I hope in the next five years that society lifts the label off special education. Society tends to see the label instead of the child. I would like to see society refer to the unique needs or the label the child was given as an "attribute". Children with unique needs view the world in a different light. I hope society learns to embrace the way children with unique needs view the world.
I hope when the view of society changes, policies will reflect how children with unique needs should not be put in a box though allowed to express their ideas For years, society have tried to force children with unique needs to think a certain way. Their ideas were not appreciated or encouraged. I hope when society changes their view of children with unique needs that they will be encouraged to express their ideas in order to feel good about who they are. I believe more funding will be provided for early childhood professionals to meet the needs for all children no matter their ability. I hope policies will reflect investing in curricula which allows children of all abilities to reach their full potential without pointing out children's unique needs. I hope that preschool and early intervention educators work together to develop techniques to incorporate more inclusion opportunities.
I hope more families will become more involved in their child's education which have unique needs. Before I entered the profession of early childhood education, I was a parent of a young child with unique needs. I felt that even though my child had an IEP, they did not understand my child nor did they want to deal with him. I hope parents feel they are truly heard instead of feeling their child is misunderstood. More families would feel empowered to help early childhood professionals by re-enforcing what is taught in school. I believe more parents would feel early childhood professionals want what is best for their child no matter their need or ability. I also believe more parents would insist that their early childhood professionals have the training needed to ensure their child with unique needs has the proper expectations to reach their full potential.
"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-
You made a statement that is so true. Parents need to be voices for their chidren with special needs. I use to work for 3 years with children with special needs. Some of the parents I have to say, were involved in their education, and some sadly were not. I use to work with children with special needs such as Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsey, and Autism. These children all had IEP's, and the parents attended the meetings, but some would not speak up for their child.
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