What are some communication strategies practitioners can use to ensure ongoing support and communication with families? Give an example of how you might communicate support to a family with a child who has a mobile disability and struggles to get around the classroom without significant help.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

First, good communication strategies are as follow: keep in regular contact with families, ask their preferred method of communicating and then use that method, treat every communication exchange as important, answer all questions promptly and when you don't know an answer make sure to find out and get back with families, be knowledgeable, provide opportunities for families to talk and ask questions, and always follow-up with families and let them know they are valued. Student answers will vary, but an example of how a practitioner might communicate support to a family with a child who has a mobile disability could be to keep in contact with them about how well the child is doing navigating the classroom either with help or how he or she is learning to maneuver into spaces on his or her own. If a parent notices that the child is becoming frustrated because he or she isn’t able to participate in the ways that he or she likes, the practitioner can talk with the family about how to create an adapted participation environment for the child. It’s also important to keep open lines of communication about how the child is doing with mobility in the classroom. Together, the practitioner and family can come up with adapted participation strategies to make the learning environment for inclusive for the child.