*4.4.2 Atypical*

The cognitive and academic development of students with disabilities varies in its progression. Students with moderate or intensive cognitive delays are likely to have difficulty retaining new information as well as applying information to new

**263**

*Relationships and Resources: Supporting Exceptional Learners from Birth through Primary School*

situations. Some students may have trouble accessing academic content due to physical barriers such as deafness or blindness. Students with autism may present exceptional skill in reciting information associated with a specific genre of information or topic of interest. For example, a child may be able to tell you everything there is to know about the solar system but may not be able to interact with their teachers or caregivers in depth like that about other topics. The primary-grade timeframe is also often the period of time when learning disabilities are identified. Students who are having difficulty with language-related issues may be at risk for reading difficulties. If a child has difficulty rhyming or manipulating sounds in words (e.g., "Take the /c/ off of cat and tell me what word you have"), intervention may be necessary. If the student has trouble with spelling or breaking down larger words, there may be a word-recognition learning disability present. In language comprehension, it may be that children (and parents) entered the school community thinking that everything was going to go smoothly, only to discover that learning does not come easily. Both of these situations bring various degrees of frustration and anxiety for both students and parents. If a child is not already identified, the process to assess, identify, and build the proper support network can be overwhelming. The relationships among all persons involved

(the student, the caregiver, and the teachers) can become strained [10, 13].

resources caregivers can use to find more information (**Tables 5** and **6**).

In each age range listed above, suggestions for how to help caregivers, family units, and the child with disabilities have been provided. Pulling these resources together and connecting agencies within the network and beyond can be a powerful strategy for maximizing support for all involved [22, 23]. Parents of children with disabilities interact with three primary categories of providers: medical, educational, and support services. When supporting units remain unconnected to any kind of network, they remain "bubbles" in the life of the family (see **Figure 1**). Each category of support is isolated and weak on its own. Within each of those bubbles, there can also be isolated components. For instance, the medical bubble could include doctors, mental health therapists, vision specialists, and home health workers. A family could be seeing multiple specialists who may not talk with each other and remain independent from one another. In the education bubble (e.g., teachers, therapists, tutors, principals), one could be seeing a general education and a special education teacher as well as a physical education, music, and art teacher. In the support services bubble (e.g., therapists, parent support groups, financial assistance and child care), a family could be connected with an occupational, physical, and speech therapist, parent support and/or disability-specific groups, as well as numerous social service agencies. It

All parents want their children to be in the best environment for learning in order to make this step a positive one. They wonder what kinds of options they have for schooling their exceptional child. What type of school to choose (private, public, full time, part time, etc.), what types of supplementary therapies and supports may be needed, and how to navigate the complicated process of securing those services through their child's school. If identification of a disability has taken place, or does take place during this time period, navigating that process can be trying. A child at this age will most likely be on an IEP and be receiving services through the school. Below are common considerations and challenges associated with this age span, suggested actions a caregiver can take to help address the concern, and

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80809*

**4.5 Challenges and resources**

**4.6 Making connections**

*Relationships and Resources: Supporting Exceptional Learners from Birth through Primary School DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80809*

situations. Some students may have trouble accessing academic content due to physical barriers such as deafness or blindness. Students with autism may present exceptional skill in reciting information associated with a specific genre of information or topic of interest. For example, a child may be able to tell you everything there is to know about the solar system but may not be able to interact with their teachers or caregivers in depth like that about other topics. The primary-grade timeframe is also often the period of time when learning disabilities are identified. Students who are having difficulty with language-related issues may be at risk for reading difficulties. If a child has difficulty rhyming or manipulating sounds in words (e.g., "Take the /c/ off of cat and tell me what word you have"), intervention may be necessary. If the student has trouble with spelling or breaking down larger words, there may be a word-recognition learning disability present. In language comprehension, it may be that children (and parents) entered the school community thinking that everything was going to go smoothly, only to discover that learning does not come easily. Both of these situations bring various degrees of frustration and anxiety for both students and parents. If a child is not already identified, the process to assess, identify, and build the proper support network can be overwhelming. The relationships among all persons involved (the student, the caregiver, and the teachers) can become strained [10, 13].

#### **4.5 Challenges and resources**

*Early Childhood Education*

words, a key element of learning to read [21].

**4.3 Fine and gross motor skills**

organized baseball and softball games.

and writing with ease [10, 13].

**4.4 Cognitive and academic skills**

as well as extract information from content area texts.

*4.3.1 Typical*

*4.3.2 Atypical*

*4.4.1 Typical*

vocabulary acquisition. This causes a domino effect in their ability to understand new concepts or to discuss information and ideas in depth. Phonological awareness delays and deficiencies can affect a child's ability to manipulate isolated sounds in

Students entering kindergarten are usually fairly coordinated and spatially aware. As they grow throughout primary school, these skills are fine-tuned, and they develop the capacity to write neatly (utilizing fine motor skills) and participate in athletic endeavors (which utilize gross motor skills). Hand-eye coordination develops exponentially during this time frame. Children grow from barely being able to catch objects that are thrown to them to hitting balls with a bat during

When a disability is present, this is yet another area that can be affected. Students may lack coordination and therefore have difficulty participating in play or physical education exercises. They may be non-ambulatory or need assistance with self-care tasks like brushing teeth, holding a writing tool, or typing. It is easy to see how lacking these skills can make a child stand out from their peers and cause both them and their parents a great deal of emotional distress. Along with the stress of not being able to perform these tasks at the same rate as their peers, children with atypical fine and gross motor development miss out on many of the benefits associated with physical play and learning through the repetitive action of tracing

Typically developing primary school-aged children progress in their abilities to think logically and use reason. Early in this stage (around age 5), children are curious about everything. They constantly ask, "Why?" From kindergarten to third grade, their problem-solving skills improve. Memory and sequencing skills go from simple to complex as children move from mimicking simple directions to performing complicated tasks from multistep directions they hear or read. They add to their repertoire of ways to learn by moving beyond observation, imitation, and repetition to reading, discussing, and reasoning in order to gain new information and think about more complex ideas. They understand spatial and directional vocabulary and concepts of time and that numbers represent amounts. Children in primary school typically move from being non-readers to being able to read primary chapter books by grade three. They should be able to solve basic mathematical and logic problems

The cognitive and academic development of students with disabilities varies in its progression. Students with moderate or intensive cognitive delays are likely to have difficulty retaining new information as well as applying information to new

**262**

*4.4.2 Atypical*

All parents want their children to be in the best environment for learning in order to make this step a positive one. They wonder what kinds of options they have for schooling their exceptional child. What type of school to choose (private, public, full time, part time, etc.), what types of supplementary therapies and supports may be needed, and how to navigate the complicated process of securing those services through their child's school. If identification of a disability has taken place, or does take place during this time period, navigating that process can be trying. A child at this age will most likely be on an IEP and be receiving services through the school. Below are common considerations and challenges associated with this age span, suggested actions a caregiver can take to help address the concern, and resources caregivers can use to find more information (**Tables 5** and **6**).

#### **4.6 Making connections**

In each age range listed above, suggestions for how to help caregivers, family units, and the child with disabilities have been provided. Pulling these resources together and connecting agencies within the network and beyond can be a powerful strategy for maximizing support for all involved [22, 23]. Parents of children with disabilities interact with three primary categories of providers: medical, educational, and support services. When supporting units remain unconnected to any kind of network, they remain "bubbles" in the life of the family (see **Figure 1**). Each category of support is isolated and weak on its own. Within each of those bubbles, there can also be isolated components. For instance, the medical bubble could include doctors, mental health therapists, vision specialists, and home health workers. A family could be seeing multiple specialists who may not talk with each other and remain independent from one another. In the education bubble (e.g., teachers, therapists, tutors, principals), one could be seeing a general education and a special education teacher as well as a physical education, music, and art teacher. In the support services bubble (e.g., therapists, parent support groups, financial assistance and child care), a family could be connected with an occupational, physical, and speech therapist, parent support and/or disability-specific groups, as well as numerous social service agencies. It


#### **Table 5.**

*Navigating the process of choosing the best school for children with learning disabilities.*


#### **Table 6.**

*Resources for understanding action plans in schools.*

is not unusual for these individuals to work on their own. They may not talk to each other and remain isolated, which can cause redundancy of service as well as unnecessary gaps in care. When the individual units and the components within the units are connected, they become a chain, much stronger and more effective in their support. **Figure 2** illustrates how connecting resources maximizes the strength of the overall network. When medical, education, and support services work together, the ultimate goal is to meet the needs of the individual with disabilities and their family.

Since it is not commonplace for agencies and/or providers to work together, a family with a child with a disability can supplant this phenomenon through organization and by keeping excellent notes. Starting a notebook with dividers for each area (education, medical, and support) of service can be very helpful. Every time a family sees a particular provider, they bring the notebook and update it. Verbally sharing the data or information in the notebook and providing copies to leave with the providers in order for them to get a full picture of what is happening help to streamline and strengthen a comprehensive support system. This can take place electronically or with paper notebooks. In the medical community, there are often medical portals where all of the medical information is shared within the medical system. This is generally not the case with the educational and support systems.

**265**

**Figure 2.**

*Network chains model.*

**Figure 1.**

*Isolated services model.*

powerful and beneficial [22, 23].

*Relationships and Resources: Supporting Exceptional Learners from Birth through Primary School*

Providing a framework for all information to be shared benefits everyone involved. One of the greatest supports for families in navigating "systems" is parent-to-parent support. Pairing a parent up with someone who has gone through the system is very

The model illustrated below represents a typical approach to care for children with special needs and their families. Independent care units operate in isolation. Services are secured one by one, and professionals operate without knowledge of or

The model below illustrates a much more cohesive, efficient, and powerful approach to supporting children with special needs and their families. All service

interaction with the other agencies working with the families.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80809*

*Relationships and Resources: Supporting Exceptional Learners from Birth through Primary School DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80809*

**Figure 2.** *Network chains model.*

**Figure 1.**

*Early Childhood Education*

Securing the proper types and amount of instruction and services

Supporting the student emotionally

Coping with emotional stress of having a child with a

disability

to read

**Table 5.**

Difficulty learning

Understanding the IEP process

**Challenge Action**

is not unusual for these individuals to work on their own. They may not talk to each other and remain isolated, which can cause redundancy of service as well as unnecessary gaps in care. When the individual units and the components within the units are connected, they become a chain, much stronger and more effective in their support. **Figure 2** illustrates how connecting resources maximizes the strength of the overall network. When medical, education, and support services work together, the ultimate goal is to meet the needs of the individual with dis-

The National Center for Accessing the General Curriculum: https://ccrs.osepideasthatwork.org/resources/

Meet with school team member first. Try to build a mutually respectful dialog about the situation and your child's needs. Speak with other parents who have been successful in securing services for their child. If you have difficulty working with the school, and you would like to secure the help of an advocate, you can find one

Communicate with the mental health services and counseling department at the

Accept help from friends and family; establish a routine and build in time for your own interests, and connect with professional organizations associated with your

Formally state that you suspect a learning disability and that you would like the

Meet with the school's special education teacher or school psychologist. Find more

in your state by searching here: http://www.yellowpagesforkids.com/

school. Pursue these services privately if need be

Understanding the Individualized Education Plan: www.understod.org Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence: https://www.ocali.org

child's diagnosis

school to conduct an evaluation

*Navigating the process of choosing the best school for children with learning disabilities.*

information at www.understod.org

National Center for Learning Disabilities: https://www.ncld.org/ Understood for Learning and Attention Issues: https://dyslexiaida.org/

International Dyslexia Association: https://dyslexiaida.org/

national-center-accessing-general-curriculum

*Resources for understanding action plans in schools.*

Since it is not commonplace for agencies and/or providers to work together, a family with a child with a disability can supplant this phenomenon through organization and by keeping excellent notes. Starting a notebook with dividers for each area (education, medical, and support) of service can be very helpful. Every time a family sees a particular provider, they bring the notebook and update it. Verbally sharing the data or information in the notebook and providing copies to leave with the providers in order for them to get a full picture of what is happening help to streamline and strengthen a comprehensive support system. This can take place electronically or with paper notebooks. In the medical community, there are often medical portals where all of the medical information is shared within the medical system. This is generally not the case with the educational and support systems.

**264**

abilities and their family.

**Resources**

**Table 6.**

Providing a framework for all information to be shared benefits everyone involved. One of the greatest supports for families in navigating "systems" is parent-to-parent support. Pairing a parent up with someone who has gone through the system is very powerful and beneficial [22, 23].

The model illustrated below represents a typical approach to care for children with special needs and their families. Independent care units operate in isolation. Services are secured one by one, and professionals operate without knowledge of or interaction with the other agencies working with the families.

The model below illustrates a much more cohesive, efficient, and powerful approach to supporting children with special needs and their families. All service providers communicate with each other and coordinate services. This crosspollination strengthens the support for the child, the family, and the service providers. It minimizes redundancy and makes progress monitoring more efficient.

## **5. Summary**

Parents of children with disabilities travel a different (not better or worse) path than most parents. Many parents of typical children take development for granted. Parents of children with disabilities are forced to be keenly aware of every developmental milestone and can experience a somewhat different appreciation for each newly acquired skill. Although many disabilities may be invisible to the general public, the child, and the family are very aware of their existence.

Sometimes, parents have to navigate the three systems (medical, educational, and support services) on their own. Resources are often plentiful, but finding them can be a challenge. By networking with other parents, parents of children with disabilities can break down common barriers. Most parents find that they acquire a new set of friends (parents of children with disabilities) out of the necessity of finding resources for their child with exceptionalities [24]. Once parents are aware of typical and atypical development, they can identify potential concerns and how to start the process to obtain resources to get providers to work together to meet the needs of the whole child and their family. Traveling on this sometimes-difficult journey with information and knowledge of how to get help is a win for the family and an even bigger win for the child.
