Unlocking the Mind

"I feel life is a journey and we all have to learn to ride the storm, for some of us it can seem more like a tidal wave, but with every storm the sun eventually comes back out."

--Alyson Bradley

I remember when my next door neighbors moved in; I was excited because the family had a little boy that my daughter could play with.  It was some time before we met the family, but the little boy, Connor was outside all the time.  Connor played and played, but it was playing line none other I had seen before.  Connor was in the front yard for what seemed like hours, picking up leaves and dropping them to the ground.  He repeated the action over and over again not stopping till his mom and dad called him inside.  We of course finally met Connor and his family and although he was a playmate for my daughter, again the playing was very different from what I imagined.  Connor is Autistic, and although he did not mind being around my daughter, the two never engaged one another.  My daughter was in her imaginative world of dolls and castles while Connor was in his play world of repeated actions.  Over and over, he rolled the wheels of a car.  He seemed content in his world, but as his mom would tell me she so wished she could be part of that world.  Connor she would tell me hated to be hugged and touched.  She was an outsider in her own son’s world, struggling to get in, but not quite making it.  Connor and his family became close friends with our family, and we even at times cared for Connor while his mom had to work.   Connor was never any trouble, loved to eat apples with my daughter, sitting alongside her playing with the wheels on a car or truck.  Connor had lots of language, but for the most part spoke when spoken to.  He was in an inclusive program at school, as began to blossom more and more, trying to engage in interactions.  He still loved throwing leaves and rocks up and down in the front yard for what seemed like hours. 

I had always wanted to unlock the mind of a child like Connor, allowing him and his family to connect.  Now it seems I am encountering more and more children like Connor through my work; some more severe than others, but all falling somewhere on the Autism spectrum.  Matt a child in my program uses sign language to communicate; he has no language, but when I look into his eyes, I can see sparkles of understanding and recognition.  He is not blank, but full of ideas and promise that are struggling to be set free.  Tommy has a difficult time sitting close to friends and finds noise unbearable.  Often times he covers his ears screaming, “It’s too loud!”  Other times he can’t sit still, but needs to be moving, moving, and moving.  Matt has been evaluated and diagnosed, Tommy has not.  Tommy is in the beginning stages of being evaluated.   

These children have such potential and an even greater amount of love and empathy to share with those around them.  I would like to unlock the mind of children with Autism.  My research would focus on treatments to do just that.  Such a contribution would allow children like Matt, Tommy and Connor greater opportunities for learning.  Developmentally children with Autism would on par with other children.  They would no longer be seen as different, their behavior being questioned, but the same as their peers.  They would be able to share what they have learned while also excelling academically.  Children with Autism would be able to experience relationships and interactions, feeling connected with those around them.   Children with Autism would be able to experience childhood and life with a greater sense of normalcy.

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities." 

-- Dr Seuss  

Research Process

I have chosen the topic of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) with a focus on children who have other disabilities such as a ADHD.  The topic intrigues me because I have most recently encountered children in my program who have been diagnosed as ODD and are being treated for ADHD, and children who are exhibiting extreme and often times erratic, defiant and destructive behavior in the classroom.  I have been very reflective because I want to provide these children every opportunity to grow in a positive, nurturing environment.  I am at times at a loss because the behavior can be overwhelming and difficult.  I was curious to find out if other conditions were present in children with ODD and if there was a connection that exacerbated ODD.   Within this research, I have also been searching for information and resources to provide teaching teams and parents with support and strategies as well better understanding of the behavior. 

I was uncertain at the start of the process because I thought it would be difficult to find adequate material on the subject.  Once you begin such a process, you are not sure if you are pursuing the process in the correct manner, or when finding appropriate research are you going to fully understand and be able to interpret what is being read.  For me, Google is a good place to start a very general and broad search.  I did this to see if my ideas on the subject were valid.  Doing research is not a new concept for me; however the topic of the research is far different.  My extensive research experience is in terms of historical research as it pertains to news events, sports events and historical events.  There certainly was not any interpretation of statistics nor did findings need to be applied to every day practice.  I am at an advantage during this stage of the research game.  I not only have resources from previous course work, but I also have the Walden Library link at my disposal.  I often use pro-quest and did during this process. 

In my research I was surprised to find that children with ODD have difficulty relating to peers and adults, rather than just having the inability to contort their emotions and reactions.  Children can be successful socially as well as academically, but appropriate use and exposure to different strategies must be in place (Schachar, & Wachsmuth, 1990).  

How did others approach the research process?  Did anyone find they had too much material?  How did you pull what was important from the material? 

References

Schachar, R., Wachsmuth, R. (1990). Oppositional Disorder in Children: A Validation Study Comparing Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Disorder and Normal Control Children.  Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 31, 1089-1102.

 

       

Support System

Supports on any given day can come to us in different forms.  I also find that I have supports in different parts of my life.  Supports provide me with a connection to peers, and a sense of belonging among those peers. Supports hold us up when we feel we can longer stand.  Being a director fairly new to the field of early childcare, I find it very difficult to let my guard down among staff so often times there is a sense of loneliness at the office; teams share a sense of camaraderie that is difficult to be a part of due to my role as a supervisor.  In addition I want to respect their sense of community making sure my teams do understand that I am available as a support system to them.  Thus far our relationship has worked well with the focus being the children and families in our program.  I also have done a great deal of learning through first hand experience and I have had to ask lots of questions so therefore my support have been individuals who have expertise in specific areas.  When I for example, have budgeting questions, I turn to our finance manager, or when I have recruitment and staffing issues, I turn to our human resources manager. 

My most trusted support system would have to be my mentor and former supervisor; she was the first person to hire me with very little teaching experience and she was the person to recommend me for a Director position six months after she hired me.  As a support, she was always available to provide information, to share stories, to entrust me with responsibilities and to collaborate with me on projects.  She has years of experience in the early childhood education field with lots of first hand information that she is always willing to share with me.  I can always call her to talk through difficult issues or to just pick her brain.  I know she is an ally in my corner who believes in me.  

Another support that carries me through the day would have to be the children; I rely on them immensely.  They come without judgments, are so giving of love and affection, and they are also so accepting.  No matter the tone of the day, good or bad, they will always put a smile on my face and center me back to where I need to be—they provide a lovely reminder of why I come to work every day.  

I utilize professional journals and web sites as supports to further expand my knowledge and expertise.  In addition, I attend classes and workshops to keep growing professionally.  Through these mechanisms of study, I too can be a support system for others in my professional and personal life.  I am able to share newfound knowledge as well as general information to help us grow in our field.  I approach each person and challenge with an open mind, and I feel I am reflective when teaching teams seek my advice.  As a support I always avail myself, taking time to learn and hear what others have to say, making sure I understand what is needed of me. 

Professional speaking, a challenging situation would be if I were without my Site Director at my school age program; she is one of most trusted colleagues who oversee our school age program extremely well.  She and I have a wonderful, sharing relationship with a clear vision of what we want our program to be.  When she is at the Center, I know the children will be cared for well, the families will be treated with respect and that she will be professional.   Without her, I would have to run both my pre-school as well as my school age program, spending each day at both Centers.  My schedule would consist of long days; open to close, lots of paperwork, lots of family interactions and lots of in-classroom time with the children.  Not only would I have to do lesson planning, I would have to facilitate projects as well.  I would have to work with my school age teaching team as well as supervise them.  I would emotionally need a shoulder to call upon to simply vent about the long days of work.  I would need more hours in the day to be able to complete all my paperwork and do it well.  I would need additional time to research lessons and lesson plan with the teaching team.  I would need adequate resource materials for lesson planning; I would need trusted teaching teams at my pre-school to have the peace of mind that the Center along with the children and families were being cared for properly.  I would rely heavily on a human resources person to be recruiting and pre-interviewing potential candidates.  I would also need supportive families at both sites who were not only understanding of the issues at hand but who were patient while a replacement was found. 

Without any of the above realistic supports (longer hours in the day just wouldn’t happen) I would feel somewhat helpless as well as very drained; the prospect of such a reality would be very lonely indeed.  

Let's Play

           My Connections to Play

“The most effective kind of education is that a child should

play amongst lovely things.”

~ Plato

"If you are a dreamer come in 
If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar 
A hoper a pray-er a magic-bean-buyer 
If youre a pretender com sit by my fire 
For we have some flax golden tales to spin 
Come in! 
Come in!" 
— Shel Silverstein

n  I always felt there was something more to what I wanted to do as a child; I wanted to engage in play that opened my imagination; I wanted to create. I wanted to play with friends that were willing to play beyond what was available to us.  Our thoughts and our mind was our playground and we could spend time doing just that, dreaming possibilities in pretend play. 

"There is a voice inside of you 
That whispers all day long, 
'I feel that this is right for me, 
I know that this is wrong.' 
No teacher, preacher, parent, friend 
Or wise man can decide 
What's right for you--just listen to 
The voice that speaks inside." 
— Shel Silverstein

n  Expressing myself in a creative manner was very important.  I believed there was something inside of me pushing me to think, and explore other worlds, other people, and other experiences so as to create my own stories.  I wondered if anyone understood what I was doing, engaged in private conversations, assuming many roles and personalities. 

Growing up, I have to admit I spent a great deal of time watching television-I was the television queen, watching episodes of “I Love Lucy”, “Bugs Bunny”, “Leave it to Beaver” to name a few.  While inside, television was my play and I created skits based on the shows I watched.  Television was simpler in the ‘70’s and it did engage my imagination, my sense of creativity and my sense of how I pictured things.  Television watching lead me to my first job as a television director, which I did for over 25 years.  (Early childhood education is a new passion for me, that I have been involved in for 3 years).  I always sought a creative outlet, but play was rather elusive for me growing up.

Learning, studying, getting good grades was the focus in my young life.  My parents were immigrants, and believed strongly that academic success was the key to success in American life.  Luckily, I loved school and homework was not a chore so I did not give my parents any trouble.

  

When I did play, I played with my brother, and he was in charge of what we did, how we played, and what we played with.  I felt stifled when we played, but I enjoyed his company so I endured.  My most vivid memories of play other than my own pretend, private play was the time I spent outside playing.  The playground for me was a carnival of excitement with endless possibilities to loose yourself.  Whether I was on the swing, legs up in the air, head dropped back with my long hair slapping my back, or on the monkey bars hanging upside down looking at the world, I knew I could loose myself in imagination.  The physical experiences of the playground could be repeated over and over again, providing me a new sensation every time. No matter how high I went on the swing, it took different degrees of body strength to project my feet in the air.  I still remember the colors I could see when I finished spinning and the peripheral shouts, and laughing of my friends as I tried to keep my balance.  The playground gave me control, and offered me so many different experiences; I could stay on the playground for hours. 

Play today is not so reckless and free.  If children are outside, they are engaged in organized activities that are adult driven; soccer, football, cheer-leading, baseball.  Play of this type is not based on personal fun, but on competition; competition to win and be the best.  Play is very much scheduled and sandwiched in between academics.  Unfortunately we live in a society that no longer permits free play where kids get on their bikes and ride around the neighborhood coming back only because it was time for dinner.  I don’t think I have seen a child climb a tree in ages, nor have I seen children on the playground near my house engaged on the equipment like I used to be.  More avenues for self-directed play need to be carved out for children.  

                                                  

The world looks different when you play…. it is endless and full of promise

                                                                  

                                                

Play keeps you fresh, play gives you power and a sense of accomplishment.

  

True Relationships

A loving relationship is one in which the loved one is free to be himself -- to laugh with me, but never at me; to cry with me, but never because of me; to love life, to love himself, to love being loved. Such a relationship is based upon freedom and can never grow in a jealous heart.

~ Leo F. Buscaglia

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.

~Donna Robertsp, the

What I find most interesting about various relationships in my life is the ease with which both I and the other party are able to slip in and out of the relationship and we are able to pick up just where we left off.  Life at times turns us and pulls us in various directions, whether it is children, work, family issues that require our full attention and therefore I am not able to spend time with the relationship.  I have very close friendships that the above description fits.  One might say that this is a very self-centered approach to relationships, however the friendships don’t have anything to do with self-centeredness, but have everything to do with understanding and respect for the other person.  When we are together we nurture each other, take care of each other, share secrets together, empathize with one another and place no judgment on the others behavior or choices.  I am treated as an individual with unique characteristic and I too treat my friend the say way.   In addition, we also share similar likes and dislikes; we share a common ground and understanding of the world around us.  We both know the other is a phone call away. 

Other relationships that I have shared have been linked to the friendships and relationships of my children; play dates, school functions, and sports provided me a path to relationships I would have not otherwise shared.  These relationships developed over time with the secret ingredient being the children; we talked about the kids, we talked about how the kids were doing in school, and we talked about the behavior of the children.  As the children grew older, developed different interests or even grew out of a particular friendship was when I too outgrew the relationship as well.   If I reconnect with

any of these relationships, again the common theme is the children.

The most significant relationship in my life is the relationship I have with my cousin Georgia (we were both named after our grandmother, our dad’s mother).  She is five years younger than me and we first met when she as infant.  Surrounded by a family of male cousins, we had not choice but to stick together.  As we grew together, I helped her with homework, shared outgrown clothes with her, and shared lots of “firsts” with her (being 5 years older, I was able try things first, and then introduce her).  I took her to her first concert, took her to her first bar, and shared my fake ID with her and introduced her to smoking.  We were good for each other and we were bad for each other, we cried with each other and we laughed with each other—with each experience bringing us closer together creating a strong connection that to this day no one has been able to penetrate or understand.  We shared more than just a name we shared everything.  We were in each other’s wedding and shortly after we both got married we both were pregnant, sharing married life and pregnancy together.  Our daughters were born a month apart, bringing our lives even closer.  Those who know us feel we were separated at birth, or that perhaps we share a brain, and ironically our daughters who are now both 21 have the same relationship as we do; they are the younger version of us.  We know each other inside out and we trust that the other will be there thick and thin (and we have tested that theory to be true).  

My successful relationships have been based on trust and understanding and I believe that is what must be brought to early childhood education of children, families and co-workers.  An environment that has those attributes of trust and understanding becomes an environment where individuals want to be themselves as well as sharing of themselves.  When children are in such an environment, they can be successful students.  

Children's Quote

“This bridge will only take you halfway there, to those mysterious lands you long to see. Through gypsy camps and swirling Arab fair, and moonlit woods where unicorns run free.  So come and walk awhile with me and share the twisting trails and wondrous worlds I’ve known.  But this bridge will only take you halfway there.  The last few steps you have to take alone”

n  Shel Silverstein

I chose this quote because I believe if we as educators do our job well providing children not only appropriate resources, but opportunity for exploration and discovery, we will have prepared them for the moment they begin their journey alone.  We must open doors that bring children to new worlds where they desire to learn from. We must stand beside them, holding their hand, sharing what we know while building and expanding not only their mind, but supporting their social well being.  We are the bridge, strong and available that helps scaffold children to the next level of discovery.  As the bridge, we need to remember not to give children the answers, but we must instead give them questions that will ignite their thinking and imagination.  

Thank you to all of you—I feel as if all of you have helped contribute to my growth.  The exchange has been enlightening and I feel I have been provided a venue to express my views openly.  All of you provided me with many opportunities to gather new knowledge pushing me to be a better student and a more inquisitive researcher.  I wish all of you the best, and I hope we can once again share in a learning experience down the road.  

The Whole Child

According to Maria Montessori, “Each child is born with a unique potential to be revealed” (http://www.montessori.edu/).    When viewing children, one cannot break the child down into pieces; one must examine all aspects of the child to fully understand him and therefore be able to provide the best and most successful avenue for learning and growth.  The whole child, the physical; body shape and function, the cognitive; abilities to learn, the family; whether he is being raised in a nuclear family or a differing family unit such as a blended family, the social; how he views himself as compared to others, or the stressors in his life and his ability to adapt to stress, and the culture; how family views him and educational success, must all be taken into consideration as these factors all contribute to how the child interacts and grows within the world around him (Berger, 2009).  One thing is true; all children have the same needs for healthy development, however all children are not the same (Berger, 2009).  As educators we must learn to “follow the child” (http://www.montessori.edu/ ), creating environments for exploration and discovery that respects the child and his work, whether the work is a scribble on a page or a Picasso masterpiece.  When the whole child is considered, he is more likely to grow academically, as well as grow into a caring individual (Berger, 2009).

In Italy, it would seem children are given ample opportunity to grow in academic areas, and although testing and assessment seems more stringent, children are prepared to advance to the next level.  At the elementary level, children are required to test in order to be admitted to academic secondary schools; testing is a part of the academic process and although intimidating for a child, it does foster a sense of drive and motivation to advance.  To make the process easier, children are given a pretest to determine their strengths and weaknesses and teachers are aware of content that has been mastered.  The children are also given a diagnostic test at the beginning of the year to determine areas where the children need assistance.  The results of such tests allow teachers insight into the content areas; math, science, etc where there are deficiencies and the teachers then plan their lessons to focus on improving the deficiencies (http://rome.angloinfo.com/).  I thought this a welcome method for teaching and planing as opposed to the standardized testing in our country where teachers may be aware of deficiencies, but they must teach the standard curriculum as mandated by the state.  It would seem we as American educators do not look at the whole child, especially in terms of academic development. 

During the discussion board, I became interested in how other countries view and treat children with disabilities.  My perception was that European systems especially those in Italy would be somewhat antiquated as compared to the United States systems.    I was rather surprised at what I found; Italy takes the strongest position on inclusion, requiring all schools to provide for children with disabilities; the inclusive education policy has been in place since 1970 (McGrath, 1999).  In the United States, PL 91-230 recognized learning disabilities as part of special education; before that time there were no special education services (Berger, 2009).  In 1975 PL 94-142 mandated education for all handicapped children in the least restrictive environment (LRE) (Berger, 2009).  Clearly the U.S. view is far different from that of Italy.  The Italian Communist Pray created reforms to integrate “the handicapped, minorities, the poor into mainstream Italian life” (McGrath, 1999).  In Italy there is a sense of equality for all students with an arena that doesn’t discriminate.  Students with special educational needs are not a separate group, but individuals with “something unique to offer” that all can learn from (Berrigan).  Integrated classrooms in Italy are composed of 20 students with a maximum of 2 students with disabilities.  In addition, special services are integrated into the classroom with special education teachers working alongside regular education teaches (Berrigan). 

A system such as this would bring about attitudinal changes towards students with disabilities.  With such prevailing positive redefinition of disability, one can look at the person and his abilities for definition.  This type of innovative thought will help “create a society where everyone belongs” (Snow, 2003-2009) in the United States. 

References:

Berger, K. S. (2009).  The Developing Person Through Childhood.  New York, NY: Worth

     Publishers

Berrigan, C. Schools In Italy: A National Policy Made Actual.  Retrieved from http://thechp.syr.edu/italy.htm

McGrath, B. (1999).  National Policy on Inclusion of Students with Special Educational Needs in  

     Italy, Ireland, and the United States. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED436875&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED436875

Maria Montessori.   Retrieved from http://www.montessori.edu/

Snow, K. (2003-2009). Redefining Disability. Retrieved

     from http://www.disabilityvisnatural.com/images/PDF/redefindis.pdf


http://rome.angloinfo.com/countries/italy/schooling.asp