Personal Narrative: The Tennessee Early Intervention System

Being a parent transformed me in unexpected ways. I found myself wanting to provide for my daughter and later my son the same security and benefits my parents had provided for me. I found a job at University Children’s Center. UCC provides care for children from the ages of 6 weeks to 6 years and I wanted to be close to my children. I worked with all the age groups but found my niche in the infant program. I enjoyed the close bonds I was able to form with both the babies and their families. I took great pride in creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. I took classes to become Infant Nursery Room Supervisor. Once again, I excelled in my studies and enjoyed the learning process. Bringing the information I learned into the classroom was

As a child I grew up in the foster care system. My formative years consisted of uncertainty and confusion since I was not able to express myself effectively to the state assigned child advocates. During my time in foster care I volunteered to care for the younger children who had special needs. As I began to care for the children especially with neurological brain damage I became intrigued by how little science seemed to know about Special Education or effective treatment. At the age of eleven I started reading peer-reviewed articles such as Neurology journal and Exceptional Children (EC) trying to adsorb everything science related that would provide answers. Several years after I aged out of the system I had a child of my own who was born with severe Autism and sensory integration disorder. My son Andrew was non-verbal for the first four years even after extensive

My life's journey is aspiring to further my education to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) as well as acquiring the credentials for Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Upon achieving a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, I plan to apply my skills in a rehabilitation setting focusing on individuals with disabilities. My goal is to make an impact in the lives of many families and to empower these individuals to strive to their fullest potential. Furthermore, I find it gratifying helping individuals reach their goals and most importantly their dreams. I am currently working with the community and volunteering with the Autism Services Clinic at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). Assisting children with special needs has been an exceptional

I have distinctly applied for Special Needs Education because special education has always been what’s near and dear to me in the field of education. Being a special education teacher would be an inevitably rewarding job, in which I get to watch my students grow, as I celebrate their small breakthroughs and victories with them. These small breakthroughs and victories will improve over time and turn into giant leaps, which will leave a lasting impact and ultimately change the child’s life. Beyond just educating children with special needs, I aspire to educate the public about children with special needs and special education. By doing so, I hope to remove any uncertainty and fear the public has on this group of children. Not only do I want to impart knowledge on these special children, I also want to advocate for them, which is something that goes

A child with disabilities is a major focus in today’s education. Achieving my Bachelors in Special Education, I need to be aware of the need to ensure appropriate education for all children with disabilities. “The education of children with disabilities is a top national priority. Our nation’s special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), sets high standards for their achievement and guides how special help and services are made available in schools to address their individual needs (National Dissemination)”. This is my biggest challenge. I feel with the right tools and

My whole life I felt love, but never like the love I experienced three years when I walked in the Lawrence County Developmental Center. The LCDC is the special needs program for the student of East Lawrence and I was chosen to be an aide my sophomore year. Most of the kids could not speak, if they could speak they still had problems communicating. I felt like I had walked into a totally different world, and that made me want to spend every free moment in the LCDC. My three years with those kids taught me the most incredible lesson: your life is what you make it.

You know what is really fun... doing what I did this summer! What I did this summer is go to Tennessee cabins. Tennessee cabins is a huge cabin of choice you stay in for as many nights as you book. The Tennessee cabin I went to was called Majestic springs. Majestics springs had a four jacuzzi baths ,and a hot tub.

Like many people everyone wants to find their calling and figure out where they belong. My parents moved to the United States risking their lives on a boat from Haiti but soon separated while in america . My mom did a great job raising four kids on her own and I being the second child took part in raising my two younger siblings. In elementary school I struggled in many subjects but excelled in art, when I finally learned to read and went to middle school my grades were high enough to have honors reading and social study classes and even apa classes in highschool. I continued to excel in a lot of my classes, turns out I was smarter than I thought and all I need to do was learn to read and have people who took the time to teach me.

When I applied to work as a CNA with a pediatric home health agency, I envisioned that I would be working for a new mom with a child that needed special care for a short time. I had been that mom myself once, bringing home an eight-week-old infant who needed oxygen and monitoring after birth complications. It would feel natural to me to care for someone else’s sick newborn, bringing much-needed relief and peace of mind to a family in a time of crisis. However, during my interview, I learned that the agency wanted to place me with a client who had been with the agency for six years, an eight-year-old boy with Down Syndrome.

From the first day a child is born, parents are there to nurture their child, to support them as they grow and develop. There is a lot to learn about raising a child under normal circumstances, but when a child has special needs parents must learn this whole new language of medical and special education terms (Overton, 2005). Parents enter this new world where navigating for the best interest of their child is riddled with challenges and obstacles that they need to somehow overcome. This is especially true when parents are dealing with the special education program in their child’s school.

For my final project I interviewed my mother’s friend Tammy Carnes who’s son is diagnosed with cerebral palsy. During our interview we discussed what it is like we raise a child with a disability, and how the educational system aided in dealing with her child’s everyday needs. After completing this interview I feel a little more understanding of how the parent of said child may feel when dealing with the educational system meeting their child’s particular needs. A high point of the interview was Ms. Carnes’s surprise to the amount of dedication the educational system is making to ensure their teachers are well prepared for the different types of disabilities children may have. A part of the interview that surprised me was how truly patient

On behalf of the early childhood initiative to provide early intervention for those infants and toddlers experiencing difficulty, I thank you for your engagement and cooperation. This system is designed to “[help] eligible babies and toddlers learn the basic and brand-new skills that typically develop during the first three years of life, such as: physical (reaching, rolling, crawling, and walking) and self-help (eating, dressing) skills (Center for Parent Information and Resources, 2014). We are dedicated to working with your family and your individual needs. This system is not meant to bog you down with out-of-town appointments from professionals, but instead provide you with support and suggestions for the healthy development of your child.

“Special education labels don’t define children; Children define themselves” (Dalien, 2015). I am interested in becoming a special education teacher because I have always loved being around children, and I have a soft spot for kids with autism and other disabilities. The first time that I ever thought about working with special needs children was when I was in the fifth grade. My mom worked at my school as a teacher assistant in a first grade classroom, so in the morning I would go to her classroom and wait for the bell to ring. A little boy named Alex who had Cerebral palsy and a spinal problem, came into class early as well. I immediately connected with him, and began going to my mom’s room every morning to play with him before class. It soon became the highlight of my day. Alex could not talk very well and could not walk, so we rolled cars around the floor, traced shapes on to the whiteboard, or sometimes crawled on the floor chasing each other as monsters. I loved seeing how me playing with him made him smile so big and become more outgoing. My dream is to give kids like Alex a reason to smile and help them reach their full potential. In this speech you will learn all about special education teachers, including, but not limited to: What they do, where they typically work, their environment, how much they get paid, benefits the job entails, the education and skills required to become a special education teacher, and information on the job outlook.

Becoming a parent for the first time is often frightening, no parent wants his or her child to be sick, disabled, or harmed in any way. It is not an experience anyone expects to have, it is a journey that is unplanned. Heather is the mother of a child diagnosed with Down syndrome. Heather shared her story, along with the everyday struggles she faces, in a personal interview about her child’s diagnosis of Down syndrome. Though she may face many struggles, she has found hope throughout different therapeutic interventions. Occupational therapy has played a key role in Kaleb’s everyday performance.

I grew up loving children of all ages and wanting to be a caregiver. I was the baby sitter and nanny to the neighborhood and my church ward. When I was in High School’s it was no surprise to anyone that I chose to work in the school’s child care center. I continued working with children at several child care centers until I went to school.