The family is one of the most important aspects of being an educator of exceptional learners. The home environment and parental involvement greatly influence what goes on in the classroom, yet it is an area that is often underdeveloped, neglected, filled with strife and animosity.
By outlining the impact of an exceptional learner on the family; the social, economic and psychological consequences and coping strategies of raising an exceptional learner, this paper strives to prepare family members for raising an exceptional learner and to educate special educators on a child’s family life outside of the classroom.
I. The Impact of an Exceptional Learner on The Family
a) Stages of Adjustments
The whole family is affected by the exceptional learner.
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People on the outside of the family need to be mindful of these emotional challenges because they heavily affect the way family members nurture the child and discuss the child with others. When a family member exhibits these negative emotions they need to be shown that it is ok to feel these emotions.
c) Needs of the Parents, Siblings and Extended Family
According to Carol Gestwicki the needs of the family are intimately related to their cultural background, educational background, religion and profession. It can also be related to the age of the family members and that of the child with the exceptionality, family size and structure. Furthermore, how a family perceives their needs and priorities may differ from that of a professional opinion. Keep these things in mind while viewing the following needs of the family and its members:
• Needs of the entire family: acknowledgement and support of their ability to identify their own concerns, education on the child’s exceptionality, training on how to nurture and cope with the child, spiritual guidance, financial support, talks with others going through the same thing, formal therapy with a trained professional that can provide emotional and physiological