AS:036 Strategies for Early Developmental Support

Welcome to the Accessibility Solutions Podcast, hosted by Linda Hunt, an award-winning accessibility consultant, speaker, and author. With over 30 years of experience in senior management rules and indeed passion for creating inclusive environments, Linda brings us unmatched expertise and credibility to our discussions. Join us as we explore the Transformative Power of accessibility and inclusion in today's world. Through captivating conversations, Linda shares her wealth of knowledge, provides practical solutions, and sheds light on the latest trends and investments in the field. Whether you're a business owner or disability advocate, or simply curious about the world of accessibility, this podcast is your go-to resource. Get ready to unlock new perspectives, break down barriers, and embark on a journey of empowerment. Are you ready to create a more inclusive world? Let's begin. Welcome to the Accessibility Solutions Podcast.

So thank you, thank you listeners for joining another episode of the Accessibility Solutions podcast. I am so very pleased today to have Theresa Alexander Inman with me. Theresa has more than a decade of experience and is an accomplished parent coach with expertise as a board-certified behavior analyst and infant toddler development, developmental specialist. She helps parents whose children may be at risk for developmental delays or are not meeting expected milestones. She adds play and mindfulness to her signature program. She is also the author of “How can I help my child communicate?” She offers practical strategies for promoting communication skills in young children. So Theresa, welcome to the Accessibility Solutions podcast. And I'm gonna let you kind of take it from there and have a little bit of a discussion in terms of the work that you do with children and how that, you know, fits into the accessibility, space, and the fact that we need to make the world explore.

Yes, thank you so much, Linda. And it wasn't until I started working with children with exceptionalities that I realized how unequal it was and how inaccessible it was not just to the children but to the parents as well. Because especially when you're looking at, you know, looking at young children wherever their parents go, you know, their company, their parents accompany their children wherever they go. And so then they're excluded from certain things. And it's really sad and it sadly goes into adulthood You know, recently I met this. I was actually in training with a gentleman named Russell, his last name for some reason, but anyway, he's an adult with autism who speaks on global stages, he's written a book, he's done a Ted Talk and still he feels that he's the one who's accommodating to the world instead of other people trying to accommodate, you know, for him to have certain, just being treated like everybody else, you know, it's a challenge. So my goal is to start, well, what I do, I start very young, so parents with children from birth to six and to help them, to empower them, to help teach skills so that children can integrate. Because sadly, the world is not doing it. The world is not as accessible as it should be, as we would expect it to be. So it's incumbent on the parents and the children to, you know, learn the skills so that they can function in society.

Oh, and I agree. I mean, it's whether it's a child, a parent of a child that's trying to navigate the system, or it's a person with a disability later in life that's trying to navigate the system. A lot of the work that I'm sure that the parents that you work with, are doing is basically advocating, advocating for their child and the fact that their child should have access to the same supports and services that they require in order to be fully integrated. Whether, you know, whether it be the school system or, daycare or whatever it is. And it's just so I've explained to a lot of people that it can almost be a full-time job, for a parent that's trying to navigate the system. They're trying to find support and services, they're trying to find funding. And all of this is just, you know, takes a huge toll on the parent to, at the end of the day, also just trying to be a loving parent, and is probably also, trying to hold down a job. And, you know, all of the challenges that go with that. Because persons with disabilities, whether they're children, or whether they're, you know, adults as you talked about the gentleman with autism. We all along the spectrum of life from birth to death. Persons with disabilities have to work so hard to basically live fulfilling lives. And so I'm really interested in you talking a little bit about children that, you know, I know that I have a niece she's now 29, but I mean, the diagnosis of her disability, which was a rare syndrome, happened around the point where she was about three months. And I just know what my sister had to go through, in terms of you know, raising a medically fragile child. So if you could just talk a little bit about that, work that you do in terms of like especially younger children, as you said from birth.

Okay, So, you know, it's just, and I'm going to start with, you know, the fact that, okay, so the child is born to parents, you know, child and then their obvious exceptionalities, you know, differences. And so now that parents feel that, those parents feel isolated because their child doesn't look like everybody else. And when they take them into places, people, you know, oh, what's wrong? And I'm thinking there's nothing wrong with any child, you know, but that's the first thing they hear. So then they start now keeping their child home and they isolate themselves, which isn't healthy for anyone because that child doesn't learn anything, you know, except for what's in their home. And the world doesn't just happen inside your home. It is the first window into the world. However, the world is such a big place and they need to be acquainted with the world. So that's one of the things and I always try to, you know, when I do community education, I tell people if you see somebody, you know, just like just leave the question. If somebody will, if they will share with you, if they openly share and willingly share, then yeah, if not, keep the questions to yourself, you know, keep your curiosity, you know, inside, go to Google and find out what you want to find out, but don't cause when you ask those questions and the parents start to feel, okay, there's something wrong with my child and then now the world is not going to accept my child, and then they behave in ways that don't serve themselves or their child, you know, God forbid. They take the child to a park and somebody comes near and their child goes near somebody else, you know, that I keep your child away. What's your time? I think, oh my goodness, this is just a child, you know, people get it, so it starts so early, and, you know, parents and children, they start to feel ostracized because children, they feel it. They understand. They know they may not actually they may not understand it, but they feel it. You know, they feel that they're being treated differently and they made avoid those areas, you know, the certain circumstances because of the fact that, you know, people treat them however, you know, and they, I work with the family, the little girl is 2 and she's never been with other children She's just starting to talk. I mean, two months ago she was barely saying a word. Now she's saying, you know, Mommy, where are you when, you know, she's using words and sentences. However, she's never been with other children. So I encouraged her parents to have her, you know, get her around other children, she's an only child. So they took her to the park and, now she, you know, when she hugs her parents, it's one thing, right? Parents are not so fragile. So she went to hug another little girl and she was a little rough, but again, she does not know the boundaries yet. She is two, you know, and other parents were reacting in ways that made these parents that, you know, made her parents feel uncomfortable. And they were like, what should we do? I said, you know what, just keep going to the park. You have as much right to the park as they do, so please keep going to the park. Don't allow that to stop you because eventually, they will, your child will understand, right? You just talk to her, you know, about being gentle and, you know, and show her what gentle feels like, so that when she goes to hug another child. It's not that, you know, I just, I don't know, you know, I just want to be your friend and I just don't know how. So you want to be able to teach your skills and also help the other children to the core, typically developing children develop empathy and understand differences, because we're, I mean, we're all different. You and I are women, but we're very different women, right?

Yeah, exactly, no, sorry guys, just touching on that. And I do feel that children, you know, take the lead from their parents. So if you've got a child that's interacting with a child with a disability, they themselves may not have any preconceived biases, but what comes from the reaction of their parents, is very much something that, you know, gets ingrained in them. And it's not the child's fault, so I see that all the time, in children. I, myself, I'm a power wheelchair user, so children are very curious, so they wanna know, like, why. And I don't mind answering the questions, so, you know, children, I've had young children ask me, actually the boys all love me because I have wheels. Right, so this is something that is really neat to see. Right, but they'll ask, why are you in a wheelchair? And I say, because my legs don't work, whereas the parents will, you know, they'll pull them away or, you know, they'll say, don't, you know, oh, don't ask those questions or whatever. But children are just naturally curious and something that's different for them. They question and they understand that not everyone is the same and that there are reasons. And so those children, though are impacted a lot by the way that their parents, maybe interacting with another child that has a disability or that parent, or as you said, you know, they go to the park. and now, the child who's being maybe hugged a little too tightly doesn't, you know, doesn't understand, doesn't have that, you know, that bias already. But the reaction of their parents to that child with a disability impacts the way that the child is now gonna think. And I think that's a really unfortunate thing that happens to persons with disabilities or anybody that's different is that, the way that other children are raised. They somehow end up absorbing the biases of their parents. And, that's, you know, that's really unfortunate. so, I agreed to continue going to the park. And hopefully, the park, if it's a child with a disability is accessible because, you know, that's, you know, that's another thing is that those simple things like taking your child to the park, and, you know, being able to put them on a swing and let them play with other children. It's just so important for the healthy development of anybody and just that we need to have human interaction and not be socially isolated, where is. If the parent, you know, experiences that, you know, when they and as you said, they decide that they're not, you know, gonna go back to the park. They're not, that's not doing the parents any good. They're not getting out with their child and interacting, and it's not doing the child any good. So, I'm all, you know, go for it, go to the park. If somebody says something inappropriate, just, you know, let it roll right off your back. It's people, a lot of people. It's just they don't understand, and a lot of people that lack information, you know, it breeds that fear and that bias that, you know, I don't want my child playing with, you know, that child, which is so unfortunate. Just so you said you work with children up till, you know, about the age that they're entering school. That's another whole issue is when children enter the school system and navigate, integration into the school system. If you can give us some tips, I know I'd like to set myself. You know, my niece is now 29, you know, my sister and her husband had to go through that hole, trying to try to navigate the school system for my niece, which again is another institution that's not set up to be accessible, and equitable for all.

Yeah yeah, and it's sad. It really is, yeah, I worked with a young man and actually started working with him when he was 3 years old. And when we started, he wasn't, yeah I mean, he had a lot of words and he could spell, like nobody's business and he could read, he could decode, right? Couldn't, like, of course, the comprehension wasn't there. He was 3 years old and, I shouldn't say, of course, however, the comprehension wasn't there. So he started, so, you know, his parents put him in a daycare and it was just a daycare for, you know, just everyone. And I was really happy about that because then he could see other children and learn from them. He went to school and, because at 3, children can start school, any child with the diagnosis can start school early, you know, diagnosed for learning difference. And so they had him in a classroom and again, he was, you know, his language was not functional, but he had words. By the time he got into Grade 1, he was speaking fluently and again, continuing to read, and needed to learn to interact with peers. However, the school refused to put him in a classroom with typically developing peers. They kept him in this classroom with non-vocal children and all the studies support that children should be included. Like there's no study that says that children learn best in seclusion. So there it was, it got really challenging and it got to the point where I told the parents to take a child out of that school because they're not doing anything to help him move forward. You know, and it's school by school. I'm not saying every school, but there are some schools. And again, it's also individuals, right? It could be that principal, it could be, you know, the side coach, could be just the people involved in the decision-making who have their own thoughts about what things should look like despite what the studies support, you know, who think that, okay, they should be there. So this young man was kept in this classroom for a long time and after his mom took him out, she put him in a charter school. And again, it's neither here nor there. But the school that she put him into was they supported him and today he's in gifted classes in a regular school. He's got friends, he's playing basketball, he's doing all the things. And I don't think that would have happened if she hadn't advocated, if she hadn't fought, if she hadn't, you know, just like you said, it's a full-time job. If she hadn't taken on that job to advocate for a child and get him out of that school to a school that met his needs, then where would he be today? I wonder,

Yeah, you know, and not having that, I just said that interaction and whether it's, not being integrated into a classroom with children his age, which all everyone has differing abilities, regardless. But the fact and really kudos to that mother who really advocated for her child to be fully integrated. Because as she just said, look at the difference that's made, in that child's, you know, development and in the quality of their life. So you know, I understand the work that it goes to having parents to have to advocate for, whether it be having their child in an integrated school setting, and it's also beneficial to other children that are in the classroom for them to be exposed to differences that were not all the same. And for them to understand that, just because someone is different doesn't make them any less. And as I said, you know, they don't form those biases on their own. So being integrated and exposed with, you know, having everybody, everywhere as I say, makes it, just that much more of a rich environment for not just the child with the disability, but for even their classmates to be exposed to, interacting on a regular basis with somebody that has a different ability than they do. So, I really wanna thank you for the work that you do. it's so very important. I just before we wrap up any kind of last thoughts on messaging. Like I said, I'm just so in awe of the work that you do, and how important it is in the lives of children and their parents. So yeah, anything to, kind of, wrap up with their Theresa

Absolutely, you know, I want to encourage parents if your child has been diagnosed, or if you suspect that they may have a difference, don't they? That does not determine how far they can get in life. That does not determine the skills that they will learn. You know, this young man that I talked about, he was born hearing impaired, like, said he is speech delayed, I bet he, you name it, wasn't toilet trained until he was 4. You know, we worked out all those things, it was challenging, but we got there and looked at him today. So, the mom was told he will never he will never he will never, he will never. I mean, there's a whole list of what he will never do. And today he's doing all the things because she advocated for now every child is different. You can do the things that, you know, empower yourself to, do the things that your child needs, that serve your child to improve their quality of life.

Excellent, excellent words. Anyway, thank you so much, Theresa, for being the guest this week on the Accessibility Solutions Podcast. For those of you who are listening, if anything that Theresa has discussed resonates with you, or if you know someone who would be interested in listening to the podcast, please feel free to leave us a review and pass along the information. Theresa's contact information is in the show notes, so if you'd like to, reach out to Teresa and discuss further, the work that she does, that would be perfectly acceptable. Until next time, again, this is the Accessibility Solutions podcast, making the world accessible. And until next time, cheers!

Thank you for joining us on the Accessibility Solutions podcast hosted by Linda Hunt. We hope these discussions have inspired you and provided valuable insights into the world of accessibility and inclusion. If you're ready to take the next steps in creating an accessible and inclusive environment, we invite you to book a personalized accessibility solutions consultation with Linda. As an experienced accessibility consultant, Linda will work closely with you to develop innovative solutions tailored to your unique needs and challenges. Together, you'll navigate the complexities of accessibility regulations, explore inclusive design principles, and implement practical strategies to ensure equal access for all. Don't miss this opportunity to make a real difference. Visit our website at solutions4accessibility.com. That's No.4. So solution4accessibility.com. Schedule your consultation today. Let's transform your space into an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone. Thanks again for listening to the Accessibility Solutions podcast. Stay tuned for more empowering episodes as we continue our journey towards a more accessible world.