Chapter 8 Families as Partners in Communication and Collaboration

1. Chapter 8 Families as Partners in Communication and Collaboration

2. Sharing Their Story • Chad Nelms has autism and when he could not communicate with words he used behavior. • The most important goal for Chad is language related. If Chad cannot communicate with words, he will communicate with behaviors and often this is problematic for Chad’s teachers. • Understanding and responding appropriately requires the knowledge and skills of effective interventions. • Marley and Chandler were able to enroll Chad in a an early intervention program that used behavior analysis intervention.

3. Sharing Their Story • Communication is critical as all partners work to ensure Chad is benefiting from programming that will ensure he will meet the four outcomes for individuals with disabilities. • For Chad to benefit from effective interventions, the Nelms must communicate with each other and with Chad’s teachers. Teachers need to communicate with each other. • Throughout their moves the Nelms have not always found school partners willing to be open to their suggestions. Not all partners have demonstrated the principles of communication, professional competence, respect, commitment, equality, advocacy and trust. .

4. Think About It • If you were meeting with a parent as committed and informed as Marley Nelms, what positive response might you offer when she asks you to communicate with professionals from another agency? • What positive response might you have when she brings the data proving that some interventions have greatly helped Chad? • How would you develop a positive partnership with her if you knew she and her husband had sued a school district and won a partial victory, costing the school district a tidy sum of money?

5. Creating a Collaborative Climate • Communicating within a Team Context • Different types of teams exist in schools. As their purposes vary, so also does their membership. • Multidisciplinary teams • Members from various disciplines meet to share information . Team members tend to confine themselves to their own disciplines.

6. Communicating Within a Team Context Multidisciplinary team members include but are not limited to : school nursing audiology vision orientation and mobility applied behavior analysis/positive behavior support paraprofessionals • special education • general education • speech-language/ communication therapy • occupational therapy • physical therapy • school social work • school psychology

7. Communicating within a Team Context • Transdisciplinary Team Approach • Members are collectively responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating services. An unique attribute of this approach is referred to as ‘role release”. • Team members do not allow traditional disciplinary boundaries to guide their work. • They share information, skills, and responsibility for the student’s program.

8. Communicating within a Team Context • Other Team Approaches • Collaborative • Collaborative Consultation • Integrated Therapy

9. Using Positive Interpersonal Communication Skills • Non-verbal Communication Skills • Physical attending: Contact, facial expressions and gestures. • Listening: Various styles exist ranging from ignoring to empathetic listening. • Non-verbal communication styles and preferences vary greatly from culture to culture.

10. Using Positive Interpersonal Communication Skills • Verbal Communication Skills • Furthering Responses: Indicates attentive listening and encourages family members to continue to speak and examine their thoughts and feelings. • Paraphrasing: Involves using your words to restate a family member’s message or perception in a clear manner. Allows the listener to clarify and check for accuracy.

11. Using Positive Interpersonal Communication Skills • Verbal Communication Skills • Responding to Affect: Using words that reflect and affirm how a family member is feeling. • Questioning: The use of closed-ended and open-ended questions to gain additional information from a family. Open-ended questions provide opportunities for increased sharing and dialogue.

12. Using Positive Interpersonal Communication Skills • Verbal Communication Skills • Summarizing and Summarization: “Recapping” what a family member has said while emphasizing the most salient thoughts and feelings.

13. Using Positive Interpersonal Communication Skills • Using Cultural Competence to Seek Solutions • Skilled Dialogue Approach: Teaches professionals to be more culturally competent and responsive in interactions with families whose cultural values and beliefs differ from their own.

14. Using Positive Interpersonal Communication Skills • Using Cultural Competence to Seek Solutions • “Third Space” refers to a situation in which people creatively reframe the diverse perspectives and contradictions of each other so that these perspective merge to address challenging issues.

15. Using Positive Interpersonal Communication Skills • Using Creative Group Problem-Solving Approaches • Develop a vision • Agree on a specific goal • Brainstorm options for addressing the goal • Evaluate benefits and drawbacks of each option • Select the most appropriate option

16. Using Positive Interpersonal Communication Skills Using Creative Group Problem-Solving Approaches • Specify an implementation plan, including the person responsible, resources and timeline. • Implement the plan. • Evaluate how closely the results of the action matched the goals . • Modify the plan and continue to make progress.

17. Using Positive Interpersonal Communication Skills • Resolving Conflict and Misunderstanding • Conflict is natural and has the capacity to inform and advance the collective efforts of the team. • Communication skills to resolve conflicts include: • Separating people from issues • Focusing on interests, not positions • Generating options • Using objective criteria

18. Strategies for Communicating Positively • Identifying and Respecting Family Preferences • Gaining a family systems perspective is developed through: • Creating an informal, comfortable relationship. • Engaging in “conversations” rather than interviews. • Allowing families to lead conversations. • Interacting in a manner that is respectful to the family’s cultural preferences.

19. Strategies for Communicating Positively • Respecting Family Preferences • Inquire about the family’s preferences for communication; What methods of communication are most useful for the family? • Ask parents what type of information they would like to receive. • Ask parents to identify whom they prefer to communicate with at the school.

20. Strategies for Communicating Positively • Low-Tech Written Spoken Methods of Communication • Handbooks, handouts, and newsletters • Format considerations: Concise, attractive, and written in simple and understandable language. • Have materials available in a variety of different languages. • Incorporate student and family contributions to the greatest extent possible.

21. Strategies for Communicating Positively • Low-Tech Written Spoken Methods of Communication • Letters, notes, and dialogue journals • Provides a flow of communication between home and school. • When used appropriately, dialogue journals promote increased communication between home and school, leading to enhanced family-professional partnerships

22. Strategies for Communicating Positively • Low-Tech Written and Spoken Methods of Communication • Telephone contacts with families • Effective means for providing information and emotional support to families. • Occasional calls may result in improved student performance. • When calling parents, keep conversations brief and to the point. • Consider alternative avenues for parents who do not have reliable phone service.

23. Strategies for Communicating Positively • High-Tech Methods of Communication • Internet, videotapes, and audiotapes can serve as effective communication media between home and school: • E-mail bulletin boards, e-mail messages, school-wide and classroom websites, blogging, text messages. • Videotapes as report cards, progress reports, and instructional procedures for families. • Audiotapes to exchange information and ideas.

24. Strategies for Communicating Positively • Face-to-Face Interactions • Planned meetings between families and professionals. • Requires pre-planning to ensure positive outcomes for families and professionals: • Pre-meeting preparation: Notifying families of the meeting, planning an agenda, arranging the environment.

25. Strategies for Communicating Positively • Face-to-Face Interactions • Effective meetings between professionals and families include: • Building rapport • Obtaining information • Providing information • Summarizing

26. Strategies for Communicating Positively • Face-to-Face Interactions • Unplanned meetings between families and professionals require pre-planning on the part of the professional to handle the interaction in a professional manner. • Decide what is possible for you to do in response to the unplanned meeting. • Talk with other professionals about their strategies for handling unplanned meetings. • Identify topics that are open or closed for discussion.

27. Strategies for Communicating Positively • Face-to-Face Interactions • Have helpful resources available for families seeking information (names, addresses, and phone numbers of other agencies, families and professionals. • Seek advice and support from administrators or other professionals at your school. • Be flexible and open to unique circumstances that require immediate attention.

28. Revisiting Chad, Marley, and Chandler Nelms • For the Nelms and every professional working with them to provide an appropriate education to Chad, the key is open and effective communication. • Professionals must evidence the skills of effective interpersonal communication to ensure a trust-based partnership with this family.

29. Summary • Chapter 8 sets out the strategies and skills that must be part of your interpersonal communication skills. • Nonverbal communication skills • Verbal communication skills • Solving problems collaboratively • Using cultural competency • Resolving conflict and misunderstanding • Strategies for communicating positively

30. Linking Content To Your Life • Effective communication occurs when you use positive strategies to learn about students and their families, share ideas and information with them and strengthen your partnerships with individual families. • Examine the ways you can link this content to your life by reflecting on the questions asked on page 182. • Develop an action plan