The challenges of teaching a child who has a disability are many and varied. Nothing helps the process more than strong collaboration between the child's teachers and the child's parents. This new book is all about creating that collaboration, maintaining it, and using it to help children who have disabilities reach their personal educational potential. The authors take a developmental approach to their subject, focusing on the uniqueness of each family and each child from infancy, through the primary grades, to middle school, high school, and adulthood. Throughout the book, the "voices" of real parents lend authenticity to the material; and the essential role of the family in the education of its children is seen as of paramount importance. This book also addresses current educational trends toward maximum inclusion for all children--children with ethnic, cultural, and linguistic differences as well as those with physical and mental disabilities. For Special Education teachers.

Contenu

Preface.

1. The Role of Context.

2. Issues of Diversity.

3. Legal Rights and Responsibilities of Parents and Families.

4. The Impact of Identification and Diagnosis of Disability on the Family.

5. A Model for Engaging Parents.

6. Collaboration and Communication.

7. Engaging Families of Infants and Toddlers.

8. Engaging Families of Preschoolers and Kindergarten Students with Disabilities.

9. Engaging Families During the Primary Years.

10. Engaging Families in Middle School and Junior High.