Children with Special Needs
While all children, families, and teachers benefit from high-quality, ongoing interactions, this dynamic might be considered absolutely essential for children with special needs. In a recent study of nine child-care centers that serve children with disabilities (Bradley & Kibera, 2007), the researchers learned that understanding and attention to family culture was the key to successful inclusion. The provision of an individualized approach, ongoing communication, and the flexibility needed to adapt to different needs depended on understanding family values and beliefs, sociohistorical influences, and attitudes about seeking help. Therefore taking a collaborative approach to curriculum will naturally fit in with the needs of families with children who have special needs.
Understanding Families
Two theories in particular are helpful to teachers for understanding the families with which they work: Uri Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological theory (introduced in Chapter 1) and family systems theory (FST), used widely in family therapy settings (Christian, 2007; Fiese, Eckert, & Spagnola, 2006; Grant & Ray, 2010; Hill, Stremmel, & Fu, 2007; Weiss, Kreider, Lopez, & Chatman, 2005). Taking a family-centered approach departs from older, more traditional parent involvement models by shifting emphasis from the program to the families (Hill, Stremmel, & Fu, 2007). Further, a family-centered approach respects families as decision makers and culture bearers and assumes that all members of the family should benefit from home-school collaboration.