Autism

What is autism?

Autism disorder is a common term for a group of difficult disorders of brain development that is affecting many children today. The disorder can be characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, 

 verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors (Autism Speaks, 2013)

Over the years the number of children who have been diagnosed with autism has grown. Although there are some programs out there that are geared to children with autism, I have found that there are many children who families are not in the position to have their children in those programs and these children end up in childcare centers where the workers are not trained to work with children with autism. The lack of knowledge of autism in childcare centers in the urban areas is causing these children who are in these centers not to receive the quality care that they need. 

Time Well Spent....

I have learned that I really love the field of early childhood and the impact that I make on the lives of the children and families.

I have learned that there is so much in the field of early childhood that I can be a part of and I am excited to see where it leads me.

I have learned a lot about what kind of instructor that I want to be and how I can engage the students that I will teach to be important in the field of early childhood and to carry out their dreams.


Long-term goal
My long term goal is to teach early childhood education in a college setting
I want to wish all of my fellow colleagues the best in their future and I want to thank all of my instructors for all of their help feedback knowledge. Thank you…

Favorite quotes:
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

  Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
 Today I shall behave as if this is the day I will be remembered.
By DR. Suess


My contact information

Naquetta S.Davis
Kekedavis_00@yahoo.com

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: Internationally

One of the international organizations that appeal to me is Save the Children, because they are trying to change the lives of children, not only in the US but all over the world. Save the Children layout on their website their strategic plan to create change in the children lies, which I think is important, because if you can show someone how to do thing differently, they will be able to make changes and hopefully live a better life (Save the Children, 2011).

Save the Children mission is to evoke change, and with an organization this size I think they are able to reach a lot of children.

The next organization that I think is great is Academy for Education Development. This the first time I have heard about them, and I was impressed with their mission and vision, which is to development a world in which everyone has the ability to reach their full potential. I liked their values which state:

·         Innovation to meet the evolving needs of our beneficiaries, funders and partners.

·         Mutual respect for diversity and cultural differences.

·         Passion driven by a personal commitment to make a positive difference.

·         Accountability for our work, measuring, reporting and continually improving all that we do.

·         Commitment to excellence assured by the highest ethical, quality, operational performance and scientific standards.

·         Teamwork across disciplines and geographies, within the organization and with our partners. (Academy for Educational Development, 2011).

The main thing that appealed to me about this organization is that they state they believe that the way to improve lives is to generate, share and then apply knowledge. I think this is important to community involved missions, especially when you are creating community of practices.

The third organization that is appealing is International Step by Step, this organization tries to connects professionals and organizations in the field of early childhood development and education. They also promote equal asses to quality care for all children, which hits right at home with me. I believe that all children should have the rights to quality care and education, no matter where they live or their nationality.

References

 Academy for Educational Development. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.aed.org/en/index.htm

International Step By Step Association. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2011, fromhttp://www.issa.nl/index.html

Save the Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6115947/k.8D6E/Official_Site.htm

Jobs/Roles in the ECE Community: National/Federal Level

The three national/federal organizations or communities of practice that appealed to me are:

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) http://www.naeyc.org/

NAEYC's Goals

1.  Improving professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education.

2.  Supporting early childhood programs by working to achieve a high-quality system of early childhood education.

3.     Building a high-performing, inclusive organization of groups and individuals who are committed to promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children.

Parents as Teachers

Parents as Teachers helps organizations and professionals work with parents during the critical early years of their children's lives, from conception to kindergarten. I like this because it is helping parents with their children. http://www.parentsasteachers.org/about/what-we-do

Association for Early Learning Leaders The Association for Early Learning Leaders is the nation's leader among associations serving child care owners, directors, and administrators. The organization's goal is to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of the people who lead the child care industry by providing membership services and benefits. http://www.naccp.org

As I was searching for jobs, I found this job, it’s not in the state where I would like to work, but it is interesting:

Senior Associate - Youth & Adult Education

Job Description:

 ICF is currently seeking a Senior Associate to work within our Education, Community & Social Programs Division.  Primary responsibilities for this position will involve performing assignments related to various evaluation research projects under the direction of senior-level staff and in partnership with other associates.  Assignment to ongoing policy, research and technical assistance projects may occur.  Candidates must be able to lead multiple tasks with competing deadlines, be versed in a wide variety of education issues and research strategies, maintain positive relationships with clients and colleagues, and play an integral role in proposal development.

Key Responsibilities:
Work collaboratively on youth and adult education projects, including a) a national evaluation project focused on community coalitions to reduce youth substance use; and b) a state evaluation project of a program designed to improve student success and college readiness.

Conduct literature reviews and synthesize findings.

 Assist with quantitative and qualitative data collection, data coding, and data analysis.

  Lead tasks as appropriate to skills.

Take and summarize meeting notes. Write and prepare annotated bibliographies, issue briefs, newsletters, summary reports, and promising practice/evidence in line with client expectations.  Support proposal development efforts.

Qualifications

·  Basic Qualifications: 

 Master’s degree in education, early childhood education, social science, political science, sociology, or related subject.

5+ years of experience in supporting or conducting research in education.

Experience with managing multiple timelines/multiple tasks.

 Demonstrated experience with effectively utilizing statistical software (e.g., SPSS, SAS).

 Proficiency with Microsoft Office software (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and/or Access) is essential in this fast-paced client oriented environment.

Preferred Skills/Experience:

  Experience with federal government programs, such as the GEAR UP program.

 Experience working in a consulting environment.

Exploring Roles in the ECE Community: Local and State Levels

  New York State Office of Children and Family Services

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services provides a range of resources to help parents with their child care needs, people who want to start or are currently running child care programs, and anyone with a concern about the health or safety of a child in a day care program. http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main

Childcare council of Rochester is a not for profit child care resource and referral corporation dedicated to the support of high quality early care and education. Child Care Council provides information, education, support and resources to childcare providers, parents, and the community. http://childcarecouncil.com/

Autism Up is an autism advocacy organization in Rochester and the surrounding areas. Founded in 2004, by

 a small group of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, there mission is to support individuals 

with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and their families, by expanding and enhancing opportunities to improve

 quality of life.  Autism Up helps the parent with information on Autism. http://www.unyfeat.org/

I would be excited to work in any of these organization, teaching groups or training courses would very interesting to me.

 Adult education teachers, who work in settings such as community colleges and adult high schools, are typically required to hold a minimum of bachelor’s degree but most preferred a master degree. Adult education teachers instruct adults in areas such as reading, math and writing. I would someday like to teach adult students in the field of early childhood education

I think the information that I can learned from Walden has given me the skills that I need for the positions that may come from any of these organizations.

Communication

We have traveled a wonderful road together, I am thankful for everyone who I have had the pleasure of working with.  Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. Good luck to everyone.

Groups

      I think high performing groups are the hardest to leave. In my adulthood I have not been part of any real groups where I was working towards something. I can remember how wonderful it felt in high school being a member of the track team. We had been together for four years and when it can to an end it was one of the hardest things for me to leave. Our team worked well together we did have our ups and down but we became a family. It was hard to say Good Bye.

       When I entered college the team was much large so things were very different than high school. People came from many different places and backgrounds it seemed harder for everyone to connect. You had your clicks, all of the distance runners were together and they didn't really interact with the sprinters and if you did a field event you were totally separate. When leaving that team it wasn't as hard as before.

      Working with these groups of people in these online courses is different, but you do get use to reading comments and post from familiar names, and I think it gives me some kind of comfort. I think that it will be more difficult not having the routine of doing work weekly. 

Conflict Resolution

    I have not or cannot remember a resent disagreement or conflict that I have faced in any part of my life. But over the past few weeks I have learned some very valuable strategies that would help me in the future. On the website The Center for Nonviolent Communication there are some great skills that will allow me to better prepare myself for future conflicts or disagreements.

Nonviolent Communication Skills (NVC)

 NVC offers practical, concrete skills for manifesting the purpose of creating connections of compassionate giving and receiving based in a consciousness of interdependence and power with others. These skills include:

 1. Differentiating observation from evaluation, being able to carefully observe what is happening free of evaluation, and to specify behaviors and conditions that are affecting us;

2. Differentiating feeling from thinking, being able to identify and express internal feeling states in a way that does not imply judgment, criticism, or blame/punishment;

3.Connecting with the universal human needs/values (e.g. sustenance, trust, understanding) in us that are being met or not met in relation to what is happening and how we are feeling; and

4.Requesting what we would like in a way that clearly and specifically states what we do want (rather than what we don’t want), and that is truly a request and not a demand (i.e. attempting to motivate, however subtly, out of fear, guilt, shame, obligation, etc. rather than out of willingness and compassionate giving).

 I also reviewed the website The Third Side where they discussed the 3S assumptions and discussed some misunderstanding that people have about conflict and how to work with conflict.

3S Assumptions

Conflict, in itself, is not a bad thing. Conflict is a natural and healthy process, necessary for making progress and dealing with injustice. The world may actually need more conflict, not less, if the appropriate skills are known and conflict can be managed productively.

That the goal is not to end or eliminate conflict but simply to transform the way it is expressed ­ from destructive forms such as violence, abuse, and intolerance into constructive forms such as debate, dialogue, negotiation, and democracy. Conflict is inevitable; violence is not.

The way to transform conflict is to create a strong container for creative contention. This container constitutes the Third Side of any conflict. The container can be created by the surrounding community friends, neighbors, witnesses, neutrals as well as by the parties themselves.

You don't have to take sides in a conflict, nor do you need to be neutral. No matter where your sympathies lie, you can choose to take the Third Side, in other words, the side of the whole whether that is the family, the work organization, the community, or the world.

 You can choose to take the Third Side anytime in the conflicts around you. This means seeking to understand all sides to the conflict, encouraging a peaceful nonviolent process for engaging deep differences, and supporting an inclusive outcome that addresses the essential needs of all

Responding to conflicts productively requires courage, preparation, knowledge, skills, creativity and coordination.

You have an important role to play in transforming the conflicts around you, whether you are one of the parties or a Witness to the conflict. You can make a significant difference.

By working together in a systemic way, we can create a strong Third Side for even the most intractable conflict. As the old African proverb goes, "When spider webs unite, they can halt even a lion."

The Third Side is not a new idea. In some form, it exists in every culture. Indeed it is the most ancient human processes for dealing with deep differences. It does not belong to any group or organization; it is the common heritage of humanity. It belongs to you.

Communicator

     For this week’s assignment which was to look at the differences and similarities on how I evaluated myself versus others, I don’t think that I was surprised that much by how I was evaluated. I felt good to know that others view me as a good communicator. So knowing this, my fears about how I am communicating were not bad, and it made me feel really good.

      I realized that I still have the same fear of public speaking today as I had as a young child. I need to confront my fears, in order to get better with speaking in front of groups. This will help me to become more effective in working in the early childhood field.

I didn't realize how effective of a listener I am, is makes me feel good because being a good listener will help the families that I serve to be able to connect better with me.

Communication

      I do communicate differently with people from different groups and different cultures. I feel that I do this because I based it on, will they receive what I am saying. When I communicate with someone in my family, I will use words that I may not use in the work place. My family has its own language and words that we use only in our family.

 I talk to the families at my child care differently too, it depends on who they are their background and level of education. I do this to ensure that they understand and are clear about what we discuss.

The three things that I will share based on this week’s learning are:

 Learn about the different culture of the families that you serve.

Put yourself in others shoes so you will learn what they want, like, and need.

Not to make judge others based on their culture.

Communication

For the assignment I chose the show: Gilmore Girls

What do you think the characters' relationships are based on the ways in which they are communicating?

Based on the way the older women was communicating to the younger women it seemed to be a mother/ daughter situation.

 What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?

I thought the mother character was angry about something with regarding to her daughter.

Now, watch the show with the sound turned on.

What assumptions did you make about the characters and plot based on the ways in which you interpreted the communication you observed?

I was correct about the relationship being a mother/daughter. I was not correct regarding the mothers being angry with the daughter; she was more concerned with helping her daughter with figuring out a way to tell her dad something that may upset him.

Would your assumptions have been more correct if you had been watching a show you know well?

Yes, my assumption would have been more correct if it was a show that I knew, because I most likely have seen it before, and I have an idea of the characters and some of the struggles that they may be going through.

Competent Communication

The person that I feel demonstrates competent communication would have to be my uncle Keith. He is currently the head of a communications security department. As a child he was born premature and because of this, it may have been the cause of him being behind in school. 

However, he did let that stop him with hard work he finished school and went to the army after the army he went back to college and completed his master’s degree a few years ago. In his career path he has to do many investigative interviews with people who may or may not be doing illegal things; this requires him to be an excellent communicator. He also is a part of Toast Masters, he speaks at many event through the country. I would love to be a great communicator like him one day.

Professional Hopes and Goals

As I work with children and families who are from diverse backgrounds, my hope is that I am able to give them an open mind and show them love and respect for our differences.

The one goal that I would set for early childhood about diversity is to continue making those small steps at changing world by reaching and teaching every child. As early childhood professions I believe that this is important that we continue to teach others about diversity.

I want to say “thank you” to everyone for sharing their lives and their stories with me and allowing me to share with you all. I have learned so much from all of you and I hope you have learned something from me also. I pray that everyone has much success as they move through their journey

THANK YOU!!!

Welcoming Families From Around the World

            The name of the country that I have chosen is India.

The five ways that I will prepare for the family from India is:

o   Learn about their cultural customs and practices.

o   Setup a meeting for the family to come in to talk about the child’s care

o   Let them see that we are interested in their customs by learning to pronoun names correctly

o   Include some books or posters in the classroom about the culture

o   Educate staff about diversity

I believe that learning about a child culture is important for the growth of the child. I think that if we include pictures and other thing from that culture, we are letting the child and family know that we are including them. It is also important to educate the staff about diversity, explaining to them that all children should feel comfortable when they come through our doors. As early childhood educators it is important that children get a good first impression about learning, because it will make huge difference in their life.                            

The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

As a Black American woman, I feel like sometimes we suffer many injustices only because of the color of our skin is different. As I read the assignment I immediately remembered my aunt, who had just got a job in a bank. She was 19 years old and this was in the mid 1990’s. She was so happy because she was making her own money and was doing well. One day a middle age white man came into the bank and my aunt waited on him. When he was finished with his transactions he called her Whoopi Goldberg.

Now my aunt must have weighed about 110 lbs, her skin color is what some would say very light, which is nothing like Whoopi Goldberg’s, mind you my aunt is much younger. When I heard that story, my heart dropped because, I could not believe that someone would come right out and call someone a name, which had hidden meanings. The other bank tellers and the manager just stood and looked, no one said a word.

I think that it’s not fair to stand by and watch someone get hurt. I know that sometimes we don’t have time to react, but I think that instead of acting like it never happen like the other employees did someone should have spoken up and acknowledge that a wrong had happened.

I feel sad when I hear these kinds of stories, but it just lets us know that we have a long way to go before everyone is seen as equals. 

Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions

   Throughout this week I didn't detected any examples of microaggression, so I started to think back over the years and I remember when I was working for this company and I was switched to a different floor. As I began to meet my new coworkers, I started talking to this one girl, as we talked and to start to get to know each other, she asked me where in the city did I lived. I told her that I lived on the west side of town; she asked me if I knew a girl who like me was black and lived in the city. I informed her that I did not know her. This conversation left me thinking that she believed that I should know all black people or that all blacks knew each other. I wasn't sure if I was insulted or how I should feel about it, because I don’t feel that she said it in a rude way. I guess it left me more confused than anything else.

     I don’t often think about discrimination, prejudice and or stereotypes because it is something that you just live with or deal with when it happens. It’s the world we live in, I would love for it to never exist but it does. But going through this course and reading and viewing the resources for this week I have a better understanding of the feelings that come with being a victim if it.

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Response from the questions ask,

What is culture?

What is diversity?

 An African American male -37 years

Culture - Although we are all human it is what defines us, it is what separates everyone.

 Diversity- is your own uniqueness regardless of your culture. So even though you are in the same culture within that you are diversity from them.

An African American female-37years

Culture- my beliefs and values, my music the food I eat and my attitude

Diversity- is a blend of people and cultures.

 A male 55years from Trinidad/ Canada

Culture-Distinct habits, behaviors, religion and lifestyle choices, general found in a group or population of people.

Diversity-The recognition of the differences in culture, habits and practice and religion.

The responses that I received are what we have talked about in this course. We have discussed that culture is who we are. I don’t believe anything that they talked about has not been mentioned in this course. I have become stronger in my beliefs of my culture and diversity.

My family culture

    The three items that I would take to the new country that I was  assign to, would be my bible, pictures of my family and my hair products.

    My bible is my life; I live by the word and believe in the Bible. My family is God fearing people who believe in the Bible, so with the Bible at my side, I would be comfortable in another country. Pictures of my family because I could always look at them and remember the good times when we were all together. My hair products because I love doing my hair and those around me, braiding hair is part of my culture, so by me taking my hair products, I can keep a part of my culture with me. 

    If I was told that I could only keep one item out of the three, I would feel bad about giving up my family pictures, but I have them in my heart so I could give them up, my hair products could give up. I would have to keep my Bible. It would be the only thing that would give me hope that one day things would be different. I would read it and find hope.

   The exercise really made think about what was important in my life, and how I view the many things in my life. Think that it would be hard starting in a different country, especially if you are forced.

When I Think of Research...

•What insights have you gained about research from taking this course?

      I have gained a new respect for the process of what goes into research. Before this course I had no knowledge of the research process. There is so much that goes into development of research. So I appreciate what researchers do much more now than I did before.

 •In what ways have your ideas about the nature of doing research changed?

I don’t feel my ideas about doing research has changed I still would not be interested in conducting a research, but it has giving me a better understanding of it and if I did have the opportunity to be involved in one, I would not be completely unprepared.

 •What lessons about planning, designing, and conducting research in early childhood did you learn?

 I’ve learned that you need to be precise when conducting a research. You need to have a good plan, a good topic. Know who your target population will be and make sure information is protected and valid.

 •What were some of the challenges you encountered—and in what ways did you meet them?

I encountered a lot of challenges, this course was not easy for me, it was very much out of my comfort zone. Putting my topic in to a topic question that made sense was probably the most difficult part of the course. However, once I understood it, it became clear.

 •What are some of the ways your perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified as a result of this course?

I don’t feel that my perceptions of an early childhood professional have been modified or changed as a result of this course. But, I do appreciate the researched that has gone into the early childhood field more than I did before.

Thanks everyone...and much success in the future!!

Research Around the World

      The website that I chose to explore was www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au. This website gives us information on what Australia is doing in the early childhood world. While going through this website I came across some of the research topics in Australia. They have what is called “The Research in Practice Series” which is an easy-to-read resource that offers new effective approaches for challenging issues that may arise in the care and education of young children. It is an essential resource for individuals involved in the early childhood field.

    Some of the topics that I came across and I found interesting were,  learning and teaching through play, Diversity and difference: Lighting the spirit of identity, Managing change with infants and young children, Young children as active learners, Active children: Healthy now and later.

     I found that this website was a wealth of information that not only will help early childhood educators in Australia but help educators all over the world. It was very much like the NACYE website in that the information was clear and easy to understand. I also enjoyed the resource theme page and the Every Child magazine. It provided a lot of great articles.