Why is advocacy important? and The Many Faces of Kids with EBD.

This blog merges information from my two books, and adds information, about the topics my coauthors
Rich Weinfeld

Vince Culotta

Eric Levine

Lisa Hess Rice

Maria Hammill

Jeanne Paynter

and I

discuss in Chapters One of both my Special Needs Advocacy Resource Book, and my book, School Success for Kids with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.  Each month, I will talk about one chapter of each book.  You can expect sample letters, tools, and information you can use right now to advocate for the child in your life who needs it.

In January, since it is the first month, I will highlight Chapters One from both books.  In February, Chapters Two, etc.  I hope you will comment and participate, send me videos or blogs to feature here, and that this is a benefit to parents, students, and educators. 

Why is it important that we advocate for our students with special and gifted learning needs?

and

The Many Faces of Kids with Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties

School Success for Kids with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (Prufrock Press)

http://www.prufrock.com/School-Success-for-Kids-With-Emotional-and-Behavioral-Disorders-P563.aspx

We authors feature in Chapter One profiles of various students we have seen over the years.  There are many faces of the individual children who struggle with social, emotional and behavioral problems, and very few are receiving services. 

Children with challenging behavior have the lowest grade point averages, graduation rates, and unemployment rate.  Children with challenging behaviors are also some of the most talented and creative students, but their social, emotional, or behavioral problems do not allow the full potential to be realized. 

Truth or Myth?

Kids with challenging behaviors are just making poor choices and can control their behavior at any time.

Of course, this is a myth. From a neuropsychology, medical, educational, educator training, and research perspective, we know that behaviors are a result of the interplay between a variety of factors, which may be different for each child. 

Of the approximately

53 million children...in the US, at least

3 million children are identified with a serious social, emotional or behavior difficulty.  But, only

0.5 million are receiving formal services.

This is one of the reasons we named Chapter One  of the Special Needs Advocacy Resource Book:

Why Is It Important that We Advocate for Students?

Special Needs Advocacy Resource Book: What you can do now to advocate for your exceptional child's education.

http://www.prufrock.com/Special-Needs-Advocacy-Resource-Book-P319.aspx

On Amazon

Each and every child is born with potential. Advocacy on the individual, community, and global levels can make a difference for one child, and for our whole society.

Why is advocacy so important?

1. Advocacy can bring an independent view of a whole child to the process of education planning.
2. Advocacy can help monitor a child's progress.
3. Sometimes, there are breakdowns in the parent-school relationship.
4. Advocates can be experts in specialized interventions.
5. Advocacy can help parents be more equal partners, and help parents become included in the education of their child.
6. Advocates promote parental and child rights, and procedural safeguards.
7. Advocates can help prevent disproportionate identification, issues of safety, and promote child welfare.
8. Advocacy promotes high expectations.
9. Advocacy can assist the parent-school partnership.
10. Advocacy can help ensure all students have a successful and independent life.

What can you do?

Comment on this blog! We welcome your comments! Send me an interview, video, email or blog, and tell me about your story.  Why has it been important for you to advocate for a child? What is your experience with a child who is underperforming?  Misbehaving?  Having social or emotional problems?  Difficulty obtaining services for a child?