Articles include:
SPECIAL EDITION
2003-04 School Year
SPIN is co-sponsored by the
Disability & Communication Access Board and the Special Education
Section of the Department of Education. Services include a phone
line for information referral and support, a quarterly newsletter,
an annual conference and community workshops. Guiding SPIN is
our Advisory Committee made up of parents, consumers and educators.
SPIN
919 Ala Moana Blvd., # 101
Honolulu, Hawaii 96814
PHONE
586-8126
Neighbor Islands dial the exchange below, then 6-8126.
Kauai - 274-3141
Hawai'i - 974-4000
Maui - 984-2400
Molokai - 1-800-468-4644
Lanai - 1-800-468-4644
FAX
586-8129
E-MAIL
accesshi@aloha.net
WEB
www.spinhawaii.org
This Special Edition is a sample issue of our 8 page newsletter
that we publish in September, December, February and May. If
you would like to receive this FREE newsletter at home or work,
fill out the attached postcard, or contact us by phone or e-mail.
KEEPING
A HOME FILE
One of the best tools for parents
who want to be active in their child's education is a home file.
For those of you whose children have been receiving special
education services for a while, you know that a great deal of
information is put together as part of determining your child's
needs and planning an educational program to meet those needs.
This is a lot of information to keep in your head!
A home file helps you to keep track of your child's educational
progress and prepare for IEP meetings. It puts all the important
information in order where you can easily find it. What should
you put in your home file? Here are some suggestions:
*Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs)
*evaluation reports and test results
*results of state assessments
*progress reports and report cards
*reports from doctors and other professionals that relate to
your child's education
*discipline reports and behavior plans
*samples of your child's work
*written correspondence with the school and a telephone log of
conversations with teachers or other people from school
*notes that you have taken regarding your child's abilities strengths
and needs
*Individualized Support Plans (ISP), if your child is receiving
support from the Developmental Disabilities Division
*general information (parent rights brochures, magazine articles,
workshop handouts, etc.)
MAKING CHOICES
The freedom to make choices
is one of the things we all cherish. Being able to make informed
decisions is the standard society uses to determine whether we
are mentally competent to manage our own life. Choice is also
at the foundation of self-determination-living a life of our
own choosing.
Parents often get so involved
in making decisions FOR their children that they forget to teach
and encourage choice-making. Believing that "mom or dad
knows best" we sometimes limit opportunities for our children
to express their own preferences and to learn from their mistakes.
When communication, learning or behavior problems are part of
our child's disability, we may assume that our child is incapable
of making good choices.
Offering choices to our kids
can have HUGE benefits. Here are some of
the results that can come from providing choices to your child
or teen:
¸ An increase in independence
¸ A sense of control over his or her daily activities
¸ More active participation in activities
¸ Improved social or academic performance
¸ A feeling of well-being
¸ A decrease in inappropriate behavior.
QUOTES ABOUT CHOICE
If you choose not to decide,
you still have made a choice.
--Neil Peart
My mother's menu consisted
of two choices: take it or leave it.
--Buddy Hackett
It's choice--not chance--that
determines your destiny.
--Jean Nidetch
REINFORCING CHOICE-MAKING:
Be consistent on the number
of choices
Provide a variety of types
of choices
Offer multiple choices throughout
the day
Provide basic choices (white
milk or chocolate milk?) to more complex choices (which video
do you want to rent?) depending on your child's ability
Reinforce your child's choice
by providing the item chosen
Reinforce choice-making opportunities
your child initiates ("Can I choose which task to start
with?")
* Adapted from "Choice-Making
Strategies"by the Center for Effective Collaboration and
Practice
MAKING
RESOLUTIONS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAMILY
Every person and family
has strengths. Sometimes we are not aware we have strengths
because we are so busy dealing with life's everyday problems
and hassles. Sometimes we need to increae our perceptions of
our strengths. Then when problems mount, we can use our own
inner resources to help us handle our problems. What can you
do to develop your perception of your family's strengths?
Talk with your spouse or with
another parent. List for each other what you see as the strengths
of your or the other's child and/or of your or the other's family.
You may be surprised at the insights that other people bring
to your own perceptions.
Think of different ways to
look at the positives of your situation. For example, when you
hear people talk about their teenagers and driving problems,
it may be a positive for you to think about how you will never
have those worries if your teen won't drive. This is a major
example of reframing and can help you be stronger as you face
minor and major crises.
Strengths are sometimes very
small things, but recognizing them can mean a great deal to your
mental health.
Share caregiving tasks; allow
others to feel they are an important part of your life. Permit
yourself not to be the only one who can care for your child.
Take care of yourself so you
will have more energy for all the things you must do. It's easy
to neglect your own needs. Even 5 to 10 minutes a day for yourself
can be beneficial.
Turn to others for support.
We know that people who have the support of others, whether
in a formal or informal group, generally feel stronger about
being able to cope with life.
Try not to compare what your
child does with what other children can do. Look for and
reinforce the things they do well.
Work on building your sense
of humor. People who can laugh at themselves or at their situation
usually feel stronger when problems arise. Laughing can sometimes
release negative tension physically and physiologically.
Take time to talk with family
members and friends. Schedule time with family members if there
is no other way to do it.
Think about what you appreciate
about each and every family member. A good time to let every
family member know what you appreciate about them is New Year's
Day--write a note to them to tell them what you appreciate about
them.
~ The Beach Center on Families
and
Disability Newsletter
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
2003
8/23 Special Olympics Conference
& 24 Ala Moana Hotel. Call Nip Ho at 943-8808, x23
9/29 Future Horizons Autism/Asperger's 2003, Call 1-800-489-0727
or info@futurehorizons-autism.com
10/3 Foster Parent Care Conference
(Special Feature: Concurrent Teen Track on 10/4)
& 4 Sheraton Waikiki, Call 263-0920, toll-free 877-775-4400
10/3 Early Childhood Conference
& 4 Hawaii Convention Center, Call Kathy Murphy at 942-4708
10/4 Hawaii Down Syndrome 'Buddy Walk' - Kakaako Waterfront Park.
Contact Cheryl at 672-6444
2004
2/13 2004 Pacific Basin Learning
Disabilities Conference
& 14 Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort, Contact LDAH at 536-9684
3/29 PAC Rim Conference on
Disabilities 2004
& 30 Sheraton Waikiki, www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/ or 956-9810
or cds@hawaii.edu
4/24 2004 SPIN Conference -
UH Campus Center
June Hawaii Families As Allies
Youth & Family Leadership Conferences - Call 487-8785
Or Visit SPIN on the World Wide Web to get a look at many of
the conferences and workshops that are open to parents in the
2003-2004
School Year...
www.spinhawaii.org
