Respond to at least two colleagues in one of the following ways:
Suggest another strategy for promoting positive identity development in your colleague’s example.
Share an insight you gained from your colleague’s post.
Suggest an article to support or refute your colleague’s post.
Karen Guzman-Scooler
RE: Discussion 2 – Week 7 Attachment
Kayama & Haight (2014), address how Japanese culture handles individuals with learning disability. In the 19th century, Japanese culture considered those with a learning disability as “useless” (Kayama & Haight, 2014). These parents feared that their child would be described as henken, which is better described as a discriminatory outlook. This outlook is better described as stigma, and to reduce this stigma and enforce further resources, Japan implemented services for children with learning disabilities in 2007 (Kayama & Haight, 2014). These parents have concerns about their children being labeled as disabled. This stigma can impact the child’s school functioning such as with overall adjustment, and the need for additional supports (Kayama & Haight, 2014). A strategy to help reduce any stigma is to focus on “communication, emotional support, relationship building, and partnerships with parents” (Kayama & Haight, 2014). In doing so, children, parents, other caretakers and professionals can help provide the best support and resources for the child and family.
References:
Kayama, M., & Haight, W. (2014). Disability and stigma: How Japanese educators help parents accept their children’s differences. Social Work, 59(1), 24–33.
Disability and stigma: how Japanese educators help parents accept their children’s differences by Kayama, M., & Haight, W. in Social Work, 59(1), 24-33. Copyright 2014 by Oxford University Press – Journals. Reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press – Journals via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Jennifer Jobe
RE: Discussion 2 – Week 7
One stigma attached to parents/families of a child with a disability is that they are doing a poor job, that the parents are acting as bad parents and the learning disability stemmed as a result; this is not applicable, however, to children who have physical conditions (Ara, 2012). This stigma is more likely due to the dominant culture’s idea of what a bad parent would be rather than the parents actually believing they are doing something wrong and that the learning disability their child has is a direct result (Ara, 2012). This bad parent stigma that attaches itself to families of children with learning disabilities will vary in intensity depending on the reactions of the parents (primarily based on their own experiences and definition of good/bad parenting) and socioeconomic status of the family (Ara, 2012). For instance, lower income families are less likely to believe that their children have a learning disability and more often believe that they can function well; middle-class families, on the other hand, more readily accept the learning disability (Ara, 2012). A strategy that families can adopt to help discourage this and other negative stigmas is to speak up and educate others. Taking opportunities at school or community functions to disseminate information about learning disabilities is a strong way to help promote positive self identity.
Resource:
Ara, F. (2012). Stigma in an era of medicalisation and anxious parenting: how proximity and culpability shape middle-class parents’ experiences of disgrace. Sociology of Health & Illness, 6, 927. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01445.x