Will we have enough room?

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom will we have enough room?... That is how I see the classrooms in the center I am observing. The center has a huge growth  in children, but as the rooms grow so does the growing pains. A lot of the new children have learning issues, and have arrived to late to have "screenings" done at the school. In fact the director states "It is summer, we really do not focus on learning but having fun". So what happens  when the child does start the curriculum and there is an issue?

I see these children struggling with every day procedures or activities, how do or does a teacher suggest that perhaps more needs to be done if the school is in "summer mode"?  We also see flustered and anxious teachers because they are unable to work with the students who are showing difficulties with the tasks put in front of them. One of the days I was there the four year old teacher had two children having complete melt-downs, and one with ADHD following the directions of the two having the melt down. There has to be a way to make things work more smoothly, because the more the children got out of hand, the more flustered the teacher got, it went to the point that she had to call the director up to take one to her office. The child was sent home. 

But it is those incidents that are caused by children feeling like they need attention because they are struggling with something, these same children missed the cutoff for early assessment and now they are just barely making it by in the classroom. So once again I wonder when the children enter kindergarten will there be enough room for those children who are exhibiting early signs of behavioral problems.

An Appreciative Thought and Thank You

Well this is our last blog, and it has been fun. I have learned a lot about early intervention and the importance of having it in place whether it be Zero to 3, or Birth to 5. Unfortunately we do not utilize the early services as much as we need to, and a lot of child are suffering and it will affect how the child learns in the long run. I enjoyed my time in the classrooms, and love knowing that there are services that a teacher can give as a resource to those parents who have no idea where to turn.

I have to say this has been a very enlightening semester.  I learned a lot through reading your blogs and comments, and want to thank you for all your contributions to this semester. I appreciate the guidance and input I received not only from our professor but each one of you.  Both the blog comments and discussion board made me rethink some things and understand where others come from on others. 

I have to give a quick note that I wanted you all to know your feedback was very important to my understanding on how we view issues in early childhood education. 

 Learning about so many topics in this class, made me so aware of how big early education is, and how far reaching some of our issues that we are advocating for is. I am so happy to state that everything in this class has been positive and educational. Not only did I learn a lot, and it has been pleasure collaboration between us all. The content in all the blogs was excellent.

I will admit this has been challenging at times but because of this experience I have learned a lot about others teaching styles and where I want to go from here. I feel that I have got to know some of the people in this course, and we have been able to share ideas with each other, an experience I would have never been able to see doing in any other class. I have been encouraged and know it is because of all your blogs that you were able to share with us. I think we have found a community of resources, and know that you will be out there to offer support, and I hope I can be a support to you as well. 

Two sides of the same communication coin

I was able to observe the morning arrival at the center. I was curious on how the teachers meet and greet their parents. I was not disappointed. One teacher knew every parent and every child by name. I have trouble remembering my 6 children's names at home, so for her to know over thirty children and their parents names was pretty good.

I am a strong believer in talking to people and this teacher was no different. She would greet the parents, ask them how they were and if they had questions regarding their child, she would listen and acknowledge their concerns. For example one parent stated that another child allegedly bit her daughter but there was no report or incident recorded and wanted to know if she knew anything about it. The teacher stated she wasn't aware of it but would be happy to look into it. She also told the parent it was unfortunate it happened to her child, but sometimes things happen so quickly the teachers do not catch it in time. The parent was happy and calm when the teacher finished talking to her, it was refreshing to see that she didn't attack the teacher, and the teacher was polite and courteous to the parent.

Now there was a second teacher in the gym and she was also greeting parents, but I noticed she was talking about other staff and children in the center in not the best light. I felt that was inappropriate because it disregarded the right of privacy for the child or staff members. I would never bring down others to make myself look good, so seeing a "professional" doing it was shocking. I asked my observation host regarding that incident, and she stated it isn't the first time she has done that, and the director has warned her numerous times to stop that. The teachers response to that was "well when you use your big girl voice, I may take you more seriously"

Here we see two different ways of treating parents, children and staff at the same location and wonder if parents get mixed signals when dealing with so many different personalities and professionalism? One teacher really reaches out to the parents and works to make them feel welcomed and the kids are safe, and the other belittles the kids and staff which makes the parents wonder why they put the kids in the center. I know as a parent I would be concerned about what was going on.

I think if I was to approach my advocacy ( Early intervention) I would use the parent/teacher conference way of communication. I want to be able to sit down with them and discuss the possible issues the child may have. I think going over an assessment or review of the child's progress and having it in front of the parents to review helps with any questions or concerns they may have. I would also know their names and be very polite. My job is to help the child and family, not gossip about others in the center. They need to know their child and his well being in the classroom is my first priority.
Bringing early intervention is something that a child may need, then discussing the reasoning behind it and benefits would be a good thing to discuss with the parents.

Who deserves it more?

Being in a center that works with birth (6 weeks ) to 5, I am able to observe so many different types of classes. Granted I am officially in a preschool classroom, I was able to sneak peeks into some of the other classrooms to see how they deal with the early intervention issues.  It is interesting  to see so many children from a large variety of ages who have special needs, and which ones actually are able to receive early intervention services.
I was able to see the director (Mrs. Tubbs) advocate for services for some of the children who need assistance, but others who qualify are unable to get the help. She contacted Child Find, and has a plan to bring in a person to observe in a preschool for two severe behavioral issues. She stated she has been trying for months to bring this person in, but state funding has cut services and the observer is covering about 5 counties.
Mrs. Tubbs also works with Department of Child and Family services, with placing children in the center, and getting the services they need in place. She stated that alot of the children placed have been in neglectful homes which delayed the learning and development of the children. So these children are placed on a first priority list for early intervention. 

For example in the baby room there are two children who receive services, one little girl around 1 yrs old gets developmental therapy due to having surgery on her legs. She was born with a strange curvature in her legs that left her bow legged, so they had surgery done to help her. She receives services three times a week in the classroom, another baby close to 15 months and her brother who is 3 receive services for speech, developmental and occupational therapy due to neglect, and is now in foster care.  In that same room with the three year old child;  is another three year old who needs services, but is unable to get it because the family refuses to acknowledge there is an issue. The child does not speak clearly,  and is not potty trained. The difference is who is involved in the assessments and services.

It is unfortunate that it takes an agency such as DCFS to step in to get a child services, while other children with parents who are fighting the idea that their child may need to get a push does not get the same services. How do we decide what disability or learning disorders may be eligible for services. The classroom I where I observe at, we see children that need help but they are at an age that either they go and attend another school that gives those services or the child is left to learn at their own expense. In this same classroom we see these children disrupt or need one on one, that the others feel like they are not getting recognized as equals, because all the focus is on the ones with behavioral issues, or learning disabilities.

More and more I can see how important early intervention is to these children, it provides support not only to the children but to the staff as well. The lead teacher in the class I am observing stated that it helps knowing that there is somebody extra in the room who can work with the students, so she can focus on teaching the others.

My questions for you is why do you feel that only certain children are eligible for services, when in the same class there is a child with severe disabilities that if early intervention was given, there would be a good chance this child could succeed in school? Do you feel there should be a set limit or standards for children who need services?

Where did all the help go?

I conducted my field study hours in a Pre-Kindergarten classroom being taught by Mandy and her aide Brenda. This classroom has twenty children, 18 of the children were there in the classroom. She runs her classroom like a kindergarten room, so there is a lot of activity in the room. She has arranged the seat work where the stronger students are able to help the weaker students in the room, the ones who need more one on one help are in an easy to reach area.

According to the lead teacher, there are a  number of  developmental and learning disabilities that haven't been addressed and the students who have these disabilities are struggling in the classroom. According to Mandy she has a student with severe behavioral issues, one has ADHD, another child is learning impaired, one child is developmentally challenged. All these children have been assessed by a local agency and are unable to receive services "WHEN" they enter kindergarten.

I think what is shocking that most of the students who are showing signs of learning disabilities, like I mentioned, had been turned away from getting assistance because "a doctor won't label my child with a disability, or he is to young to have a learning disability, he is only in preschool." Only one child who has been labeled with a developmental delay has received services because his parents knew what to look for and was concerned enough to insist a second opinion from specialist. He was receiving services until he reached the goals set in an IEP plan at the local school district. The parents are planning on getting him reevaluated prior to him entering kindergarten this year.

There was one parent who stated she felt her son has ADHD, because there is a family history of it (his father has it) was talking to Mandy regarding getting a person in to observe his behavior in the classroom, so she can get a referral to get him some specialized help in the classroom. When I talked to Mandy she told me that yes there has been a call in for specialized observation planned for a number of the students, but because there is such a need and there is only one person who handles it in the Child Care Connections agency, there is a long waiting list.

We just discussed that we need to honor the family's feeling, so having early intervention in this classroom not only helps the child but the family as well. Early intervention can support and restore family life. I feel this parent would feel less worried or stressed about their child's learning or education chances if they knew that something was being done about the developmental or learning delays their child may be showing. 

Parents, like the teacher,  want their children to be successful in school and hold high hopes for their future but a special educational need may be evident from an early age and it needs to be addressed and not left until it is to late to really do anything about it.

I think my focus questions are being addressed with this classroom on a daily basis. What is the quality of services offered to children who are exhibiting signs of Autism or ADHD?

Are the services offered at the ages 0-3 adequate enough to prepare the young children for school age, or do early services need to be extended to age 4?

Do we have the programs to meet the many diverse needs when it comes to early intervention?

Interview gives insight to early intervention research

I interviewed a few teachers, all from different walks of education. I wanted to see how the lack of early intervention affected them in the long run. When there is a lack of early intervention it doesn't just affect the student now, but also in the future learning. I interviewed a first and third grade teacher, and then I interviewed a high school teacher.  I see everyday where a child may need early intervention but services are not available or the family will not follow through with the service plans.

Without proper intervention my teachers I interviewed felt that the child suffers, and will not receive the same training as their peers,  they have no understanding how the classroom setting work, socialization skills, and of course getting the basic skills such as colors, shapes, numbers before entering school. The high school teacher I interviewed felt that early intervention is needed because these same students are still playing “catch-up” with other kids even at the high school level. Without early intervention we are seeing these children suffer feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, and "stupidity".

All three felt that early intervention is something to advocate for because of the diverse needs of students with special needs. It doesn't have to be extreme disabilities, but that little push that early intervention gives is that one small thing that can make a huge difference in the child’s education in the long run. I feel strongly about early intervention because of the field I currently work in, and see so many children who could benefit from this. Unfortunately because of the constant funding cuts we see a lot of needed services cut or limited to certain ages.

After talking to teachers from different grades I am able to get a full understanding how deeply this issue impacts this child from day one. I will continue with my plan to do early intervention as my research project.

I think by talking to the teachers, I think that early intervention is my main research, but three topics that interest me that tie in with this would be how early intervention is decided. How disorders such as ADD, ADHD, and other behavioral issues would benefit with early intervention, and if there is no intervention how does the child perform in a school setting. I would also like to look at the time constraints on how address learning or behavioral disabilities to identify the issues to get early intervention services before it is too late.

My question is how can a country who is rated so low in education, cut something so important as early intervention services?

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