• Respond to your peer. Give your peers at least one additional strategy to use when dealing with parents. Explain if you agree or disagree with your peers’ opinions regarding the family’s responsibility for the behavior. Please remember to be respectful when disagreeing with an opinion.

PEERS POST:
Hello classmates. To prepare for a meeting with a family about challenging behavior, the first thing I will do is collect as much data as possible. What that means is gathering useful information about the child and his family. I will identify any cultural barriers or disabilities that may hinder communication and handle them appropriately. i will also gather information from colleagues; preferably those who already know the child or his family. I may seek advice from more experienced educators; while maintaining professional discretion, of course.

Three Strategies

1. Researching the family’s culture is essential. This includes finding out who is responsible for making decisions about the children and if an interpreter is necessary.
2. Before discussing the challenging behavior, I will first share knowledge of the child’s strengths with the family. It is important that families know about the child’s successes and what she does well.
3. I will listen carefully to what the family has to say. They know their child best. Active listening is not only useful for gathering information but also shows respect and empathy towards the family.

Examining my own attitude, I try to be objective and approach each situation individually. As we already know, behaviors are the result of a combination of biological and environmental factors (Kaiser, Sklar Rasminsky, 2017). Therefore, one can never presume to know the exact origin or cause of challenging behaviors. It is would not be fair to assume the family is to blame for a child’s challenging behavior.

If available, data and records from previous schools, teachers, counselors, or administrators can be useful in helping move the discussion in a positive direction. Grades, teacher notes, etc. can provide background on the child’s strengths and what has worked in the past. The most essential data will be collected from the family. The goal is to build a partnership between school and home in which information is shared that supports the child’s development
-Shawnda