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Welcome to “On the Horizon”
Issue 155: The Limits of Labels: Evaluation Results That Really Matter
On the Horizon is an award winning weekly ezine for parents of children with developmental disabilities who want simple, effective strategies to reduce stress, support their child’s development, and improve quality of life for the whole family.
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 A Note from Nicole: Unexpected Event
Idea of the Week: Fruit Cone
Feature Article: Evaluation Results That Really Matter
The Horizons Team Recommends: Learning as we Grow
Upcoming Events: Workshops/Conferences
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Hi Everyone,
Well, our kids’ first official week of summer break was interesting to say the least! We ended up with our youngest son in the hospital for an appendectomy, so we’re hoping that’s our only medical excitement of the summer. He’s doing much better now and will be able to swim and play baseball again later this week. Thanks so much to all of you who posted well wishes for my son and our family on Facebook! If we aren’t already connected on Facebook please join me here and join our clinic fanpage here. We’d love to connect with you there, as well as through this newsletter!
I know that the summer months are a popular time for families to have assessments completed for their children. This is likely because parents want to have the evaluation results in hand for when the new school year begins. There are some important things I want parents to understand about formal evaluations, and the information they should provide. Read this week’s featured article to find out why labels may not be as important as you think!
Make it a fantastic week!
Looking to the horizon,
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Fruit Cone
 Instead of filling your ice cream cone up with ice cream, use that delicious fresh fruit that we enjoy during the summer and fill up an ice cream cone. Drizzle it with some honey and top it with granola. You could probably even stir in some yogurt into your fresh fruit before filling your cone as well. Yet another delicious fresh summer treat you can enjoy after a hot summer day.
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 The Limits of Labels: Evaluation Results That Really Matter
By: Nicole Beurkens, PhD
When a child is not developing as expected, the first thing most parents and professionals attempt to do is figure out a name for what is going on. The assessment or evaluation process is often viewed as the path to determine an appropriate diagnosis or label for individuals. Disability labels become the gatekeepers for services and supports in schools and the broader community. Parents and professionals therefore become very invested in the name that is given to a child’s condition, both to understand more about the child and to secure treatment. This is a completely normal reaction for parents, as they want what is best for their children and must seek it in a system that provides or denies support based on their child’s label.
It is important to recognize the two very different systems of labeling or classifying individuals. In the medical realm, with which most parents are accustomed, tests and procedures are conducted in order to provide a medical diagnosis for a condition. The treatment that follows is based on the presence of the particular condition that was diagnosed. In the realm of psychological evaluation, however, the scenario is quite different and unfamiliar to most parents. The purpose of these evaluations is to determine how an individual is functioning, and whether or not their particular patterns of skills and behaviors meet the criteria for disorders in the realms of thinking, behavior, and emotions. This type of evaluation process is often less precise than medical testing and diagnosis, and is typically not directly linked to treatment.
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Learning as
we Grow
You’ve Been
Asking For It – The Resource for Applying Principles of Remediation in
School Settings is Finally Here!
This long-awaited book is written for parents and
professionals who want to be more effective in their work with students
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You will learn how to:
- Identify the core features of neurodevelopmental disorders
that create communication, learning, and relationship challenges for
your students
- Shift from a mindset of working around deficits
(compensation) to correcting the root issues that create obstacles for
your students (remediation)
- Modify your communication to promote your students’
communication and thinking abilities
- Identify the unique strengths and obstacles of each student
in order to determine appropriate placement and programming
- Achieve meaningful outcomes for students that allow them to
reach their greatest potential
For more
information, click here
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Please join us!
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On the Horizon
is a weekly ezine for parents of children with developmental disabilities who want simple, effective strategies to reduce stress, support their child¹s development, and improve quality of life for the whole family.
Our mailing address is:
Horizons Developmental Remediation Center
3120 68th Street SE
Caledonia, MI 49316
Our telephone:
(616) 698-0306
Our email address:
info@horizonsdrc.com
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