In this situation I am portraying a mother who has been married for 8 years. I am 35 years old and have been trying to have a family for 3 years. Due to unforeseen events, I have not been able to conceive a child. My husband and I have decided to adopt. We would like to have a baby, but the wait list for a baby is extremely long and we have already been trying for a family for years. Therefore we have decided to adopt a child who is a little older.
My husband and I are working adults who live in a nice upper middle class area. We have both worked hard to get where we are today. We have some money saved, but not enough to where I do not have to work or we go on extravagant vacations to Europe or the Bahamas. I have been a teacher for 15 years working primarily in early childhood education and have earned two Masters degrees. I have part of my doctorate completed but had to discontinue working on it because of funds. Therefore I am currently not in school. My husband is a full time Diesel Mechanic and has been for 17 years. He works hard and wants to provide a stable life for our family.
We instantly fell in love with a special boy named Finn. Finn is a sweet boy who is approximately 4 1/2 years old who was recently diagnosed with Autism. Finn exhibited some Autistic traits as a toddler, but was not officially diagnosed till his fourth birthday. As far as doctors and other caregivers are able to tell Finn is a high functioning autistic who does have some issues when it comes to physical contact. He is extremely bright but at times can have difficulties expressing his thoughts or feelings and empathizing with others. Finn has had challenges when interacting with other children because he does not always understand the rules, or will question the rules. Other children do not understand that Finn has difficulties relating to them, posing issues with the children. Finn is preschool, but it does not offer extra services that Finn will need to become a successful member of society. Finn's current foster mother does not have the time to work with him as much as he needs because of her full house. Also, the state has not started providing services to Finn either.
In our home Finn will be supported by my husband and me, and both of our families are close by to provide support and help with Finn's adjustment. Luckily the school that I work for has a great special education department for children starting with a special needs preschool. Through my school Finn will receive occupational therapy, speech therapy, and have a case manager that will monitor his progress. There is also a behavior specialist who will work with Finn at school 3 times per week and will work with him at home 6 days a week. The behavior specialist is going to set goals and assist my family in making the transition a positive situation for Finn. The behavior specialist will be with Finn for as long as needed and specializes in children with Autism. The specialist will work with Finn and our family to create the optimal environment for him. The goal is that providing Finn with these services now, in the future he will be successful enough to be independent in life and productive in society.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Sunday, February 8, 2015
The Political Will to Improve Early Childhood Systems
Having been in education for over seven years I have become knowledgeable in the field of kindergarten and primary grades. I still have a lot to learn for the early childhood field. A strategy that I have become more interested in is the use of campaigns to be used for actions, information and benefit to the public. Campaigns found on Spark Action encourage children to finish school and attend college, participate in organizations such as youth council, and information on the federal budget and early childhood. These types of tools can be used to reach more people because of the Internet and various media sources. Utilizing campaigns can gain awareness and support from the public and eventually could raise awareness in politician with enough support. Making the politicians aware of where the community stands may lead to positive changes in the field of early childhood. There is an abundance of information being reported on all of these sites; public awareness for what is best for children, yet little changes are being made. The largest road block comes from lack of funding, but not much is ever done to support a change in that department. Sure politicians and public figures can talk till they are blue in the face about more money for education and early childhood organizations, but where are the actions that follow? More organizations and campaigns seem appear, but all in need of more funds. Why is it that the United States is a nation that puts so little emphasis and money into education and early childhood. Compared to other nations where education is ranked number one, the majority of monies go into funding education and teachers. Providing sufficient programs and quality teachers is not the first issue. The first and biggest issue is funding. This is what appeals to me in early childhood; advocating for funds for quality programs. Often the quality programs and professionals are under paid and under funded so the professionals leave the field and the programs deteriorate. Today I read an article that identified the top 5 degrees that are not worth the cost of the degree. I was so disgusted to see they were all public service type programs and Early Childhood was identified specifically. This is what is wrong with our nation and the youth that is going through the public education system. We are living in a nation that focuses on materials instead of community and education. It is more important to "look cool" than be smart or prepared.
Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids Action (SPARK Action). (2010). Retrieved fromhttp://sparkaction.org/
Wells, J (2015) Don't waste your money on these degrees. Retrieved from http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/top-best-most/don-t-waste-your-money-on-these-college-degrees-151436837.html
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