Talking with Families About Concerns

Abuse
To use or treat so as to injure or damage; to attack with words or physical means.

ACEs
Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Access
Policies put into place to make sure every child has an equal opportunity to take full advantage of an education or experience; includes physical access, social and emotional access, and access to high quality curriculum used by all learners.

Accommodations
An alteration in the environment, curriculum, or equipment that allows an individual with a disability to gain access to information or to complete a task or activity.

Active Listener
The process of attending to what another person says while speaking, paraphrasing, and reflecting back what is said, and withholding judgement and advice.

Adaptation
An adjustment made to the setting, strategies, and/or materials used in the home, center, or classroom so that a child is able to use them more independently.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Traumatic events occurring before age 18 that include all types of abuse and neglect as well as parental mental health issues, substance abuse/misuse, divorce, incarceration, and domestic violence.

Adversity
Difficulties; misfortunes.

Assessment
A tool used to measure skills and abilities which helps identify progress over time.

Attachment
The emotional bond that forms between an infant or child and caregiver.

Attunement
The reactivity and responsiveness of a person to another‘s cues, physical signals, emotional needs, and moods.

Brain Architecture
The brain development that provides the foundation for all future learning behavior and health. An ongoing process that begins before birth and continues throughout adulthood.

Bias
Prejudice in favor of or against something, someone, or a group compared with another usually in a way considered to be unfair.

Calming Space
A quiet area equipped with soft furnishings and soothing materials to help a person regulate themselves.

Child Trauma
A scary, dangerous, violent, or life-threatening event that happens to or is witnessed by a child that affects the child as a result.

Child Traumatic Stress
The physical and emotional responses of a child to events that threaten the life or physical integrity of themselves or someone critically important to them, such as a parent or sibling.

Co-Regulation
An interactive process supporting regulation in the context of caring relationships across the lifespan. The process looks different across ages and helps a child to maintain, or get to a calm, alert state with support as needed.

Cognitive Development
Developmental domain focused on how children think, explore, and figure things out in order to understand and interact with the world around them.

Compassion Fatigue
A type of stress that results from helping or wanting to help those who are traumatized or are suffering.

Consistent
Regularly

Collaboration
Practitioners and families working together as a team to systematically and regularly exchange expertise, knowledge, and information to build team capacity and jointly solve problems, plan, and implement interventions and supports.

Cultural Bias
The phenomenon of interpreting and judging by standards inherent to one‘s own culture.

Culture
The way of life, especially the customs, beliefs, and values of a particular group of people at a particular time.

Data Collection
Information gathered in a systematic way in order to gain knowledge and create solutions and strategies for change and improvement.

Development
The act, process or result of developing.

Developmental Checklist
A list of abilities grouped by domain or age that children are expected to achieve.

Developmental Delay
A delay in the appearance of some steps or phases, called milestones, of growth and development.

Developmental Disability
A physical, cognitive, or emotional impairment that appears early in life and limits a person’s ability to learn, communicate, or perform one or more activities of daily life.

Developmental Domains
Describes the areas or categories of skills and concepts that children develop over time.

Developmental Milestones
Behaviors or physical skills seen in infants and children as they grow and develop. The milestones are different for each age range. They give a general idea of when and what changes to expect as a child gets older.

Developmental Regression
The loss of previously learned or acquired skills.

Diagnosis
Investigation or analysis of the cause or nature of a condition, situation, or problem.

Disability
A physical or cognitive impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Disability brings both strengths and challenges to an individual and the way they interact with others and the world around them.

Domain
A set of related skills, behaviors or information that is classified as a single area of study or development. Domains typically cover multiple, related areas within a broad range of development.

Domestic Abuse (Domestic Violence)
A pattern of coercive, controlling behavior that is a pervasive life-threatening crime affecting people in all our communities regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, social standing, and immigration status.

Dysregulation
The inability to manage the intensity and duration of negative emotions.

Embedding
Intentionally creating opportunities to work on specific goals during daily routines and activities.

Emotional Abuse (Child)
Abuse that can cause damage to a child’s developing brain, leading to long-term learning difficulties, problematic behaviors, and increased incidences of physical and mental health issues. The following behaviors characterize forms of emotional abuse: rejecting, isolating, terrorizing, ignoring, corrupting, verbally assaulting, and overpressuring.

Emotional Neglect
The failure of parents or caregivers to respond to the emotional needs of a child that may have long-term consequences as well as short-term, immediate effects.

Emotional Regulation
The ability to control one’s own emotional state by rethinking challenging situations, hiding visible signs of distress, or refocusing on something different to change feelings.

Empathy
The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Engage
To have an interest while being involved.

Evaluation
A more in-depth look at a child’s development, usually done by a trained specialist, such as a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, or other specialist.

Evidence Based Practices
Interventions that researchers have shown to be effective.

Exclusion
To leave out.

Expulsion
An occasion when someone is officially forced to leave an organization or activity permanently because of their behavior.

Facilitate
To assist or help by making easier.

Family Values
Principles and traditions which a family considers a priority and an essential part of their daily lives.

Food Insecurity
Describes a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life. Food insecurity is a way to measure and assess the risk of hunger.

Guide
To direct or supervise.

Housing Insecurity
The lack of security in an individual shelter that is the result of high housing costs relative to income, poor housing quality, unstable neighborhoods, overcrowding, and, but may not always include, homelessness.

Implicit Bias
Refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.

Inclusion
The practice of children with special needs participating alongside their same-age peers who do not have disabilities.

Inclusive Environment
A setting that facilitates the participation of children with disabilities and typically developing children with supports that lead to positive social relationships, learning and attitudes, and beliefs that support inclusion, diversity, and a sense of community for all involved.

Independent
Without help.

Indicators
Questions included in a tool that are related to the developmental skill or ability being measured.

Individualized Education Program (IEP)
A written plan outlining a child’s learning goals and services to be provided to meet the child’s educational needs.

Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
A written plan for providing special services for a child, birth to three, and her family.

Intergenerational Trauma
The passing along of stress through generations that starts to influence the health and genetic makeup of each child over time.

Integration
To be included and not made separate.

Intentional
On purpose with a purpose.

Language Development
The process by which children come to understand and communicate.

Mandated Reporter
Someone required by law to make a report to officials if they suspect or know that a child is being abused or neglected.

Modeling
The demonstration of specific actions.

Modifications
A change in what is being taught to or expected from the child.

Modified
To make minor changes.

Monitoring
Observing and noting specific ways that a child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves every day in an ongoing way. Often involves using a development checklist of developmental milestones.

Negative Stress (Distress)
Occurs when a person feels unable to perform or to cope with a situation. This feeling can be short or long term and may cause anxiety or concern leading to mental and physical problems.

Neglect
Failing to provide for a child‘s basic needs.

Neural Connections
Brain cells that connect as a result of our experiences and our environment.

Neurological Development
Time in early childhood, during which neurons are organized to form the complex workings of the brain, which is a critical time for brain development. This development includes essential neurological processes which establish a foundation for future learning, health, and life success.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
A nursery in a hospital that provides around-the-clock care to sick or premature babies. It has health care providers who have special training and equipment to provide special care to the babies.

Objective Observation
Noting exactly what you see and hear without interpreting what that behavior means for infants, toddlers, and children.

Observation
The process of watching something or someone carefully in order to gain information.

Observe
The process of watching something or someone carefully in order to gain information.

Ohio’s Early Learning and Development Standards
Standards to support the development and well-being of young children to foster their learning. They support the development of the whole child. Ohio’s Early Learning and Development Standards present a continuum of learning and development from birth to age five in each of these five domains:

Social and Emotional Development
Involves behaviors that reflect a child‘s emotional growth and ability to interact with adults and peers. There is a focus on a child‘s ability to pay attention, identify and express emotions, behavior, making positive relationships with familiar adults and with peers.
Physical Well-Being and Motor Development
Includes the ability to use large and small muscles to produce movements, to touch, grasp, and manipulate objects, and to engage in physical activity. Also includes health practices that become part of children’s daily routines and healthy habits such as nutrition and self-help.
Approaches Toward Learning
The foundational behaviors, dispositions, and attitudes that a child brings to social interactions and learning experiences. It includes initiative, curiosity, and the motivation to participate in new and varied experiences and challenges. This domain also includes children’s level of attention, engagement, and persistence as they do a variety of tasks.
Cognition and General Knowledge
Includes the thinking processes that enable all other learning to take place, and a child’s knowledge of the social and physical world around them. Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science are all skills that begin to develop through experiences beginning at birth.
Language and Literacy Development
Builds knowledge and skills fundamental to children’s learning of language, reading and writing. A child’s language is their ability to communicate effectively with adults and peers, to express themselves through language, and to use growing vocabularies and communication length. Early literacy skills include a child’s understanding of printed words, stories, letter sounds and rhyming, and letter recognition.

Participation
To be a part of the same classroom and program routines and activities with the same materials as children without disabilities; includes physical and communication participation.

Perceptions
Conclusions and interpretations made based on a person’s attitudes and beliefs about a situation.

Physical Abuse
The intentional use of physical force that can result in physical harm. Examples include hitting, kicking, shaking, burning, or other shows of force against a child.

Physical Development
A process that starts in human infancy and continues into late adolescence concentrating on gross and fine motor skills.

Prenatal Period
The developmental period between conception and birth.

Positive Stress
Stress that is healthy, or gives one a feeling of fulfillment or other positive feelings which are dependent on one’s feelings of control, desirability, location, and timing of the stressor.

Post Traumatic-Play
A type of play, observed by professionals, seen as a repetitive reenactment of a traumatic event.

Pretend Play
A form of symbolic play in which children use objects, actions, or ideas to represent other objects, actions, or ideas while using their imaginations to assign roles to inanimate objects or people.

Protective Factors
Characteristics associated with a lower likelihood of negative outcomes or that reduce a risk factor’s impact by helping buffer against the harmful effects of traumatic experiences and their aftermath by helping someone respond, recover, and heal from the traumatic experience.

Racism
The belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially to distinguish them as inferior or superior in regards to others.

Reflect and Revise
To think back on or discuss with others about something and then change the approach to be taken.

Resilience
The ability of an individual to to cope with, adapt, or “bounce back” from adversity, trauma, threats, tragedy, or significant sources of stress in one’s life.

Reflecting Feelings
This is a way for an adult to show they are actively listening by repeating back what was said or labeling and summarizing how the adult thinks the child feels. The adult watches a child’s behavior and describes the emotions the child seems to be having.

Rituals
Special actions that help children navigate emotionally important events or transitions in their life as well as enhance aspects of their daily routines to strengthen relationships.

Role Playing
Pretending to be someone else or pretending to be in a specific situation that you are not actually in at the time.

Routines
Repeated, predictable events that provide a foundation for the daily tasks in a child’s life.

Screener
A tool used to evaluate whether a child may be at risk for developmental delay. Does not give a diagnosis.

Screening
A formal process completed by a trained professional, using evidence based tools, at specific ages to determine if a child’s development is on track or if they need to be referred for further evaluation.

Secondary Traumatic Stress
A natural but disruptive result of working with those who have been traumatized, being exposed to traumatic and troubling events, sometimes on a daily basis which influences one’s personal and professional life through specific observable reactions. Common symptoms may be physical, emotional, cognitive, or behavioral.

Self-Regulation
Conscious control of thoughts, feelings and behaviors. An individual’s ability to manage attention and emotions well enough to complete tasks, organize behaviors, control impulses, and solve problems constructively.

Self-Soothing Behaviors
Those behaviors that an individual finds to be calming when faced with a stressful situation or when in a state of agitation.

Sensory Systems
Part of the nervous system responsible for processing sensory information for understanding the world around you. The sensory systems are auditory (hearing), visual (sight), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), tactile (touch), vestibular (balance and orientation), proprioceptive (muscle and/or joint movement), and interoception (internal sensor of what a body feels).

Serve and Return
An interaction between a child and adult. The adult responds to the child’s verbal or physical cues of interest. Back and forth interaction between a parent/caregiver and a child.

Sexual Abuse
Involves an adult, relative, family friend, or stranger, who is at least 5 years older than a child, pressuring or forcing a child to engage in sexual acts. It includes behaviors such as fondling, penetration, and exposing a child to other sexual activities.

Shaping
Reinforcing small steps on the way to the desired behavior or skill.

Shared focus
The interest, engagement, and sharing of ideas of something involving more than one person.

Social-Emotional Development
A specific developmental domain focused on the gradual, integrative process through which children acquire the capacity to understand, experience, express, manage emotions, and develop meaningful relationships with others.

Social Narratives
Simple, descriptive stories that visually represent social situations and help children understand social interactions, situations, expectations, social cues, unfamiliar activities, and/or social rules.

Somatic complaints
Pertaining to physical complaints felt within the body.

Strategy
An approach or way of doing something.

Stress
A feeling of emotional or physical tension from any event or thought; how your brain and body respond to any challenge or demand.

Suspension
When someone is officially forced to leave an organization or activity for a short period of time because of their behavior.

Synapse
A junction where neurons communicate with one another by allowing a neuron to send a message to another neuron by passing an electrical or chemical signal to another cell within the brain.

Task Analysis
A process of breaking a task down into smaller more manageable parts.

Temperament
A person‘s nature, especially as it permanently affects their behavior.

Tolerable Stress
Serious, temporary stress responses, buffered by supportive relationships.

Toxic Stress
Prolonged activation of stress response systems in the absence of protective relationships.

Trauma
A scary, dangerous, violent, or life-threatening event that happens to a child. It may be an event that happens to someone the child knows which changes the child as a result of seeing or hearing about the other person being hurt or injured.

Trauma Trigger
A stimulus that prompts recall of a previous traumatic experience for an individual. The trigger need not be frightening or traumatic and can be subtle or difficult to anticipate.

Visual Support
Any tool presented visually to provide assistance to an individual to help them function throughout the day. They can be used in many settings, provide static or unchanging symbols, and can replace or supplement verbal information.

504 Plan
A written plan for a child with special needs to ensure accommodations to support academic success and access to the environment.

Resources

Module Content

Additional Documents

Reflection Questions