As both a parent of a now young adult on the autism spectrum, and a teacher...I wear both hats. I think the main thing to realize is that parents are scared. It is true that some actually don't have a clue that something is up with their child (maybe they are first time parents, not people that are familiar with children in general, don't have experience with child development), but most are probably secretly worried that something is up, since they are likely having challenges with their kiddo at home as well. And they are scared. So when we come to them with compassion as the overarching attitude, we will usually find a little more wiggle room in their response, and we will certainly be more careful and sensitive about how we are talking.
I totally agree with the fact that we will also have those parents who just won't listen, can't listen, are too freaked out to listen, blame us, blame our classroom, blame our program. But if we have compassionately planted the seed, there is hope that down the road the child will get some help. We can't force a parent, but we can support the child and direct the parent to resources if they are willing.
The most common argument that I get is, "Oh no, there's nothing wrong with him/her, s/he is just like their dad/mom was, and look s/he is fine now." But if the child is suffering and having a challenging impact on your staff and the classroom, there are now ways to help that perhaps were not present when the parent in question was a child.
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Joanie Calem
Music and Inclusion Specialist
Sing Along
Columbus, OH
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-04-2019 01:51 AM
From: Sara Larsen
Subject: Handling Parent Denial
Would welcome tips/tactics for bringing a parent out of denial to come to the realization their child should be tested/evaluated to identify (or eliminate) the possibility of being on the autism spectrum. ( FYI- I clearly stated I was in no way diagnosing-but was concerned about some "red-flags" I was observing and documenting and encouraged further discussion with their pediatrician.)
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Sara Larsen
Concordia MO
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