Debbie Chiles
Debbie ChilesSpecial Education Early Childhood (SEEC) Teacher, Ericson Elementary
Tell us a little bit about your background.
I got into Special Education because I have a son who has special needs. He's 25 now, but I began volunteering with his schools when he was young. Because of his needs, I wanted to be able to support him in school and felt volunteering was important. I was also working full time, but eventually ended up spending more time volunteering than at work.
What did you do at the time?
I have a degree in personnel and labor relations and was working in that field. I ended up quitting and began a job with the school district as a part-time Special Education Parent Facilitator. That was about 18 years ago and I've been with the district ever since.
What does that work entail?
Parent Facilitators have a child with special needs and are hired by the school district to help other parents of children with disabilities to get through the Special Education process. I worked specifically with families of newly diagnosed children. I helped them to understand the IEP process (Individual Education Plan) and provided support and resources. It could be very overwhelming for parents -- trying to understand what the disability may mean for their family. It is beneficial to have support during this time.
Does your own situation with your son give you a special perspective on helping these parents?
I think so. By sharing with these parents some of the issues I've faced with my own son, they tend to trust me because they know I can relate. My son has gone through the gamut of diagnoses - from autism, moderate retardation, Attention Deficit Disorder and other learning issues. Fortunately, he has made great progress in many areas of his life. However, when he was 16, I found out he has Muscular Dystrophy, which is a degenerative disease for which there is no cure. This was actually the impetus for me to go back to school to get my teaching degree.
How so?
I knew that I really needed something, career-wise, that would provide me a path to being self-reliant and be able to better take care of my son. So, I went back to school in my mid-thirties, and got my multiple-subject teaching credential and a specialist credential to work with children who are severely handicapped. I also earned my Master's Degree in Education.
That's amazing! Were you still working, too?
Yes, I was still working full-time, and at that point, I had two children and a husband to care for. I had a ton of support from friends and family who kept encouraging me to get my degree. My credentials allow me to teach almost anywhere and I choose to work with these young children. I love working with them and their families.
Tell us about the children you work with now.
I work with 3- and 4-year-old children; most have a diagnosis of autism. We run a very structured sensory and behavior intervention program and use a lot of visual supports to help children become more independent and self-confident.
What's an example of a visual support you would use?
We use a lot of picture schedules, which is very effective in helping these small children learn to transition from one activity to the next and to know where to go. As adults, we are familiar with and use daily organizers and planners. This is the same sort of thing, only for really little kids. It really helps to increase positive behavior. And as they become more independent and confident, we can focus on real teaching, and not just behavioral interventions.
My goal is to help these students move out of my program to the next level and into more general education-type programs. We are teaching them the skills of being in school, how to learn and how to behave.
What are some of the best moments?
There are so many. Our kids have such a diverse learning curve; some of the seemingly small things are really quite a big deal. With each small piece of progress, we all get excited and say "did you see that?" or "did you hear what he just said?" and as a group we all go "Yeah!" We have a lot of very challenging behavior issues and it can be really tough. We try something and tweak it and get excited when it works; "Oh, okay! That's the secret for this child." It's a constant reward when you get a good clue as to what each child's 'secret' is, to uncover his or her learning style.
The district is recognizing October as Disability Awareness Month. What would you like for people to get out of this observance?
I really hope people take the opportunity to think about what it's like for families who have children with disabilities. It's not something they choose. It's a card that's been dealt them and they deserve support and acceptance. That's the key, I think. Acceptance. If we can, as a community, be more accepting of people with disabilities, it would make a world of difference. Then, the person's ability becomes the focus, not the disability.