tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41077649484892020872024-03-13T14:12:46.738-04:00Elora at LastA blog to chronicle our China adoption journey.sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15572153992885577895noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107764948489202087.post-19955962270065450462016-09-09T18:21:00.001-04:002016-09-09T18:21:52.830-04:00A Teachers Guide to Adoption<!--[if !mso]>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="three"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">A
Teachers guide to Adoption</span></u></b></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: three;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Biased class assignments - and how to fix them</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: three;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Try this test. Put yourself in grade 2 ... how
would you "draw your family tree" or "write down your family
origins" or "relate shared memories of times spent with
grandparents", if you were: <br />
* A child of divorced parents, living with a parent and a step parent. <br />
* A foster child, with biological parents and a series of foster parents. <br />
* A child adopted from an orphanage in China. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bookmark: three;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Some children will find it tough to do class
assignments because their families are a lot more complicated than
mom-dad-and-two-kids. That's not the kids' fault -- it's the teaching system
which is biased toward traditional views and insensitive to the complexity of
family life (see Module 1, </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><a href="http://www.familyhelper.net/ad/adteach.html#one"><span style="color: blue;">Many
Ways to Make a Family</span></a>). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Teachers
who base assignments on the traditional family are harming students who don't
fit the traditional mould -- those kids are going to feel out of place, even
excluded. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Does your
ministry of education trumpet the importance of an "inclusive
curriculum"? Then the curriculum must include the experience of all
children, not just those from traditional families. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">You can
make lessons inclusive without sacrificing the educational goal. The general
solution is to broaden lesson plans to include everyone. But exactly how do you
do that? Here are specific examples of how to fix the bias in class
assignments. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Draw your family tree" </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The bias:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> The usual printed family tree
has blanks for one mother and one father and their ancestors, but no space for
foster, adoptive or step parents and their ancestors. How can a child leave out
part of the family? This can be a real source of inner turmoil. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The fix: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Since some children have grown on
two or more trees, redraw the standard family tree diagram to accommodate the
diversity in family structure. Try the Rooted Tree: birth ancestors are roots
growing downward; branches show foster, adoptive or step parents and their
ancestors. Other improvements are the Family Bush, Orchard, or Forest, with
family members growing side by side. The Loving Tree has the child in the trunk
and heart-shaped fruit representing all the family members the child knows of,
without regard to time or place. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Or
abandon the tree metaphor and try the Self Wheel (child at the centre,
relatives surround in nested circles), or My Home (house frame with people
inside), or a genealogical chart with symbols for people and lines showing relationships.
Children could brainstorm a list of different family types. Offer them a
variety of "trees", or let them invent their own diagram. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">In a
creative art project, students could portray their family and what it means to
them, in drawing, painting, colouring or sculpture, then use the finished art
to discuss the different ways families are formed. Point out that, worldwide,
few children grow up in nuclear families. Cover extended, foster, adoptive,
step and single-parent families. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">You don't
need to avoid the family tree assignment -- it's an opportunity for a lesson in
the varieties of family structure (see Module 1, </span><a href="http://www.familyhelper.net/ad/adteach.html#one"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Many Ways to Make a Family</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">). </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Bring in your baby picture" </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The bias:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> Asking for baby photos excludes
those who may not have any -- for example, some foster, adopted or immigrant
children. They are going to feel left out. If the object is to match the photo
with the child today, children who are a visible minority are eliminated early
from the fun. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The fix: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Reach the same educational goal,
for everyone in the class, by broadening the assignment. To illustrate growth
and change, bring a picture when the child was younger or smaller, or follow
the growth of a baby chick after hatching. To describe a child, bring in
something else which tells us more about her -- a book, a trophy, a pet. To
test reasoning ability (guess who this is?), bring a picture of someone we all
know; or, describe someone with three clues, adding one at a time until someone
guesses correctly. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Write the story of your life" </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The bias:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> Writing a life story or family
history is possible only for children who know their family roots. Children
adopted from abroad may know nothing of their previous life. A child of a
bitter divorce, or a child abused in a series of foster homes, faces a
conflict: screen out painful memories, or be honest? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The fix: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Exercise those writing skills
with less painful alternatives: write a biography of a historical figure in the
first person; write about an event in your life; recount a favourite experience
in school. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Tell the story of your family" </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The bias:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> The goal may be to build
self-esteem. This could backfire for a foster or adopted child who feels more
and more different from the others as she hears her classmates' family stories.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The fix: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Let students tell their story by
bringing in pets, sports uniforms, hobbies. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Celebrate your mother or father" </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The bias:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> A Mother's Day or Father's Day
project could be difficult for children with single, divorced or widowed
parents, or two sets of parents. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The fix: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Broaden the project to honour any
woman or man the child knows. Celebrate Family Day to honour people who take
care of you. Celebrate Caring Day with themes like "thanking someone who
cares for us" or "expressing concern for others". Make gifts or
cards for someone the child cares about. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Trace the genetic origins of your eye
colour" </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The bias:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> This assumes children are
genetically related to their parents or know the genetic facts of their birth
parents. Children who don't have this information can't do an assignment on
inherited traits, and are made to feel different. It stresses biological
connections, when some children might not have any connections with their birth
parents. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The fix: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Teach genetics with less personal
examples. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">____________________________
<br />
With input from <i>Adoption and the Schools: Resources for Parents and
Teachers, </i>by FAIR, Families Adopting in Response, Box 51436, Palo Alto CA
94303, 650-856-3513, info@fairfamilies.org, www.fairfamilies.org. </span></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 1.5pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 495.0pt;" valign="top" width="660">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="four"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Teaching
the language of adoption</span></b></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">As a teacher, you need to get comfortable with
the language of adoption. You have to be ready for children (and adults) who
use inappropriate language ... the ones who ask questions like "Why did
her mother give her away?" or "Who is her real mother?" </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The joyful side of adoption is tempered by the
fact that adoption involves loss. Adoptees live with the painful fact that
their birthparents could not (or would not) care for them. It is hard to
speak of these things to very young children. Yet, as significant adults in a
child's life, teachers must at times enter the child's world to help her cope
with difficult feelings and to feel positive about who she is. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The language we use is important, since the way
we speak of sensitive topics models confidence and courage on the one hand,
or shame and fear on the other ... </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">It's not a disability</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">You can join a family by way of birth or by
adoption. The fact of adoption says nothing about an adopted child herself
... adoption is a way of arriving in a family, not a medical condition or a
disability. It's a one-time event, so you would say "Maria was
adopted", not "Maria is adopted." </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Birth or adoption: either way of joining a family
is perfectly acceptable. Adoption builds healthy, happy families -- parent
and child are linked by law and by love. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Sometimes it's not relevant</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">In the world at large it's usually not relevant
to refer to a child as an "adopted child". A news report, for
example, should use "adopted" ("Sean's adopted child ...
") only to distinguish from a child by birth, if that is relevant to the
story. Mentioning the fact of a child's adoption when it is irrelevant
implies there is something wrong with the lack of a blood connection. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">In the school setting -- talking about family,
for example -- the topic of adoption naturally arises, and fits right into
classroom discussion. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">It's no secret</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Terms with a negative connotation often stem from
the secrecy that used to surround adoption, but no longer does. When people
use the emotion-laden and negative words of the past ("give away" a
child, "unwed mother") they create conflict and diminish
self-esteem in adopted children. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Avoid terms like "real" or
"natural" mother, which imply the existence of an
"unreal" or "unnatural" mother. Similarly, prefer
"birth father", not "natural father". However, usage does
vary; some advocates promote the terms "natural mother" (Canadian
Council of Natural Mothers) and "first mother". </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Here are some terms people will unthinkingly use,
and the preferred term. </span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: four;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">
<hr align="left" noshade="" size="1" style="width: 450.0pt;" width="600" />
</span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 15.0pt;" width="20"><br /></td>
<td style="padding: .75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt; width: 90.0pt;" valign="top" width="120"><br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Watch your language </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 3.0pt; mso-padding-alt: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Avoid
this </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Prefer
this </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Why </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Real
parent </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Birthparent,
biological parent (birthfather, birthmother, birthdad, birthmum) </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Are
there "imaginary" parents? Adoptive parents are just as real as
biological parents.</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Natural
parent </span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Birthparent;
biological mother; woman who gave birth </span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Lack of
a blood link does not make an adoptive parent less of a parent. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Natural
child </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Birth
child, biological child </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Ditto.
And are there "artificial" children? </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Your
own child (vs. an adopted child) </span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Birth
child, biological child </span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">All
your children are your own, adopted or not. Genetic relationships are not
stronger than adoptive ones. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Illegitimate
</span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Born to
unmarried parents </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Circumstances
of birth should not stigmatize a child. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Unwed
mother </span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Birthmother,
birthmum </span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Unwed"
or "unmarried" is a moral judgment. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Give
up, give away, surrender, relinquish, adopt out, put up for adoption </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Place
for adoption, or (better) choose adoption, make an adoption plan </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Birthmothers
love their children but can't raise them. They choose what is best for their
child and stay in touch with them after the adoption ("open
adoption"). </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Keep
the baby </span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Parent
the baby </span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"She
decided to parent the baby rather than choose adoption." </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Foreign
adoption </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">International,
intercountry adoption </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Some
say "foreign" has negative connotations. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Hard-to-place
child </span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Special
needs child </span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: silver; padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Less
damaging to the child's self-esteem. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Adopt-a-road,
adopt-a-park, etc. </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Sponsor-a-park,
befriend-a-park </span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt 3.0pt;" valign="top">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Adopt-a-"
programs misuse "adopt" as a marketing ploy to raise money. They
deform the meaning of adoption and diminish its worth. </span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">____________________
<br />
RESOURCES<br />
<i>Speaking Positively: An Information Sheet about Adoption Language</i> and <i>Adopt-a-Confusion,
</i>by Pat Johnston, Perspectives Press, Box 90318, Indianapolis IN 46290-0318,
317-872-3055, www.perspectivespress.com </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 600px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 150.0pt;" width="200">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #FFC000; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 150.0pt;" width="200">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 150.0pt;" width="200">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background: #FFC000; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 150.0pt;" width="200">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></span><span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 150.0pt;" width="200">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">MODULE FIVE </span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #FFC000; padding: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; width: 150.0pt;" width="200">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"></span><span style="mso-bookmark: five;"></span><span style="mso-bookmark: five;"></span><span style="mso-bookmark: five;"></span><span style="mso-bookmark: five;"></span><span style="mso-bookmark: five;"></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">How to
introduce adoption in elementary school </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">As an elementary school teacher, you nurture your
students' growth. Bringing adoption into the classroom and treating it as one
of many possible life experiences will benefit both adopted children and their
classmates. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">It would be wise to assume you do have adopted
children in your class and to prepare for adoption questions when they arise. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Here are some ways to include adoption in everyday
teaching situations. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Pre-school</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">When you talk about babies and families, use the
words adoption or adopted occasionally. Read stories which mention adoption.
According to the interests of the children, you might start a role-play game
about going to the airport to meet a brother or sister adopted from abroad, or
preparing the house for the arrival of an adopted child. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Early elementary</span></b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: five;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">In discussing types of families, don't forget
non-traditional families (see Module 1, </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><a href="http://www.familyhelper.net/ad/adteach.html#one"><span style="color: blue;">Many
Ways to Make a Family</span></a>), including adoptive families. If a student
has a baby born into his family, mention that some children join their families
through adoption. This may prompt a child to say, "I was adopted" and
you can extend the discussion. Note that a child's adoption story is her
personal story, for her to tell, or not, as she wishes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Watch the
language you use. There is no such thing as a "natural" mother (or an
"unnatural" one!). You should say birth mother (or birth mum) and
adoptive mother (see Module 4, </span><a href="http://www.familyhelper.net/ad/adteach.html#four"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Teaching the Language of Adoption</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">If a
student's family are adopting a child, it's a prime opportunity to talk about
the process and the happiness involved in the child's arrival. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Another
opportunity is November, National Adoption Month. Display artwork from a family
tree project. Consider discussing adoption, reading an adoption story or
inviting an adopted adult or adoptive parent to visit the class. Children at
this age may feel comfortable sharing their adoption story with their parent
present. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">You will
have to judge, if possible, how receptive the class might be to a child's
adoption story. Guard against the child becoming the object of teasing and
handle it as you would any teasing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">A variety
of books for reading to the class are available (see Module 9, </span><a href="http://www.familyhelper.net/ad/adteach.html#nine"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Adoption Resources</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">). Some make adoption the main
theme; others treat it simply in passing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Later
elementary</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">During
these years, and in secondary school, students want to fit in, to be like
everyone else. Adopted children are aware they are in the minority, that most
kids are brought up by the parents who gave birth to them. They are unlikely to
want to give adoption presentations or be singled out. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The
family tree assignment (see Module 3, </span><a href="http://www.familyhelper.net/ad/adteach.html#three"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Biased Class
Assignments</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">) could
offer the adopted child a chance to deepen her understanding of the place of
adoption in her life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">With
input from the FAIR Manual, Vol. 1 </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Notes about
Elora’s adoption</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Elora was
adopted from Wenzhou, China at the age of 18 months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She previously lived in an orphanage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had a nanny who cared for her and 10
other babies; Elora sometimes refers to her as Nanny or Mama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have contact with Nanny and a good long
distance relationship with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elora
has an amazing memory and remembers quite a bit of her orphanage time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also has behaviours and anxiety
surrounding that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lack of adequate
amounts of food and nurturing lead Elora to come to us with the development of a
6 month old, but she quickly caught up and thrived and you will find she is
mostly age appropriate now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However she
is still triggered by things that revolve around food and adult attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a warrior and learned from an early
age how to ensure her own survival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
will find her to be very stressed when hungry and also that food is something
she seeks to self sooth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise she is
very focused on acquiring the love and attention of all adults in her
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the orphanage being the
favorite of the room ensured your survival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She tends to find other peers to be a threat to her at times in securing
these two vital resources, we are continually trying to encourage her to
develop better, more meaningful peer relationships.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Orphanage
life was lacking stimulation and paired with her visual needs she developed
some amount of sensory processing disorder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoQuote" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i>Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD),
exists when sensory signals are either not detected or don't get organized into
appropriate responses. Pioneering occupational therapist, educational
psychologist, and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a
neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain
from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly.
A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information
received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless
everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression,
school failure, and many other problems may impact those who do not have
effective treatment.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>SPD in School Age Children presents
in these ways: <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></h2>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child is overly sensitive to stimulation,
overreacts to or does not like touch, noise, smells, etc.<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child is easily distracted in the classroom,
often out of his/her seat, fidgety.<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child is easily overwhelmed at the playground,
during recess and in class.<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child is slow to perform tasks.<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child has difficulty performing or avoids fine
motor tasks such as handwriting. <span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child appears clumsy and stumbles often,
slouches in chair. <span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child craves rough housing, tackling/wrestling
games.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child lacks special reasoning and the
understanding of personal space </div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child will hurt themselves and others by
touching too firmly or running into others and objects</div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child is slow to learn new activities.<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child is in constant motion.<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child has difficulty learning new motor tasks
and prefers sedentary activities. <span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child has difficulty making friends (overly
aggressive or passive/ withdrawn).<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child ‘gets stuck' on tasks and has difficulty
changing to another task.<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child confuses similar sounding words,
misinterprets questions or requests.<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child has difficulty reading, especially aloud.<span style="font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-bidi-font-family: "MS Mincho";"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Child stumbles over words; speech lacks fluency,
and rhythm is hesitant.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<br /></div>
We find the best thing for Elora is routines, structure and when her SPD
gets really aggravated a chance to leave the room and find some sensory
deprivation (quiet, dim lights). And also what is often referred to as “heavy
work”, give her a task that requires her to use her energy and strength to
positive use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example: lift all the
chairs onto the desks to help the cleaning staff, carry in the groceries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trampolines and anything that involves
rocking or bouncing have also been effective for us.<br />
Adoption is a very joyous time for us, her parents but from Elora’s
perspective it was a time of profound loss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She has lots of sadness about the loss of her birth parents and
Nanny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is often triggered by changes
in routine and having new people in her life as well as saying goodbye to
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These changes create a high
level of anxiety for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her birthday,
adoption day, Mother’s day and other holidays have also been triggers in the
past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elora knows her own adoption story
but we prefer to keep most of the details private, although it is her story and
she may choose to share it with you or other children in the class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The information we have shared here is
sensitive and of course confidential, we only hope to help you to better
understand the roots of many of her behaviours so that you can appreciate her
truly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is our hero, a survivor and a
true miracle. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><br />
sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15572153992885577895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107764948489202087.post-46757678275593690942016-09-09T18:12:00.003-04:002016-09-09T18:12:39.962-04:00Teachers Guide to Albinisim<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
**** I did not write this, but unfortunately I have lost the orriginal source, I would be happy to credit the author if they contact me***<br />
<br />
Maybe you’re reading this because you have a child with low vision in your
classroom, maybe you’re expecting a low vision child in a few years, maybe it’s
not something you’ve ever experienced.<br />
There are plenty of other resources for you regarding IEPs, Braille instruction
etc. and I don’t know anywhere near enough about those areas to write. I am
more interested in writing about the every day, the day to day experience of
having a student with albinism (SWA) in your class.<br />
The condition of albinism isn’t like any other low vision condition, so your
student can’t just be treated as a generic LVS. (not that any child should!).
Albinism is kind of unique, even to the point where if you had five people with
albinism together in a room, you and they would be surprised at the variations
in their abilities and non-abilities. Each would probably have different visual
acuity (the reading given by optometrists), some would wear glasses, some not.
Some would use a cane, have a guide dog, or see unaided. Some need sunglasses
inside, some can walk outside without sunglasses and a hat. All need sunblock,
and all need some exemptions or accommodations.<br />
Most IEP providers have very little understanding of albinism,
unfortunately, which can complicate issues. That’s not their fault. Most
opthalmologists and optometrists can go their whole career and not have a
patient with albinism, because only 1/17 000 people are affected. So how
are you, without ophthalmic experience supposed to know what to do? You aren’t,
so relax.<br />
The parents will hopefully have good advice and care from a vision point of
view, use their knowledge; please don’t underestimate them, and please don’t
assume your local education office knows more than they do. Researchers are
finding out new things about albinism all the time; the parents are most likely
to be researching just as diligently, and there are so many conditions your
local education office are expected to know about….. So, about parents? Trust
them.<br />
The SWA is usually fiercely independent, stubborn and intelligent. You will
likely have some fireworks from time to time, maybe over misunderstandings on
either side, and I’m hoping to help diffuse some or give you some forewarning.
The main thing I strongly recommend is to encourage their independence. Don’t
pander to them. Unless there are intellectual or other issues, a child with
albinism can participate in class activities as much as other children, and
should be simply expected to do so, within some boundaries. As an adult with
albinism, I can tell you their skulls are as tough, their muscles as firm and
their wits as quick as any other student, and making too many allowances for
them doesn’t create the independent, spirited adult they can become.<br />
They need sun protection. The skin of a child with albinism is very fair.
White, yes, but with a tinge of pink or yellow. Because albinism presents as a
lack of pigment, the skin of a child with the condition won’t tan, it will
burn. Getting burnt a couple of times doesn’t ‘toughen them up’ nor does it
make the skin respond differently over time. They will just keep getting burnt,
and the angry red of their skin will bring with it pain and discomfort,
sometimes severe.<br />
Sunblock before leaving home will protect most people without albinism for a
day, but in the case of your SWA , it should be reapplied regularly. For short
outside breaks, you wouldn’t generally need to cover the hands and feet in
sunblock, but be guided by the parents, as they have set protocols for their
child and family. Definitely for longer outside breaks or field trips, constant
reapplication needs to happen. It is common on a hot summer day between 10am –
3pm, to reapply sunblock every 15 minutes. This isn’t an affectation or
helicopter parenting. This is what their skin needs for protection. Melanin
changes normal skin colour when sun touched, your SWA has no melanin.<br />
The sun doesn’t only hurt their skin though. The eyes of your SWA are
greatly affected by and sensitive to light. You might find you have to put your
hand over your eyes sometimes when the sun is bright. Or you may have
experienced driving into sun rise or set, when the sun can cause near
blindness? In a child with albinism it can be like this under a fluoro light,
let alone sunshine. The iris of a SWA is often blue – violet colored (not red!)
but the inside of the eye is also pale! so the effect of bright light is
often similar to putting a bright torch right by your own eye; it can cause
total ‘washout’ or ‘whiteout’ making just the act of seeing difficult.<br />
Because the interior of the eye is pale, sunlight or light isn’t absorbed
into the retina etc like in a normal eye, it can ‘bounce off’ the white color.
This can cause physical eye pain in some, and result in a headache in many.<br />
Inside, often a cap is best, as this eliminates the light just over the eyes
from overhead lighting, whereas outside, a brimmed hat offers this plus sun
protection for the ears and neck. The best outside protection is a hat and
wraparound polarizing sunglasses. Even normal sunglasses frames have small gaps
where light can get through, but it depends on the effect sunshine has on the
individual SWA. As mentioned, this varies from person to person, with
some people needing complete eye glare coverage from infancy, others not
affected until adulthood and beyond.<br />
If its a school sports day, the SWA should still attend but be aware they
will need shade, at least access to shade, and while they will hate you for
reminding them about their sunblock, they need to reapply it. As if their
brimmed hat and sunglasses doesn’t set them apart enough, the continually using
sunblock adds to their equation, so they could be embarrassed angry and
frustrated. Remember, it’s not aimed at you, it’s at their lot in life, and we
all struggle with what complicates our progression and acceptance amongst peers<br />
So you can see these children’s condition makes it imperative they have
hats, sunblock and sunglasses.<br />
If your school’s rules don’t support hats and sunblock for students, I
suggest they soon will. Work with the parents so they don’t see this as a
battle in having their child’s needs met. It’s not only their child being
protected, it’s every fair skinned child and teacher in the system.<br />
In Australia, most kindergartens and primary schools have a “no hat no play”
policy, meaning if your child attends without a hat, they aren’t allowed out of
sun protected areas. Most students are itching to be out with their friends, so
generally only do this once or twice. A SWA may actually choose to stay
indoors, under a verandah, a tree or similar. Just as many will want to be out
in the sun playing, and classes will be outside for PE, trips and so on, so if
the school recognizes the importance of sun safety, it can be to everyone’s
benefit.<br />
The Australian sun smart motto is ‘slip slop slap and wrap’ which means SLIP on
a shirt, SLOP on sunscreen, SLAP on a hat, and WRAP on your sunglasses. It just
so happens to be incredibly relevant for people – adults and children – with
albinism.<br />
There’s a child in your class with really blonde hair, right? And probably
pale skin and blue eyes? Okay maybe there are a couple of them. But
there’s one in particular who squints, pulls things close to their face to see
and maybe pushes other people out of the way to look at things?<br />
Having a student with albinism isn’t really that hard. They are independent
(sometimes incredibly so) spirited, proud, clever and capable. Unless a child
has albinism <em>plus</em> other issues, they don’t need extra help with
bathroom breaks, they don’t need extra space in the classroom and they won’t
affect your ability to go on field trips etc.<br />
So a lot of the information you may have heard about albinism or albinos may
be incorrect.<br />
There are a lot of misunderstandings and myths surrounding albinism. A
lot of misinformation and a lot of guesses form some “theories”, and even
ophthalmic professionals will admit they don’t know enough.<br />
I’m hoping to show you how the student with albinism (SWA) / Person with
albinism (PWA) in your care can help you blow more of these myths out of the
water as you watch them grow. This isn’t to scare you or complicate your
school year. By helping your understanding of the nature of the condition, I
hope to demystify it.<br />
Looking at the student, you can see their fair skin and hair. However,
perhaps surprisingly, the skin colouring isn’t the most reliable or the only
way to diagnose albinism, as the vision in a person with the condition is
actually also a heavily affected element.<br />
Most people with albinism are found to have a visual acuity (the measurement
to determine the ability to see detail) of <strong>at best</strong> 6/60.
This means what “normally” sighted people can see clearly at 60 metres, a
person with albinism sees from only 6 metres. (6/60 – This is the visual acuity
classified as “legally blind”)<br />
And remember this is an <em>at best</em> reading, and doesn’t account for
health, tiredness, glare or other issues. Some people with albinism have better
vision than this, but it is still far from perfect. (The US equivalent is 20/60
– 20/400 with some individuals showing 20/25. The difference in the numbering
is simply metric/imperial. 6 = metres, 20 = feet).<br />
Normally with low vision and these numbers, an optometrist or
ophthalmologist would prescribe corrective glasses. Sometimes with PWA they
will too, but the glasses are unable to completely help with vision. Melanin,
while being important in production of pigment, is also needed in the
visual pathways which are forming <strong>in utero</strong>. As the fetus is
unable to create melanin, the visual pathways are underdeveloped from the
beginning, meaning the vision cannot be corrected. Glasses might help with
clarity of some parts of “seeing” but not others.<br />
It’s very hard to explain; a simple way of understanding this is comparing
the vision to pixels (the little squares of colour) in a photo. Imagine a photo
of a bus. In a photo with large pixels, nothing is clear. If you improve the pixilation,
but not to full quality, the image is clearer – you can make out what it is,
but not the detail. You can determine the shape of a bus, but you can’t see the
lettering on the sides or the edges of windows or wheels. That’s what it’s like
for the PWA, even with glasses. A PWA may see a bushy tree, but needs to get
closer to differentiate clumps of leaves, even closer to see a patch of leaves
and within a few centimetres to see the veins of a leaf. Spotting a bird
or bird’s nest in the tree is close on impossible. Remember 6/60 – The leaf you
can see clearly at 60 centimetres, our PWA needs to be within 6 cms (or
closer).<br />
There is also a compromise in depth perception. PWA learn ways to
compensate, often subconsciously.<br />
By looking at a set of stairs, the shadows indicate a difference in height
level. Without any indicator like shadows, or perhaps yellow lines or darker
edges, the PWA can see the whole area as flat and may trip up, over or down
stairs, which is embarrassing as well as dangerous.<br />
Carpet edges can pose the same dilemma. Unless indicated, is the vinyl strip
between two areas of carpet a step? Slightly raised, sunken or flat? You may
see a PWA touch these areas with a toe or finger to feel their way. A shoelace,
a block or similar on the floor can be a tripping hazard, especially if it’s
the same or a similar colour to the floor.<br />
A hint: Try looking through the clear part of a window faced envelope at
your surrounds. It’s not a perfect simulation but it’s close.<br />
So what can you expect?<br />
The student may have a <strong>cane</strong>. This helps them negotiate
their way around. The cane can give confidence in the determination of a step,
a branch, pebble or person in the path ahead. Using a cane takes practice, and
your SWA is using a huge array of their other senses in using a cane.<br />
The student may have a <strong>monocular</strong>. This is almost ‘de
rigueur’ for a PWA. To see the board, to see across a playground, to see a
sign.. to see almost anything. Some days it will seem permanently attached to
the student’s eye! Other visual aids they may use include domes, rulers
or an array of shaped magnifiers.<br />
The student may use a <strong>CCTV, tablet or computer</strong>. Their
parents aren’t rich, nor are they spoiling their child. The child is legally
blind, and the parents are trying to make access to text, resources and craft
activities more reachable. PWA get quite adept at using a these tools, they may
surprise you.<br />
The student may insist on <strong>sunglasses or a hat inside</strong>.
The light, be it artificial or from a window, will affect the student’s vision.
The inner part of the eye is normally dark coloured and absorbs light. In PWA
it is without pigment, so light coming in through the pupil and iris can affect
their ability to see as it is reflected back off surfaces. It can in fact cause
physical pain.<br />
They may get <strong>headaches</strong>. Sometimes just the physical act of
looking can hurt. If there is glare, or a lot of reading, if it’s a hot day, or
the student is unwell, all can add to the stress of just seeing.<br />
They may<strong> tilt their head</strong> or their work. Along with the low
vision, PWA have ‘nystagmus’, an involuntary movement of the eyes. Without
their even knowing it, their brain finds a position to hold the head to make it
easier to see. This is called a ‘null point’ and means the brain has selected
this position to nullify the effect of the movements.<br />
They won’t <strong>look at you</strong>. They try to, but yet another
complication is strabismus, sometimes known as ‘lazy eye’. PWA don’t have Binocular
vision like the rest of the population, they have Monocular vision, so while
their mono – solo – eye is working, the other is taking a break and may look
totally crooked or wobbly. This isn’t controllable; the student can’t start or
stop it and they’re unaware of it. So their gaze may not be directly at you,
either, even though they are talking to you.<br />
They may not respond to you, or <strong>respond inappropriately</strong>. If
this is behavioural, it’s the child. However, before determining the nature of the
response, it’s important to know a PWA won’t know you’re looking at them unless
you say so. They can’t determine the detail of your face from where they are
seated. They see your face but not where your eyes are looking, and not if you
wink, smile, frown or slightly shrug a shoulder. They are unlikely to see
a finger point from a distance.<br />
<strong>How can you help?</strong><br />
<strong>Allow eye break</strong>s. Eye strain is all too common, not just in
PWA. Have the whole class stop every now and then and focus on the other form
of viewing. ie if they’ve been working closely, have them look in the distance.
If looking in the distance, have them look closer.<br />
Allow an <strong>initiation visit</strong>. Before the first day of school,
invite the child into the classroom. Let them see where your desk, their desk,
the doors, the bag rack… <em>everything</em>… is. The child will be more
confident knowing they won’t trip, walk into something or misname something in
front of the class and feel embarrassment. (eg the misnaming; they may identify
a picture of a ball on the classroom wall which is actually a picture of an
apple. They are unable to make that distinction from their seat).<br />
<strong>Educate the class</strong>. Have the parents come in, or have the
child tell the class about how they see and albinism. Other kids can be
bullies, and a child with low vision – who can’t see the prank about to be
pulled, who can’t see if the other person is smiling or angry, who can be the
target of a tripping hazard – is at risk. Educating the class about their
vision, and that the student may need help can open discussion and have the
student accepted more readily rather than the ever present “why have you got
white hair?” question from each person in the class which can make the student
more reclusive. Make sure other staff, including relief teachers are aware of
the issues as well.<br />
<strong>Magnify class work</strong>. Photocopy work, or print it in a larger
font. At least an 18 sans serif is best. If the child has a CCTV or a computer
with magnification software, utilise this. Email any work that you can, or
provide it on a USB, then the student can view it at a size they find
comfortable.<br />
Expect and only <strong>accept excellence</strong>. Don’t allow the visual
impairment to rule their life. They are intelligent and need to produce work at
the regular standard. Obviously within reasonable boundaries, and the absence
of other issues, they are as able to complete work as their peers. They
may just need extra reading time in some cases. Push their own
expectations without over-reaching them.<br />
Accept their <strong>individuality</strong>. Often a PWA hones other senses
to compensate for the vision. Their hearing or sense of smell may be more
heightened, and they may not have the vocabulary or the knowledge to convey
this, and they can appear socially awkward. (ie some children talking about
the colour of an orange blossom, and the low vision child says “I
smell oranges”. They appear to not follow the conversation, but as they can’t
identify the blossom, they use another sense.) They will learn different ways
to adapt, some will appear odd. Discuss it with their parents if you’re
concerned. However, try not to see albinism as the reason behind everything.
Some behaviour is just recalcitrant or the student pushing boundaries.<br />
<strong>Verbalise</strong>. saying “it’s over there” and/or pointing means
virtually nothing. The child doesn’t know and can’t see where you’re pointing.
“It’s beside the red stapler on the corner of my desk” or “In the corner by the
toybox” helps the student far more. Letting them know what’s happening keeps
them informed. As in “Jeff has brought his turtle in for his talk this morning,
would you like a closer look?” Also getting other children to reframe can help,
so Jane could learn to say “We need you here at our table” rather than
gesturing with her hands.<br />
Listen to and trust their parents. What may appear to you to be helicopter
parenting is the family adapting to a low vision child in their family. They
know what they have been told by specialists and albinism support
organisations, and how that fits into their own family. The way each family
responds is different, just as each family is.<br />
Research albinism yourself, find other teachers who have had a PWA in their
classroom and network. Trust your own ability, yet never be afraid to ask. If
you’re curious, other people have been too, and the parents will know or find
an answer. And they’d rather you asked than assume something wrong.<br />
Enjoy your student within the whole scope of the class. Remember their
albinism doesn’t define them. They are an individual with every personality
nuance possible. They can and will fall down, trip over, and make mistakes.
That’s how they learn; it’s how we all do. Albinism doesn’t set them apart; it
just makes them as different and unique as the other students in the class.<br />
One last tip remember its correct to say a child with albinism not an albino. Just as you would say a friend with cancer not a cancerous friend. Its her medical diagnosis not her definition :) <br />
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sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15572153992885577895noreply@blogger.com0