Exploring My Bias! Photo Collage!

EDUC 6357 Sarah Holtz My PHOTO Collage! • My Professional Background ***My professional background includes teaching special education. In this role, I taught 5th grade inclusion for children with various disabilities (LD, MILD, EH, OHI, etc.). I also taught one year in a self-contained Emotional Disabilities classroom for grades 6-8. I enjoyed both roles very much. I learned that each child learns differently regardless of special education label or even if they have no documented disability. • My Personal Background ***I became a stay-at-home mother when my oldest son, Noah, was one year old. I love this role. After a difficult pregnancy and delivery, we had triplets in December 2008. Owen and Ella joined us at home a few weeks later. Owen has developmental delays, physical disabilities, and several issues with the function and formation of his brain. He received early intervention services (OT, PT, DT, and speech). He is the reason I plan to become a developmental therapist.

• Exploring My Biases ***I am very blessed to have a very diverse family (varying sexes, races, sexual orientation, religions, cultures, ability). These differences are beautiful and I love my family! (PHOTO: Hunting for pumpkins! So much love!)

• Going Deeper… ***My son, Owen, recently had surgery on his brain at a local pediatric hospital. People travel long distances for the premium care that they receive at Riley Children’s Hospital. I had the opportunity to meet people from various cultures. In this experience, culture refers to many different aspects. Culture includes (but is not limited to) many factors such as heritage, race, sexual orientation, religion, financial status, and even medical history.

***While at the hospital, I met several wonderful families. One area that I noticed made me uncomfortable was communicating with children who are non-verbal. My son has limited vocabulary, so this realization was unsettling to me. However, I believe that my discomfort stems from lack of confidence in my skills to effectively communicate with them.

Photos: Owen and his buddy, Jacob. Jacob and Owen are three years old. Owen has Traumatic Brain Injury, Diffuse White Matter Loss, and Erb’s palsy. Jacob has Cerebral Palsy. They love to play together! ***www.thejacksoncenter.org*** • MY PLAN… ***Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit a school (The Jackson Center for Conductive Education). My friend’s son, Jacob, attends the school. Jacob is three and has cerebral palsy. Jacob has a very limited vocabulary. Several of Jacob’s classmates were non-verbal. I was so pleased to learn new skills, watch therapists/teachers show parents new strategies to use with their children, and gain some new strategies to more effectively communicate with children who are non-verbal. I watched my friend, Paula, learn how to utilize a “word button” to allow Jacob to communicate his needs. Jacob used a “yes” and “no” button when asked questions. I look forward to learning so much more through visiting this center and watching Jacob (and his older sister) overnight in September. I believe that by gaining confidence and learning new strategies, I will be a more skilled developmental therapist (my future profession)!