Parents and Professionals Partnering for Children With Disabilities: A Dance That Matters

About this book

Cultivate effective partnerships between parents and professionals through honest respectful and skillful communication The authors draw upon the metaphor of "dance" to better understand the complexities and possibilities of forming partnerships between educators administrators early childhood providers therapists support staff other professionals and parents of children with disabilities. This revised edition of Do You Hear What I Hear? Parents and Professionals Working Together for Children With Special Needs is rich with stories examples and practical insights. This book written from both the parents and the professionals points of view provides a developmental approach to understanding and forging positive adult relationships while also providing concrete ways to advocate for children. The authors years of experience as successful consultants trainers and educators lends this helpful resource a deep sense of realism and compassion. They remind the reader of how essential the parent-professional partnership isand why it IS a dance that matters. Key features include: Practical insights and evidence-based approaches to forming partnerships Easy-to-read non-technical language that speaks to both the heart and the mind Sample letters and other forms of communication shared between professionals and parents Stories and examples of real-world conversations between parents and professionals Effective ways to handle difficult situations Rich with humor and heart this highly readable book offers helpful steps for self reflection personnel preparation and parent-professional training. Educators and parents will find expert guidance for listening to each others music trying out each others dance steps and working toward a new dance that includes contributions from allwith the ultimate reward of seeing children achieve their highest potential.