Conducting effective conferences with parents of children with disabilities : a guide for teachers / Milton Seligman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seligman, Milton, 1937-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Children with disabilities--Education.

Children with disabilities.

Parents of children with disabilities--Counseling of.

Parents of children with disabilities.

Parent-teacher conferences.

Physical Description:

xiii, 303 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Guilford Press, [2000]

Summary:

This book provides the knowledge and skills needed to conduct effective conferences with parents of children with disabilities. Readers gain a solid understanding of the challenges that families face as a consequence of childhood disability and the issues that are likely to arise in meetings with school professionals. Reviewing the basic elements of parent-teacher conferencing, Seligman highlights ways to develop strong listening and responding skills, establish rapport, and engage parents who may feel anxious, frustrated, or angry. Also addressed are the requirements of the legally mandated Individualized Education Program conference. Enhancing the book's utility are sample dialogues, role-play scenarios and exercises, and referral sources and publications suitable for recommendation to parents.

Contents:

1. Families and the Schools 1

Inclusion 6

What is the Teacher's Role? 7

A Family Systems Perspective 8

The Responsibility for Parent-Teacher Conferences 8

Giving Support and Encouragement 9

Effect of Teachers 10

Administrators and the Home-School Relationship 16

School Climate and School Administrators 17

Influencing a Reluctant System 19

Human Characteristics and Development of a Professional Helper 20

2. Parents and Teachers: Reciprocal Views 22

Teachers' Attitudes toward Pupils 23

Schools, Families, and Distancing 26

Teachers' Attitudes toward Parents 27

Teachers' Attitudes toward Change 36

Parents' Attitudes toward Teachers 37

3. Family Dynamics: An Overview 47

Social Roles 50

Coping Mechanisms 51

Related Concepts 60

An Introduction to Family and Social Systems 68

Family Systems Theory 69

Family Structure 70

Family Life Cycle 76

4. Family Reaction to Childhood Disability 79

Stages of Mourning 79

Chronic Sorrow 83

Psychosocial Stresses Associated with Childhood Illness/Disability 85

Marital Adjustment, Divorce, and Single Parenthood 89

Families of Children with Different Disabilities 92

Mothers, Fathers, Siblings, and the Extended Family 95

Chronic Burden of Care 111

Developmental Transitions 112

5. Basic Principles of Interviewing 119

Personality Characteristics and Interpersonal Style 120

Values and the Parent-Teacher Conference 120

The Setting of the Conference 123

Establishment of Goals 127

The Information-Oriented Interview 129

The Experientail Interview 130

Listening 133

Barriers to Effective Conferences 138

Other Negative Responses from Teachers 141

Lecturing and Moralizing: Barriers to Effective Communication 146

Silences 148

Overtalk 151

Teachers' Self-Disclosure 153

Termination 154

6. Useful Strategies in Working with Parents of Children with Disabilities 157

Establishing Rapport 157

Rapport and Cultural Diversity 160

Nonverbal Behavior and Paralinguistics 163

Minimal Encourages to Talk 168

Other Helpful Leads 170

Microtraining 170

Attending Behavior 173

Interpersonal Process Recall 175

Paraphrasing 177

Timing 181

How and When to Be Supportive 181

How and When to Be Assertive and Firm 183

The Use of Questions 186

Interpretation: Pros and Cons 190

Home Conferences 192

Referrals 194

Self-Help Organizations 195

Bibliotherapy 197

7. The Individualized Education Program Conference 199

Legislative Initiatives 200

What Constitutes the IEP? 206

8. Working with Challenging Parents 226

Hostile Parents 227

Uncooperative Parents 230

Perfectionistic Parents (or Excessively Worried Parents) 232

Professional Parents 234

Dependent Parents 235

Overly Helpful Parents 237

Overprotective Parents 238

Neglectful Parents 239

Parents as Clients 242

Fighting Parents 245

Involved-Uninvolved Parents 247

Ethical Concerns 250

Teacher Burnout 251

Appendix Resources to Help Teachers Help Parents / Karen Seligman 255.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-292) and index.

ISBN:

1572305371

OCLC:

42752818