Sharing Web Resources

Hello Class, I hope all is well with you’ll. As you’ll know the web site that interested me the most is http://www.dec-sped.org/#!dec-recommended-practices/t8p3w. Reason being I want to expand my knowledge on working with children who have disabilities. Over the years I have worked mostly with children who have ADHD, and I have to admit because I am human it can be a challenge working with children who have behavior issues. This site has given me some very good information so far on working with children who not only have ADHD but others disabilities as well. The section that I decided to study and explore further is the resource section. In the resource section, in this section I looked more at the DEC recommended practices. DEC recommended practices are DEC Recommended Practices are a DEC initiative that bridges the gap between research and practice, offering guidance to parents and professionals who work with young children who have or are at risk for developmental delays or disabilities. The Recommended Practices were first developed by DEC in 1991 to provide guidance to the relatively new field of early intervention/early childhood special education (Division for Early Childhood 2014). The DEC Recommended Practices were developed to provide guidance to practitioners and families about the most effective ways to improve the learning outcomes and promote the development of young children, birth through age 5, who have or are at-risk for developmental delays or disabilities (Division for Early Childhood 2014).

 

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The Recommended Practices are also intended to be used by individuals working across a variety of early childhood settings providing services to young children who have or at-risk for developmental delays or disabilities (Division for Early Childhood 2014). This section also has another section that actually gives examples of recommended practices, which are very helpful for not only teachers like me but parents as well. A lot of times we hear about different practices or techniques that can be used when working with children who have disabilities. Along with learning about those techniques examples of them are always greatly appreciated. For instance recommendation A7 states Practitioners obtain information about the child’s skills in daily activities, routines, and environments such as, home, center, and community. An example of this might be a family reporting that their child who is very quiet in the preschool setting, may talk a lot at home. So the early educator might ask the parents if they can capture this on video if possible. I would never think to ask that of parents, even though I have been in this situation many times before with parents. I can’t tell you’ll how many times I have done assessments or screenings on students and when going over the results parents might have disagreed with the results. I kindly explain to them that I believe that their child may do whatever at home, but when I am testing at school I have to go by what they do for me. Most of the time results change after students are more comfortable with me and the classroom. There are many more recommended practices to choose from so feel free to visit the website if you would like to learn more. Everything on this website is geared towards programs fulfilling all the needs of their recipients, so I would say all of the information is geared towards equity and excellence in the early childhood field.  

 

Reference

Division for Early Childhood. (2014). DEC recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education 2014. Retrieved from http://www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices

 

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Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

Hello class, since my computer won’t let me view the pod cast I choose to the view the Harvard website. This website has so much valuable information on it pertaining to early childhood education. I really like how they give information on how different countries. The resource library has so many links that you can choose from. It has topics that range from lifelong health, mental health, neglect, program effectiveness, and toxic stress. I almost didn’t know where to start its so much information on this site.

 

Early childhood mental health is something that I am very much interested in. Every month on my lesson plan I add a mental health activity for my students to day. It might be something simple as my students talking about their feelings that moment or how they feel during certain situations in their life. We also might go over the feelings cards where they tell me how the person on the card looks and how they might be feeling. The Harvard website had some very interesting information on toxic stress when it comes to young children. I always knew that stress could affect the lives and development of young children but I wasn’t quite sure of the severity. According to the Harvard Website toxic stress can damage brain architecture and increase the likelihood that significant mental health problems will emerge either quickly or years later. Because of its enduring effects on brain development and other organ systems, toxic stress can impair school readiness, academic achievement, and both physical and mental health throughout the lifespan. Circumstances associated with family stress, such as persistent poverty, may elevate the risk of serious mental health problems (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/deep-dives/mental-health/). Which is why I stress to my parents if you are having any kind of difficulty that you may need assistance with, please don’t hesitate to contact either me or another school official. We are here to make sure we not only educate the children but to also help parents provide a good life for students as well.

 

Program effectiveness is something that my supervisors are always talking about with my job. They are always saying how it stems from our education, relationship with parents, staff development (Goals). The Harvard website says effective early childhood programs generate benefits to society that far exceed program costs. Responsible investments focus on effective programs that are staffed appropriately, implemented well, and improved continuously. Extensive analysis by economists has shown that education and development investments in the earliest years of life produce the greatest returns (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-early-childhood-program-effectiveness/).  Last week we talked about what economist and other professionals thought of the quality of early childhood, it was very interesting to see this information on the Harvard website.

In brazil the NCPI represents a model of collaborative work at the nexus of practice, policy, and research. Core program activities include the following:Building a Brazilian scientific community around early childhood development. NCPI is convening an interdisciplinary group of Brazilian scholars to guide the synthesis and application of scientific knowledge about child development to policymaking and practice in Brazil. It is also fostering collaboration among Harvard and Brazilian researchers, including publication of a working paper series (in Portuguese).Translating scientific knowledge for application to social policy. This includes working with the Center’s longtime partner organization, the Frameworks Institute, to communicate the science of child development within the Brazilian cultural context in the most effective ways (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/nucleo-ciencia-pela-infancia/). They also offer courses to their leaders in early childhood so they can build their strengths. While in Mexico the Center is beginning to develop an innovation cluster anchored in Monterrey at the Universidad Regiomontana, a pioneering institution at the forefront of an extensive urban revitalization effort. A strong interest in adding a human development focus to their work led the Monterrey team to connect with the Center and learn more about our strategy for enhancing child outcomes through adult capacity building.The addition of Mexico to the Center’s existing relationships and experiences in Brazil will create a strong Latin American pillar for our innovation agenda, allowing us to begin to think about how lessons from these two projects can be applied locally, regionally, and globally (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/). Even though the world is a big place it is amazing how in early education we all strive to achieve the same goals to educate our youth. However we just go about doing it in different ways, which is ok because if everyone was the same there would be no need to learn anything new and innovative.

 

Reference

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/

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Sharing Web Resources

The website that I choose is beneficial to me in so many ways, in regards to working with children who have disabilities. Over the years I have worked with children with special needs to the best of my ability, of course I know there is no manual for working with children period. However it is always good to be able to refer to a source to help you do your job a little bit better. There is so much valuable information on this site to help educators teach children with disabilities. I really like how they offer information for different date and times that trainings are being given for professional development. For instance the Division for Early Childhood's Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families is the flagship of our professional development opportunities. The 2016 conference will be held October 18-20. During this time, the Division for Early Childhood brings together a passionate group of dedicated individuals who work with or on behalf of young children (0-8) with disabilities and other special needs and their families. Leading experts will gather from all over the world to unite with other participants and attendees who are intimately invested in early intervention and early childhood special education (http://www.dec-sped.org/#!blank/ltoso).  If I were to take this training I could learn so much from the presenters and also my fellow colleagues. I love collaborating with other teachers on topics that I need help in.

Everything on this website is pretty much neutral in the information that it provides. All the information on this site is so empowering and also parent friendly which is what I like the most. If anything the information on this site makes me think outside the box and more complex about working with and empowering children with special needs.  This website has many links to the different laws that are in place regarding education and children with special needs. It also has various journals that give information on the development of children and studies that state facts on different topics dealing with children that have special needs. For instance in the journal   Resources for supporting young children who have been prenatally exposed

to drugs, and their families it states that In 2011, an estimated 22.5 million Americans aged 12 or older were current illicit drug users, meaning they had used an illicit drug during the month prior to the survey interview. This estimate represents 8.7 percent of the population aged 12 or older.1 Illicit drugs include marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, or prescription-type psychotherapeutics used non-medically, all of which can, when taken prenatally, have significant implications for a developing fetus (Catlett-Dinehart ND). Information like this shows us that the field of education is contributed to by many professionals. Overall the thing about this site that I like the most is that you can research different topics and get feedback from professionals who have years of experience in the field.

(www.expertbeacon.com)



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Reference

Camille Catlett, M.A. and Laura H. Dinehart, Ph.D. (ND) Resources Within Reason: Resources for supporting young children who have been prenatally exposed to drugs, and their families

http://www.dec-sped.org/#!blank/ltoso

 

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

Getting to Know Your International Contacts

 

Hello class, it has been a real struggle trying to communicate with early childhood professionals from different countries. I have sent out numerous e-mails and have only received one response back, and that one response was I have to admit a disappointment. I clicked on the link to hear the podcast and it went to an error page. When I went to the actual website for world forum foundation I didn’t see a link for the radio station even when I searched the website for the radio station I came up with nothing. This really bothered me because I was looking forward to hearing the podcast. In lieu of this I went to the website http://www.globalfundforchildren.org/the-cambodian-child-who-stole-my-heart/. It was about CEO Susan Goodell who went on a recent trip to Asia to visit with GFC grassroots partners and the children they help. She took to a young boy whose mother sent him to take care of his ill grandmother. But in light of that his mother couldn’t afford to take care of him so he was living. He was so malnourished that even though he was eleven he had the appearance of a six year old. However I am grateful that there are organizations like this that reach out and help these children, so that they not only have a chance at getting an education but have a chance at life period.

The story of Arun inspired me to want to research child poverty in the Philippines for the second part of our assignment.  In a country where poverty is prevalent, Filipino children are vulnerable to issues such as mortality, health, education, violence and abuse, and forced labor. Under a host of environmental issues bigger than they are, children can be adversely affected by poverty in many ways (http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_66867.html). A survey conducted in 2005 revealed that almost a quarter of Filipino children (24.6% of the population) 0–5 years old are underweight. Data showed that six regions had an increase in the number of underweight children from 2003 to 2006 (Table I.2) (http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_66867.html). A lot of the heads of households do agricultural work like fishing or forestry work, which really doesn’t bring a lot of money into the house hold to take care of families. Which makes sense because of course the work would kind of limited or rather completive with everyone doing the same type of work. What is more saddening is that most children will probably grow up to be poor adults. In or to help solve the problem of poverty in the Philippines an effective population management program to stop the vicious cycle of poverty and underdevelopment is being put in place. It is supposed to stabilize macroeconomic fundamentals to strengthen the country’s economic performance in order to reduce the incidence of poverty; building up data and giving due consideration to regional disparities in aid of planning, and policy and program formulation; and, allocating more financial and rational manpower resources for health, education and child protection; among others (http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_66867.html). I hope that one day child poverty is no longer an issue over the whole world. Until the I hope solutions to help the problem keep arriving.

References

http://www.globalfundforchildren.org/the-cambodian-child-who-stole-my-heart/

http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_66867.html

 

(Poverty's victim: Children born in an impoverish society suffers more ...450 x 302 · jpegrifestuff.blogspot.com)