Who Can You Call?

By Harold Johnson, Ed. D, H&V Headquarters

You know the feeling. You have a question, but you do not know who to ask. You are not even sure how to put your thoughts into words. Plus, you are afraid that you may be asking a dumb question. Maybe you think everyone already knows the answer but you. What you need is a trusted individual to call. In reality, many of the professionals who work with our children have the same feeling. The lack of a “trusted individual” is especially true in relation to what can be done to enhance the safety of our children. How can we learn to prevent and respond to the trauma experienced as a result of child abuse and neglect?

While the Hands & Voices community has the O.U.R. Children’s Safety Project for guidance, special education professionals only had a 2018 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Policy on the Prevention of and Response to Maltreatment. In 2023, leaders from 11 of the 17 CEC Divisions specialty areas agreed to collaborate on an effort to move the policy on maltreatment from theory to practice. (Those specialty areas include Special Education Administrators, Early Childhood, Autism, Deafness, etc.) This effort to implement best practices for instruction is called the Bright Spot Project. Hands & Voices launched this idea in 2011 and now the collaboration with the CEC will help us find, recognize, share, collaborate with and “grow” the number of special education professionals, parent leaders and other stakeholders who are actively and effectively working to enhance the safety and success of children with disabilities. Thus far, 22 Bright Spots have been identified and interviewed. The following is a sampling of lessons learned by these individuals who have stepped up publicly to share their wisdom and experience with others:

“Talking and learning about child abuse and neglect are necessary first steps to enhancing child safety and success.”

“One of the most foundational needs of young children is the understanding that they are safe and cared for.”

“I don’t need to be an expert in this field. I can rely on the ‘bright spots’ in the world, and lean on others to help me understand the issues and prevention of child abuse and neglect. I can connect my expertise in deafness with those who have expertise in child abuse and neglect.”

“Just talking and worrying about problems is likely to raise anxiety without making anyone safer.”

“Parents/caregivers love and want to do right by their children. Professionals need to believe/know that and then respond accordingly, through family-centered intervention practices implemented across the lifespan.”

“This work…trying to enhance the safety and success of individuals with disabilities….is hard to look at…to think about…to act on… It is important to realize that maltreatment can be addressed. It is not impossible… there is a “bright” side of the work, e.g., finding solutions that help individuals to be safer and more successful. We need to stop admiring the problem and find, share, and use solutions.”

“I have learned that while the work is very difficult, there are others who are also working on this topic. These ‘others’ reinforce me, make my work better and establish a community of collaborators.”

Here’s what the Bright Spots had to say about promoting protective factors, prevention strategies and modeling healthy relationships with and for students:

“Parents, trust your instincts. So many stories begin with I knew something didn’t seem right…”

“Giving our kids permission to say no.”

“We don’t keep secrets, though we can keep surprises.”

“Fostering connection and caregiver responsiveness to their child’s cues, which may not always be intuitively interpreted, is critical to reduce the risk of maltreatment. Children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing must have access to language. This both ensures that they are less likely to be selectively targeted and that they are able to give a complete report regarding maltreatment if necessary. They must be explicitly taught names and relationships of family members, caretakers, school personnel, body parts, etc.”

“I have learned that instead of asking, ‘What is wrong with this child?’ I reframe the question as ‘What happened to this child?.’”

“The way that D/deaf kids (or kids with other language delays or issues) report abuse or maltreatment is not going to be the same as the way that kid without language issues retell the same events. Be alert to what kids don’t say (as well as what they do) and be prepared to make inferences, and ask questions to explore further without making leaps.”

“Children experiencing maltreatment may be withdrawn or quiet. With these children it is important to be vigilant and to find a few moments daily to connect with them.”

“Behavior is communication. When our students behave in unexpected ways, it’s our job to teach them the skills to communicate their needs safely.”

These comments highlight shifts needed in perspectives from those familiar with protective factors and considering the whole child and their mental health and well-being:

“Grassroots efforts can produce impactful programmatic changes. Critical changes and improved outcomes for children and families can happen even if there is a lack of outside support, grant funding, and policy change. Improved practices are possible with community partnerships, dedicated collaboration, and commitment to the field.”

“Teachers are particularly susceptible to secondary/vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout, especially when working with students who come from trauma backgrounds. They need support and knowledge regarding identifying, accepting, and protecting themselves, so they can better support their own students.”

“Trauma-informed care is not a checklist of practices, but a mindset shifts toward how we view and respond to behavior and children’s needs. Additionally, trauma-informed care benefits all children, not just those who have experienced maltreatment. Therefore, it’s important to remember that we don’t have to know if trauma occurred or what the trauma was before implementing trauma-informed care with children with disabilities.”

“Small steps of change can make a big impact.”

We know that one caring adult can make a world of difference for any child. The CEC Bright Spot Project represents the first time a significant, multi-division effort has launched around the safety and success of children with disabilities in the special education field at large. Several of the CEC Bright Spots are also members of the Hands & Voices O.U.R. Children’s Safety Project. This melding of parent and professional efforts will help our children “move toward the light” of safety, joy, self-assurance, assertiveness, academic and interpersonal success. May there be many caring adults to join us. It will also help Hands & Voices realize its vision of “…a world where children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing have every opportunity to achieve their full potential.” 

A call to action: If you know of an educational professional who you consider to be actively and effectively working to enhance the safety of children with disabilities, let me know. Email me at 3hajohnson@gmail.com with their contact information and a very brief description of their work. I will do all the rest. Together we CAN make a difference!   ~

H&V Communicator – Winter 2024