(NOTE: This is the printable version of Lesson Two only. Please go to first page of Lesson One and Lesson Two to download the printable version of those chapters.)
NOTE: To complete this lesson, you will also need to print these three articles to read as directed in the Activities. (You will need Adobe Reader to Open these File Up. )
A foster home provides a safe and stable place for a child to be while decisions are made about his long term placement. As part of that placement, you can strive to provide a healing environment for children.
Foster parents should secure a thorough physical exam within the first 30 days of a placement of a child. Ask lots of questions to find out what a child needs and what health issues may be of concern. Keep in mind that vision and hearing problems are hard to spot unless you're a professional, so eye and ear checkups should be part of every doctor visit.
Talk with caregivers from past placements and with birth families, if possible. Spend some time observing a child. What do you notice in areas of playing with other children? In language and talking? When under stress or strong emotions? Does he have a regular sleep cycle? Your child will be your best teacher, but children are more likely to speak through behaviors, not words.
Lesson Three of this course focuses on these areas of caring for the neglected child:
Children who have been neglected first and foremost need to have their basic needs met. This includes meeting of children's physical needs such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, supervision, and education. Neglected children also need to feel the involvement of a competent parent and develop a feeling of connection and attachment.
Parenting The Neglected Child
All children who come into foster care should have a thorough physical exam as soon as possible. Caregivers should be especially observant regarding eye problems, teeth, skin, and ear infections.
For children with failure to thrive or eating difficulties—talk to a knowledgeable health provider about feeding schedule and adaptations. For example, babies with cleft palates or birth defects affecting mouth and throat may need special adaptive bottles or nipples. Failure to thrive babies may need smaller feedings more frequently or need a specially mixed formula.
Provide regular healthy meals and snacks. Set limits for a child if he overeats. Children who have been neglected often have eating problems such as overeating or hiding food. Don’t battle over food. Set simple rules and limits, such as a two-helpings limit or keeping all food in the kitchen area. But make sure a child is getting food regular and in sufficient quantities. Do not use food as a form of punishment, such as sending a child to be without supper.
Provide regular schedules and routines so children learn quickly that there is a rhythm in the house. Repeat expectations often and show children what you want them to do. For older children, posting simple rules can be helpful. Don't have too many rules, however. Keep it simple and focused on safety. Simple rituals and regular family meals, family meetings and bedtime routines are helpful. It doesn't have to be guided by the clock-- but a predictable routine is reassuring to children.
Provide a variety of interesting age appropriate toys or enjoyable activities to encourage thinking, problem solving, and motor skills. Toys don’t have to be expensive! Give bowls and spoons to bang; make simple blocks to stack; provide crayons and coloring books; or, make colorful mobiles of yarn and magazine pictures. Get the child a library card and plan regular visits. Neglected children may have initial trouble knowing how to play, so take time to show how to stack blocks or get a sound out of a toy or play a board game.
Look for areas of deficits. Many children lack basic skills when they come into your home. Caregivers can help build skills and confidence in children by teaching healthy eating habits, teaching children basic hygiene skills such as toileting skills, teaching how to tackle a homework problem, showing an interest in their day-to-day activities at school, and celebrating accomplishments.
Establishing Structure and Routine:
First, what is your family's basic routine? Try writing it out on a piece of paper or in the space below. This exercise will help you explain your routine to the children who come in your home.
Now, list three of your family's house rules. (Hint: Let your spouse look at them. Does he or she agree?)
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Finally, ask yourself, how will you communicate these rules to your children? Will you explain them when they first come into the house or as you go along? Will you post the most important rules, such as on the fridge? Think about how you are going to teach your basic rules to children who are unfamiliar with your home and may come from homes with very different or absent rules.
Many children who are neglected in early years show signs of delayed development. These delays may show up in emotional, social, and language development, as well as physical and cognitive development. Below are some examples of how delays may show up in a foster care setting.
Toya is two-and-a-half and only makes grunting noises and points her finger. Her older sister LaTasha interprets for her and will get what she needs. Toya is not saying any complete sentences and only a few words such as "Milk" "Ba" and "Tassa".
Juan is a four-year-old who severely neglected and sexually abused. He hangs out on the edge of the activity in his foster home. His foster mom has noticed that it seems like he wants to play with the other kids, but when they try to draw him in, he gets anxious and pulls away from the activities.
Robert, a six-month-old, is failure to thrive and doesn't seem to show much excitement or enthusiasm about feeding. His foster mother notices that he turns his head away at feeding time and avoid making any kind of eye contact. The only way to get him to feed is by having him on her lap, facing away from her.
Resource parents should have a good knowledge on what is normal development for a child, so that they can detect any suspicions of delays. Tune into where your child is at developmentally and how he is doing physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively. An important component to detecting delays is good attunement to a child's abilities and needs and an ability to detect when something is wrong.
How do you learn about what's normal development and what should cause concern? Parents learn in many ways.
The Anchorage School District Child Check Program has put out a simple brochure looking at basic child development between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. For this activity, read the Handout that you printed out at the beginning of this section called CHILD CHECK: All About Developmental and Learning Milestones for Your Child. To develop your observation skills even further, think of a child you know between the ages of 3 and 5 years old, and ask these questions with this child in mind.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: For other web-based reference for understanding normal child development, check out these references.
The Bright Futures Developmental Tools for Families and Providers is a series of newsletters on child development, offering a checklist of normal development and when to seek help. You can find it and download it free at http://www.brightfutures.org/tools/index.html .
The Alaska Center for Resource Families at www.acrf.org has a self study called The Young Child in Foster Care: Developmental Issues available for foster parents in Alaska that focuses on developmental stages in children ages birth to 11 years.
One of the things foster parents can do to help a child who has been maltreated is is build up strengths, or assets in a child. Research has show that more of assets (or supports and strengths) a young person has, the more likely they are to be resilient and successful, succeed in school, and avoid drugs and alcohol. The fewer assets a young person has, the more at risk they are. This has resulted in the idea of Developmental Assets, or intentionally building resiliency in children.
There are external assets (such as feeling support from caring adults and peers, having useful roles in their community, and using free time constructively), and internal assets (such as motivation to learn, a positive set of values, and good social skills). When you help a child build supports around him and help him build internal strengths and skills, you help him be more successful both in your home and when he leaves your home. The Assets Building Program has defined forty basic assets that can help promote healthy, successful youth.
Alaska ICE (Institute for Community Engagement) is an organization that has lots of good information about building assets in children. Alaska ICE has also published two Alaska specific books on building assets in Alaska kids and youth based on community meetings around the state. Following are two of the forty defined "assets" that help children and some suggestions offered to families from other Alaskans from around the state.
Answer all your children's questions honestly. Show that you appreciate being asked about anything. Make no topic "Off-limits" (From Valdez)
Set limits for how much TV is watched by everyone. Eat with and talk to your family instead of watching TV. (From Yakutat)
Think of places you know your child is comfortable talking with you-- maybe the car or the steam or bedroom. Go these places when you want to talk. (From Kodiak)
Have chores at home. Talk about this, so kids see the difference between being "made to do stuff" and contributing to the family needs. (From McGrath)
Let your child be responsible for certain family needs, such as checking out summer camps, leading a family meeting, or planting a garden. (From Fairbanks)
Alaska ICE has lots of materials and suggestions for building assets. You can also view the listing of all Developmental Assets and learn more about how to build them in children by going to The 40 Developmental Assets.
Read the Article Below to learn more about how to help children and youth develop the internal assets of social competency and confidence.
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From http://www.search-institute.org/assets/individual/competencies.html
Social competencies are the life skills that help young people grow up to be independent, capable, and competent. Social competencies equip young people to: Deal with the choices and challenges they face;
Here are ideas for how you can build the social-competency assets for all ages of children and teenagers, adapted from Pass It On! Ready-to-Use Handouts for Asset Builders:
Infants
Toddlers
Preschoolers
Elementary-Age Children
Middle and High School Youth
Asset # 24 is Bonding to School (Youth Cares About School). Think of two ways a parent or caregiver can help promote this internal asset of enjoying and caring about school.
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Now read the Handout ASSET 24: Bonding To School that you printed at the beginning of this page to find additional ideas for helping build this asset in children and youth.
Know Your Resources: To be a good advocate for your child, you need to know your resources or supports. Some communities have a wide variety of resources-- some may be limited. Sometime resources may be in other, larger communities. The internet opens up a full array of information that can be used to learn more and search for resources. Toll free numbers can also be helpful. What ever you do, keep good records and get the names of people who have helped you. These folks become part of your support system and you can contact them again if you need help..
Keep good records. Develop a system to keep information in a form where you can get to it easily. Your recordkeeping system should include a calendar of appointments, names and phone numbers of people working with your child, forms such as the Consent for Emergency and Routine Medical Care and a log of appointments and results. It is also helpful to keep some general notes of how a child is doing. This can be a simple notebook that is updated every week or every few days. The key to good recordkeeping -- keep it simple, so you'll use it! We've included some simple forms in this course to get you started if you don't already have a system. Remember-- keep it simple!
Review RECORDKEEPING FORMS FOR RESOURCE PARENTS that you printed at the beginning of this page.
Talk to other foster parents and adoptive parents. Many other families have dealt with similar issues as some of the ones you are going through. Reach out to other families to find out what they have found successful or helpful.
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Programs often use a lot of initials. To be an effective advocate, you need to learn what everyone is talking about. Try your hand at deciphering what these common terms mean.
ILP : __________________________
FTT: __________________________
FASD: _________________________
WIC: __________________________
GAL: __________________________
IEP: ___________________________
OT: ___________________________
DD:____________________________
ATAP: _________________________
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ACTIVITY:
KNOWING YOUR RESOURCES: Imagine yourself facing the challenge in each of the situations below. Name at least one resource or support in your community or in Alaska that can provide either information or help. Write your answer in the box provided or on a separate piece of paper.
A five year old child is placed with you and the social worker mentions that there is suspicion he might be prenatally alcohol exposed. You don't know much about that area. Where would you go to find out more about the possible effects of prenatal alcohol exposure?
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An eight year old child is placed with you and the social worker says that he qualified for special education services at the school. Where could you go to find out more about special education services?
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ANSWERS TO THE BINGO QUIZ:
ILP -- INFANT LEARNING PROGRAM: These are programs across the state that service children 0 to 3 years with developmental evaluations and in home therapy sessions.
FTT -- FAILURE TO THRIVE: A condition when growth is affected by malnutrition or chronic health disorders.
FASD -- FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS: A term that describe a range of disorders associated with prenatal alcohol exposure including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder.
WIC -- WOMEN, INFANT, AND CHILDREN: A nutritional program that helps children 0-5 years old through vouchers that can be redeemed for baby food, formula, eggs, cheese, milk, cereal and peanut butter. All foster children 0-5 years are eligible for the WIC program.
GAL -- GUARDIAN AD LITEM: A person assigned by the court to represent the best interests of the child in a child protective case. Every child in foster care should have a GAL or in some areas of the state, a CASA or Court Appointed Special Advocate, which is a volunteer Guardian Ad Litem.
IEP-- INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN: The IEP is a plan for the education of a child who qualifies for special education services. It lists the specific special education services your child will receive, based upon his or her individual needs and is developed by a team including educators and parents.
OT -- OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY: Therapy that focuses on self-care, work and play activities to increase independent function, enhance development, and prevent disability; may include adaptation of task or environment to achieve maximum independence and to enhance quality of life.
DD -- DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY: a severe, chronic impairment starting before age 22 which creates substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity: self care, language, learning, mobility, self-direction, potential for independent living and potential for economic self-sufficiency as an adult.
ATAP -- ALASKA TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: ATAP is funded through federal dollars through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and provides assistance and work opportunities to needy families.
Resources for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (term used to describe effects from prenatal alcohol exposure. )
Start with your community. Ask the social worker about a diagnosis or assessment of the child. There is a network of FASD clinics and diagnostice teams in the state. Work with the social worker to get the child into a clinic is possible. Or at least, call the agency or clinic for information about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder or your local Native Medical Center or hospital.
Contact the Alaska Center for Resource Families and request materials on FASD. They have a library full of materials specifically geared toward foster and adoptive parents and they have a large selection of material on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
The State of Alaska has an Office of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome that provides information and maintains a website with information, notices of upcoming training, and a list of the diagnostic clinics available across the state.
Stone Soup Group is an organization in Anchorage that provides family to family support for families caring for children with special needs. They specifically offer support, information and a parent email list serve to help parents be connected to each other to learn more about FASD. Their website contains information, articles and references to other resources.
Resources for Special Education
Start with the school and the special education teacher. Children who receive special education services should have an Individual Education Program developed for them by a team including teachers and parents. A trained surrogate parent may be appointed for a child in foster care unless the foster parent has a long term commitment to a child. The State of Alaska Department of Early Childhood and Education has also put out a handbook specificially for families about Special Educations called Alaska Parent Guide: Education and the Exceptional Child which offers a good starting point to understanding the special education system. (This guide is also available in Spanish, Tagalog, and Yupik.)
The Anchorage School District through their Student, Teacher and Parent Resource Center puts out the Alaska Family Directory which outlines the resources available for families throughout Alaska who are raising children with special needs. A statewide map help you find services in your part of the state. There's also a menu of articles on disability related topics.
Stone Soup Group is an organization in Anchorage that provides family to family support for families caring for children with special needs and is the Parent Training and Information Center for the state, providing education and information about special education to parents.
Other parents of children who receive special education services can be a huge help in finding resources and learning to advocate for your child.
REVIEW OF LESSON THREE
Reviews help you learn the material and give you a chance to practice your knowledge. Take this review of Lesson Three to check what you learned about making a healing home for children.
1. According to foster care regulations, foster parents should secure a thorough physical exam for a child placed in their home within how long?
2. Name two ways to learn about child development
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2.
3. The Child Check Programs through most school districts can check for the developmental stages in what ages?
4. There are two kinds of assets: ____________________________ assets (such as feeling support from caring adults and peers, having useful roles in their community, and using free time constructively), and ______________________ assets (such as motivation to learn, a positive set of values, and good social skills). (FILL IN THE BLANKS.)
5. Name two ways to develop the assets of building a bond to school.
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b.
6. Where could you go in Alaska to find out more about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders?
7. What does WIC stand for? What does it do?
1. b. 30 Days
2. Any two of the following:
3. c. 3 to 5 years
4. External, Internal
5. There are many different answers for this. Some suggestions may include: encourage kids to participate in school activities. Help with Transportation and attend their events. Ask about school every day. Have a place in your home to feature your child's school work and notices. Work with your children when they are young, so they develop a liking for school.
6. Some ideas: Start with your community. Ask the social worker about a diagnosis or assessment of the child. Work with the social worker to get the child into a clinic is possible. Call clinic for information about FASD or your local Native Medical Center or hospital.
7. Women, Infant, and Child Program. Offers coupons for supplementing food such as cheese, milk and cereal. Foster children are eligible for WIC.
This course explored the impact of neglect on the child coming into foster care, the developmental impact it has on the child and his developing brain and body, and explored how caregivers can best meet the needs of the neglected child in their care.
The neglectful family has been called "the family with the hole in the middle." Children who experience chronic neglect may also feel a hole in the middle. Resource families can help provide a consistent, caring and stable home that helps children build attachments, gain skills in development, and learn to feel worthy of love. Thank you for being part of that effort!
NOTE: This course is designed to help Alaskan resource families earn training credit for completing online training. It has not been approved by other states to meet foster parent training requirements. At this time, ACRF does not certify or keep track of training requirements for foster parents outside of the State of Alaska Only resource families in Alaskan will receive registered credit for completing the questionnaire.
You have now completed the Course: Neglect: The Hole in the Middle. For Alaskan licensed foster parents who wish to apply this training toward their foster parent training requirement, please fill out the questionnaire in this unit. It will check your understanding of the material provided in this course. If you answer 80% of the questions correctly, you will earn 3.0 hours toward your foster parent training requirement.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. Click the BEGIN QUESTIONNAIRE button below to begin questionnaire.
2. Complete the blanks with your name, address, foster care license provider number, and e-mail address. This will allow us to credit your foster parent training hours and send confirmation by email.
3. Follow the instructions and complete the online questionnaire, answering according to the material you learned in the course.
4. After you have answered all the questions, please submit your completed questionnaire to the Alaska Center for Resource Families, by pressing the "submit button" at the end of this questionnaire. Please make a copy of your questionnaire upon completion and before clicking the SUBMIT button. The SUBMIT function does not work with all browsers.
5. If you have questions or concerns about this self-study course, please call us on our toll-free line 1-800-478-7307. If you are calling from the local Fairbanks/North Pole area dial: 479-7307.