Sibling Support Project

"The Sibling Support Project is a national effort dedicated to the life-long concerns of brothers and sisters of people who have special health, developmental, or mental health concerns." The S.S.P offers numerous recreational outlets for siblings of emotional disturbed, Sibshops is one of those resources. It is an convention and allows siblings with the common similarity of family life to get together and an share in a fun event.

I also found a book called "Thicker than Water" edited by Don Meyer which compiles Essays by Adult Siblings of People with Disabilities. The book reveals both the positive and negative aspects of growing up with someone who might have "received the lion's share of his parents' attention". Although I did not read all of this book, I read a few of the essays and found them very enlightening and touching. It is nice to read the "raw" emotions to relate to how the siblings felt growing up.

If you are interested in reading this book, I found it on Amazon.

http://www.siblingsupport.org/

Sibling and Parent Resources

After searching for "parent friendly" resources I came across a document created by Vanderbilt that outlined Siblings of Individuals with disabilities: Tips and Resources for Parents. It is set up in a way that parents can seek the question in which they are concerned and find the answers given by the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center For Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. The article discusses everything from discussing the disability with the typical developing child to the spacial needs of the family. What I liked most is it gives the reader ways in which the center may help.

The Kennedy center holds a SibsSaturdays where siblings who have a brother or sister with a disability with the opportunity to play games and meet friends with other siblings in the same situation. This is a great community resource.

http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/kennedy_files/SiblingsTipsandResourcesNov2010.pdf

Shifting from Siblings to Parents

I became interested in seeing how the Parents of children who are emotionally disturbed instead of focusing on the siblings. I came across a Clinical Care Update by Matthew K. Modrein, PH.D. and Judy Robinson, M.A., who provide assessment, treatment, and support to parents with a child who has a severe emotional disorder. In this study these parents face significant personal and family issues. The goal of this study to to expand the way professionals work with these families and create a better understanding of their struggles.

Also, bringing to light the ideal community resources needed to create and maintain a parent-professional partnership. Understanding the ways in which families cope with the demands on their lives offers the possibility of healing rather than labeling these children and their surroundings. Although this study is rather lengthy, it really brings awareness to the issues that these families face each and every day.

Study

A State's Way to Accomodate...

In my search for change and ways of accommodation for students who have emotional disabilities amongst their siblings, I found a research study that was preformed in North Carolina. State funded, they were looking for a way to make accommodations and create support systems for siblings of those who have been diagnosed with severe emotional disturbances (SED). This study researches the risks, resources, and accommodations among these siblings. The goal of their study was to create comprehensive service delivery models for children and families. The study observes nearly 700 children and their families across N.C.

The study concludes siblings of Children with SED find that they have experienced significant adversity (high stress) and the target children (child with SED) are generally poorer adjusted than the siblings, as expected.

 Study: Siblings of Children with SED

Emotional Disturbance Study (ages 9-17)

     A report published on the study of the Prevalence of Serious Emotional Disturbances of Children and Adolescents by Robert M Friedman, PH. D along with 3 other colleagues from the Florida Mental Health Institute discuss Public Law 102-321 from 1992 requiring the center for mental health to place a clear definition for "emotional disturbance". I found this article interesting as it combines multiple resources and studies conducted of teens and younger children across the U.S. and compile their findings for a comparable analysis. This study finds the estimated prevalence rate for emotional disturbances in children ages 9-17, is in the range of 9% to 13%, I was also surprised on their findings (based on socioeconomic status). The study also went on to discuss the needs of these children being met, or lack there of. The conclusion of the study suggests there are a large number of children who need Mental Health Services and how children with extreme disturbances are greatly under served. Even though my knowledge of E.D. is pretty slim, even in 1993 they suggest in order to improve the services and meet the needs of these children there needs to be collaborative from all agencies involved for the greater good of the child.

Link to Study

Providing Parent & Sibling Support

After reading my textbook, Parents and Families of Children with Disabilities, for class last week two chapters caught my attention. First, there was a chapter discussing how and in what ways to provide support for siblings of children with disabilities. As a future educator, I tried to come up with activities in which I could allow siblings to discuss the disability with the class where everyone would be involved. In order to create that community feel in the classroom, we must embrace our differences. By allowing student to do a presentation or a whole group activity on the rug where other students can ask questions and become familiar with the disability and what the sibling goes through would allow students to understand one another differences.

Not only providing siblings with support, the book discusses ways of providing parents with support as well. I thought it was interesting that one of the stress coping strategies would be to have the parent make of list of all the stressors in his or her life. After the parent has completed the list then one by one you go through and ask yourself is there anything I can do about it? What can I do now? and if there is nothing, discuss coping strategies with the parent. One coping strategy was to tense up core muscles and release.

All good strategies and important information to keep in mind when I get my future classroom.


http://www.amazon.com/Parents-Families-Children-Disabilities-School-Based/dp/0130194883

Support Groups..Where to find one

Today I got the opportunity to speak with a mother of a child who has been diagnosed with Autism. I understand that Autism is not technically an emotional disturbance but at the same time these parents have similarities in their daily stress and/or struggle. She mentioned a website that she had found that provided her family with a lot of support and emotional comfort in their lives.

After reviewing the site, it does provide families with useful information such as where support groups are located and connects families together who are going through the same challenges day to day.

http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/emotionaldisturbance

Emotionally Disturbed Child as a... "Scapegoat"?

As I search the web in hopes of enlightenment and discovery into the world of emotional disturbances, I found an article titled, "The Emotionally Disturbed Child as a Family Scapegoat" by Ezra F. Vogel and Norman W. Bell. In order to view the full article you must subscribe to the website (which is worth it!).

Anyways, I started thinking about how the struggle of raising a child who is emotionally disturbed could/may tear a family apart. Connecting this to my own life, my daughter, who is what society would consider "normal" was a struggle for her father as the daily demand of raising a child was too great for our relationship to overcome. I couldn't image the stress placed on parents with children who have special needs.

When thinking of a child who is emotionally disturbed or not, unless parents embrace their children fully the demand may be to great to keep the positive connection between all family members.  This lead me to a family counseling site in which they implemented short-term therapy using a method known as Zuk's (go between process) and the study should improvement of the interpersonal functioning of the family.

http://www.mendeley.com/research/short-term-family-therapy-emotionally-disturbed-children/

Family Resources

In my self guided search for information about different Emotional Issues found in children I came across a website for The National Association of Parents with Children in Special Education (NAPCSE). It has a lot of good resources such as books and publications for families. While browsing the site I came across this information: Children with the most serious emotional disturbances may exhibit distorted thinking, excessive anxiety, bizarre motor acts, and abnormal mood swings. Some are identified as children who have a severe psychosis or schizophrenia.

This statement made me think of one of my placements. Within the building that I was placed there were a high number of students diagnosed with "Anxiety" some of which had visible symptoms and others in which many staff members questioned. I can remember the principal saying at one staff meeting that he couldn't believe the number of students with anxiety, and how he thought that it was crazy. When he was younger there was no such thing: young children with anxiety.

It just so happened that I had a young boy with anxiety in my classroom. He was a perfect student with perfect grades (3rd grade). If you were to come in the classroom at any given time, you would not see any sort of "out break". His anxiety had to do with food. He would not eat at school (at all). I can remember thinking, he has to be hungry he hasn't ate anything all day and each day his parents would pack his lunch. The point to sharing this story is some disorders aren't what you think they would be, some go unnoticed unless you really know the child.

Below is a link to the NAPCSE site, I think this is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about Special Education and Emotional Disturbances.

http://www.napcse.org/exceptionalchildren/emotionaldisturbance/

Classifying Emotionally disturbed Children

I came across an article today as I was doing a little research into emotional illnesses in which gave five principals that are used when considering children with an emotional disability.

To be considered and classified emotionally disturbed, specific criteria must be met based on federal legislation which includes:

(1)the child has difficulty learning which is not associated with a health factor, cognitive ability, or sensory issues;
(2)the child has difficulty with his interpersonal relationships with classmates and adults;
(3)the child demonstrates unusual types of behavior in normal circumstances;
(4)the child appears depressed or generally unhappy;
(5) the child becomes physically ill or demonstrates fears associated with school.

I think it helps to understand how they are diagnosing children in order to understand the effects this may have on their siblings. I also found this book on Amazon titled The Normal One: Life with a Difficult or Damaged Sibling by Jeanne Safer. "In this first-of-its-kind book, psychotherapist Jeanne Safer takes us into the hidden world of problem siblings and explores the far-reaching effects on the lives of those who are considered the “normal ones.” I think this book would give me an inside scoop as to what life is really from their point of view.


http://www.amazon.com/The-Normal-One-Difficult-Damaged/dp/0385337566

     Hello and Welcome to my Blog! Over the next eight weeks, I will be discussing Children who are emotionally Disturbed, specifically how their siblings cope and the effects placed on their lives from their brother or sister who suffers emotionally. This idea came to me last Wednesday, my Daughter, Haley and I decided to go to the park near our home. It was a perfect day to fly a kite and families were doing just that. I quickly noticed three young boys with their grandmother playing. The oldest boy when asked to let his younger brother fly his kite, immediately had an emotional outbreak and resisted. With much encouragement his grandmother finally convinced the young man to share his kite. The wind took off and the kite ended up getting tangled. I wasn't prepared for what I was going to hear next. The young man proceeded to tell his younger brothers (three and five-years-old) that he was going to kill them and his emotions had visibly taken over. 

     His siblings acted as if this behavior was nothing new. His grandmother began talking to me as we were standing in close proximity. I couldn't help but to feel sorrow for the siblings of the emotionally disturbed young man. All of Grandma's attention was placed on this one child (as it needed to be) and the other boys just "took a back seat" so to say. And my curiosity for coping and handling a sibling who is Emotionally Disturbed began, over the next few weeks I hope you, as the reader, learn and grow along side of me to bring awareness to this topic. Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you enjoy!