As described in HLP 3, the primary role of the special education teacher is to collaborate with families to support student learning and secure needed services. As special education teachers collaborate with families, they must consider factors such as socioeconomic status, language, cultural background, and family priorities when advocating for resources to meet the instructional, behavioral, social, and transition needs of individual students. The ability to form strong working relationships and recommend supporting resources to families is essential for successful professional practice.

Part 1: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Using the topic Resources and your own research, create a 250-500 word Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that can be shared with families. Identify a minimum of 10 common questions parents/guardians of students with disabilities have and support the answers with relevant resources. The document should address the following types of questions:
General questions related to special education and the IEP process
Questions related to the parent/guardian role in the special education and IEP process

Questions related to resources available outside of the school community to support students with exceptionalities and their families

Part 2: Relationship Building and Collaborative Strategies

As you consider the relationship building skills and collaborative strategies that will be necessary for success in your future professional practice, review the topic Resources and your own research and address the following in 500-750 words:
Identify three barriers that may prevent successful collaboration with students with disabilities and their families and explain how you could overcome these barriers.

Explain why being aware of cultural differences and personal bias is important when working with students with disabilities and families from diverse backgrounds. Include a discussion about possible points of confusion that could occur and how personal bias may affect expectations for and relationships with students with exceptionalities and their families.

Discuss three relationship building strategies you can employ when working with the families of students with disabilities to ensure that they feel valued, empowered, and respected. Include a discussion about how utilizing these strategies fosters trust and creates a shared vision and purpose focused on meeting the unique needs of each student with exceptionalities so they can flourish.

Describe how effective collaboration with families will help you to identify typical and atypical growth patterns in a student with exceptionalities when developing a comprehensive learner profile that can be used to meet the needs of the student.
‌Support the assignment with a minimum of three scholarly resources.
Submit the FAQs and reflection in a Word document.
While APA Style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Last Completed Projects