As a parent, what are the best tools to use to help your child become more independent for the future?
What does the law say about including parents in the "transtion" process?
As a high functioning student with special needs, what rites are reserved for pursuing future education after high school?
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- Kari Kramer
- Special Education Major On time to graduate in June, 2010
Great start. I think you will find some interesting information about your topic.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent, what are the best tools to use to help your child become more independent for the future?
ReplyDeleteI would like to give some insight on this question by first off say that I think it is very important to concentrait on the different types of parenting styles and which parenting style is the best for helping their child(ren) become more independent for the future.
According to many past studies that I have had with human development there are 4 main types of parenting styles.
According to a website, the four types of parenting styles are as follows...
* Indulgent parents are more responsive than they are demanding. Nontraditional and lenient, they do not require mature behavior, allow much self-regulation, and avoid confrontation. Indulgent parents may be further divided into two types: democratic parents, who, though lenient, are more conscientious, engaged, and committed to the child, and nondirective or permissive parents.
* Authoritarian parents are highly demanding and directive, but not responsive. They do not explain orders but expect total obedience. These parents provide well-ordered and structured environments with clearly stated rules. Authoritarian parents can be divided into two types: those who are not intrusive or autocratic in their use of power and those who are highly intrusive.
* Authoritative parents are both demanding and responsive. They set clear standards for their child's conduct, but their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive as they want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, cooperative, and self-regulated.
* Uninvolved parents are low in both response and demand. In extreme cases, this parenting style might encompass both rejection and neglect.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Identifying-the-4-Parenting-Styles&id=138117
Authoritative parents are known as being the best parents for child(ren) through the idea of teaching their child(ren) independence. This of course would be a first and major step for any parent.
Now when the parent or parents are using the authoritative style of parenting with their child(ren), there are many tools in which a parent can use in helping their child(ren) become more independent for the future.
According to another website I found, there "are eight ways to empower (parents) children to become more self-sufficient".
Here are the eight steps:
1. Ask for their ideas.
2. Systematize as much as possible.
3. Make healthy eating easier. I
4. Have your children keep an agenda.
5. Make peace with a training period.
6. Let your children make mistakes.
7. Be a strong support system.
8. "Think" outloud.
http://www.firstourselves.com/first_ourselves/2008/01/help-children-s.html
I think these are all great steps that can be used as tools for any parent able and willing to help their child(ren) to beomce more independent for the future.
Heather's info provides a good start. This is what we know about all children. How might it be modified and / or enhanced for children with challenging presenting issues?
ReplyDeleteAnother thought I had about an avenue to explore would be looking into group homes and whether or not this would be a long term goal for families.
ReplyDeleteHey Kari,
ReplyDeleteThese are great questions. I definately agree with Heather when it comes too different parenting styles. Depending on the parents they are going to have different ideas about and goals for their child's independence. They are also going to most likely have much different techniques in raisng their child and empowering their independence. When gathering information I would try and gather it from a diverse group of parenting styles and cultures.
I really like Heather's 8 steps. The four parenting catagories she mentioned (Authoritative, Authoritarian, Indulgent, Uninvolved) are studied in most Human Development or Sociology courses. I'm sure you can find a lot information about them in textbooks and online. I would be interested in seeing if the parents of children with dissabilities tend to lean towards one or two of the parenting types more than the others. I know that in our textbook it has mentioned that many of parents with children with dissabilites have to deal with overcoming their overprotective nature with their child. That would greatly affect the message being sent to a child who is trying to gain independence. It also could be a major reason why transitioning into independence may be so hard for you adults with dissabilities.
A great website I found with legal information and with different programs and information about transitioning out of the home is http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/ It is a Global organization focused on dissability-related resources. It is extremely helpful I would check it out.
I never thought about that, but like Naomi quoted from our book, parents will have to overcome a protective nature when their child is trying to become an independent, especially when they are young adults. It might be hard for them to become an independent if their parents won’t allow them to transition into that stage. It also might be hard for them to understand why all of a sudden they are supposed to do everything on their own. I guess that’s why in schools, parents might get upset with the school system of not doing everything for these children, but helping them understand how to do it on their own, so that this transition might not be so hard. I would hope that every parent would be supportive of this transition to independence, since in a normal developing child this would be the route of nature, and this is when parents usually celebrate their empty nests. :0)
ReplyDelete