with Donny in accomplishing
transition outcomes? - Can you think of probes for more information
you would need to gather from the family to have
a more complete cultural understanding of their
priorities?
20Steps to Cultural Reciprocity
Kalyanpur Harry 1999
- Step 1 Identify the cultural values embedded in
the professional interpretation of a student's
disability and special services - Step 2 Find out whether the family recognizes
and values these assumptions, and if not, how
their view differs from yours - Step 3 Acknowledge and give explicit respect to
any cultural differences and fully explain the
cultural basis of the professional assumption - Step 4 Through discussion and collaboration, set
about determining the most effective way of
adapting professional interpretation and services
to the family's value system
Know Your Own World View
Learn about the Families Their Communities
Acknowledge Respect Cultural Differences
Reach Mutual Goals
21Strategies to Enhance Transition Cultural
Competence
- Outcomes self-esteem, interdependence,
inclusion - Familism consider other family members
- Culturally responsive transition information
- Improve cultural competence of transition team
- Cultural role models
- Increase capacity of community networks
22Tips for Enhancing Cultural Competence
- Get to know the family and their cultural
community - Use cultural mediators or liaisons to community
- Learn to use words and forms of greetings in the
familys language. - Recognize that families may be surprised by the
extent of parent-professional interactions
expected in the United States - Initiate personal interactions not just written
information. Have all materials translated - Ask parents how they would like to communicate
- Call to discuss or talk about childs progress
- Keep parents informed about upcoming IEP
meetings, transition meetings, and ways in which
they could provide input - Create a welcoming environment
- Provide varied opportunities for family
involvement and respect the level of involvement
families feel comfortable
23Building Relationships with Families
- Identify transition cycle of the family
- Learn to LISTEN
- INVITE Involvement
- Pay attention to family concerns postschool
outcomes - Exchange information
- Increase family support