S411 – Family and Professional Collaboration in Special Education
This course examines the impact of disability on families who have young children (birth through age five) with special needs. It also explores the interdependent influence of family, culture, and community on the development and education of young children with disabilities. Areas of study include Family Systems theory, family-centered practice, family-professional partnerships, professional collaboration and teaming, and family-community engagement. Specifically, students will explore historical and cultural perspectives on families of young children with disabilities, legal and philosophical foundations for family participation in the education of young children with disabilities, and conceptualizations of family-centered practice. Elements of effective family-professional partnerships are examined as well as social, cultural, linguistic, and economic considerations for family-professional partnerships. Models and strategies for collaborating with families and other professionals, including paraprofessionals, particularly as they relate to family-centered practice, Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) and Individualized Education Plans (IEP), family-community engagement, child and family outcomes are emphasized.