Experience Interview
Twanika Caldwell
Liberty University EDUC 521

Part 1: Demographics
Name of person you are interviewing: Rachael
Name of individual with the disability: Charlie
Describe the disability: Autism Spectrum Disorder (Autism)
Age of the individual with the disability: 3 years old
Describe the relationship between the family member and the individual with the disability: Mother
Part 2: Interview 1. How did you learn that Charlie has a disability? (Who was present? When did this happen?) If you were giving advice to professionals who need to explain to a parent that his/her child has a special need, what would that advice be? a. I found out about Charlie’s disability when he was 2 years old and 3 months. I noticed that his language development was very low and he liked to stay to himself a lot. Because I was worried about his language, my husband and I spoke to a doctor. The advice that I would give to a professional would be to make sure that the professional gives the parents all options to help with this life-changing event. Another thing that I would tell professionals is to be sensitive to the parent’s feelings and know what you are talking about.

2. How did you feel when you received the diagnosis? b. When I received this diagnosis I didn’t want to accept it. I felt heart broken; I couldn’t and didn’t want to believe that my child (and family) would have to go through this. I felt pain, sadness, anger, and confusion all at the same time. All I could think about was how could this have been avoided and what did I do wrong.

3. Have your feelings changed since the initial diagnosis? Describe. c. Yes! My feelings have changed so much since this diagnosis. Before I was angry and confused. I don’t feel like that at all. Although it was a big change for me I am grateful for my son. I am happy that he is growing and developing with the help of others. For me I’m still learning and that is okay!

4. What have been the positive aspects of having a child in the family with a disability? d. I’ve notice inner strength that I never knew I had. With all the challenges that we’ve face it has made me a stronger person. It has also taught me patience and to look at the good in all things. 5. What have been the problems or challenges you have experienced having a child with a disability? e. One challenge I experienced was understanding the large gap between what Charlie can do and what he cannot do. It was very frustrating to be told or read about my child not being able to do normal things that other children could do. At the beginning the biggest challenge was accepting that he has this diagnosis.

6. How did your other children react to learning his/her brother/sister had a disability? What impact has __________ had on them? (if appropriate) f. N/A

7. What kinds of support have been most helpful to you? (family members, parent groups, neighbors, other?) How would you prioritize your family needs and the areas in which you feel that you need more assistance? g. Family members have been an awesome support group for us. They’ve been there for us more since the day we told them about the diagnosis.

8. What have been your experiences in working with school personnel? What have they done that has been most helpful? What have they done that was least helpful or even harmful? h. Well Charlie is in a corporate childcare center. My experience with his teacher and the administrative team has been great. They are very understanding and helpful. They’ve given information and give time for his therapist to see him. His therapist comes to the center and he spends 30mins to an hour with them out of the classroom. They haven’t done anything harmful to Charlie.

9. How could the school help your child transition to adulthood? i. The center could and are helping to reinforce self-help skills that we teach at home.

10. If I were to be Charlie’s teacher next year, what advice would you want to give me so that he/she has an optimum learning experience? j. I would say to have patience and understanding with him.

11. What would you want me to do/not do in terms of my interactions with you if I were Charlie’s teacher? k. I would love to hear positive things about his day before jumping straight into the negative things. Also please be sensitive to my feelings and make sure that the correct terminology is being used.

12. I am just learning about students with disabilities and how to work effectively with them in my classroom. What other information would you like me—and my classmates—to know about working with children with special needs? l. It is very important to have patience with children with special needs. Don’t give up on them so easily, it can get stressful but seeing the children grow will be well worth it. Also, continue to research and do not stop learning about this topic. Every piece of information can be helpful.

Part 3: Summary
It is very important that teachers have patience when teaching an inclusive class. That means the teacher is patient with all children, including the children with autism. Not only should the teacher have patience but the family needs to have patience too. Behavior is important when teaching an inclusive class or parenting a child. One thing that the teacher and parents should be doing to help the child is video modeling. Video modeling is when an adult or peer demonstrates a behavior that the child will perform later. They must show the child the correct way of behaving.
Another important principle I have learned that can benefit this family is to have an understanding. To help the child you should first understand the child. Often teachers don’t understand what students with autism is capable of doing, once they have understanding of this I believe class could run smoother for them. The family can also help minimize the stress and worry of the child. Practice and implement some of the same strategies that the teacher is implementing; help the child become more familiar with it so that is becomes easier for the child.
When there are changes in the routine, it is recommended the student be prepped ahead of time so excessive anxiety will not arise (May, 2005). Children with autism are not fond of change. This is why preparing the child before anything changes is very important. Once again, we want to keep stress to a minimal level. There are many programs that teachers and parents can become familiar with. The TEACCH program is good for helping to build the child’s memory strength. I believe it is important for parents to educate themselves on these programs because they could be quite helpful.
References
May, K. (2005, September 15). Teaching Strategies for Asperger Students . Retrieved June 27, 2015, from Johns Hopkins School of Education: http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/Exceptional%20Learners/Autism/Articles/Teaching%20Strategies%20for%20Asperger%20Students/