Six Strategies for Effective Family-Practitioner Communication Through ACCESS

Abstract

96 YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN Vol. 24, No. 2, June 2021 https://doi.org/10.1177/1096250620928330 DOI: 10.1177/1096250620928330 journals.sagepub.com/home/yec Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions © 2020 Division for Early Childhood Miss Owens, a second-year special education teacher, co-teaches an inclusive kindergarten class with Mrs. Benson, the general educator. Last school year, Mrs. Benson attempted to involve families and keep them informed in a variety of ways. Despite their efforts, Mrs. Benson and Miss Owens agreed that some families were not fully accessing important information. For example, Miguel, a student who speaks English and Spanish, did not pass the vision screening in the fall. His family speaks Spanish at home, but Miguel’s 13-year-old sister often relays important information that is sent home in English. A letter was sent home in English indicating that Miguel passed his hearing screening but not his vision screening. Several weeks passed and the teachers noticed that Miguel was squinting frequently and holding class materials close to his eyes. The teachers asked the bilingual interpreter to call the family to follow up about further evaluation of Miguel’s vision. When the interpreter called, the family replied that they thought Miguel passed both the hearing and vision screenings. The teachers were disappointed in the miscommunication that prolonged Miguel’s struggles in school and wanted to prevent similar instances 928330 YECXXX10.1177/1096250620928330Young Exceptional ChildrenShort Title / Hooks et al. research-article2020