Students will apply the four steps of the cultural reciprocity process to conduct a home visit and develop a preliminary plan for a subsequent home visit. Students will conduct at least one home visit for at least one hour with a parent of a child from birth to age 3 years with a developmental disability. Students will try to visit a family whose cultural, ethnic, or racial background is different in some way(s) from their own and meet with both of the parents (or other caregiving adults) if possible. If the parent prefers not to meet at home, they may choose a setting that is comfortable for them, so long as it is not at the school. The purpose of the visit is to learn about the child and the family’s experience, goals, hopes, and dreams for their child and use this information to develop a responsive plan for a subsequent home visit. Students will keep in mind the four steps of the cultural reciprocity process identified below as they interact with the parents:
Some information to acquire from the family through observations and conversations during the home visit(s) includes:
The daily routine:
What is the daily routine of the child?
What are some activities and routines that the child and family enjoy? What are some activities with which the child/family has difficulty?
Views on the child, child development and disability: How is the child viewed in the family?
What are the family’s goals, hopes and dreams for their child?
What are the family’s views on child development i.e. how the child learns and grows? How does the family explain the child’s disability?
How does the family explain the current services the child receives?
Cultural backgrounds and significant events:
How does the family describe their cultural background e.g. religion, race, ethnicity? Has the family’s cultural affiliations influenced their access to services?
What are some significant events in the life of the child or the family members?
Students will write a minimum of 5-7 page, double-spaced paper (APA style 6th edition) addressing the areas listed below:
- Briefly describe the context, participants, and interactions during the home
- Where was the meeting, what was the setting like? (10 points)
- Who was present?
- What were interactions and behaviors like between the individuals present?
- Learn about the child and family: What information was gathered about the child and the family? Organize the information under the following headings:
The daily routine
Views on the child, child development and disability, and hopes, dreams, goals for child Cultural backgrounds and significant events
- Reflect on your own thoughts and reactions: What did you learn about yourself through the interaction with the family? (5 points)
- What were your initial assumptions about the family?
- What were your initial reactions to the family?
- What new information did you learn from the family?
- What did you learn about the services or intervention processes and from the family?
- What are some dilemmas you faced in listening to the family story or in developing a plan for the next home visit?
- Develop a culturally responsive plan: Based on what you learned from the family what would be the focus of your next home visit? Develop a plan for the next home (10 points)
- What learning objectives would you identify?
- How would you use the natural learning opportunities or family routines to work towards the learning objectives?
- What are some activities that the child and family can engage in to address the learning objectives? Explain your plan to the family: How would you explain your plan to the family?
- What are some individual priorities or cultural preferences that you need to consider?
- How will you explain some of the child development principles that guide your thinking?
