understanding & working with parent’s reluctance
Post on 19-Jan-2016
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Understanding & Working With
Parent’s Reluctance
Introductions
Barbara Borg, MA, OTR
Susan Unger, MA
Travel Training Coordinator
Via Mobility ServicesParatransitTravel training (T.T.) - 2003
–Group & individual–Denver Metro area
• Older Adults
• Individuals with Disabilities: Physical, Mental Health, Intellectual / Cognitive
Who Do We Serve?
• Get on Board / RTD / ADA riders
• What we offered…
• What we learned…
Denver T.T. Program 2009-2012
One persistent barrier to learning how to ride the bus
(participate in travel training)
to for adults with intellectual
disabilities was…
…Reluctant Parents
• Critical role of parent / host
home provider
• Parents vary in knowledge
• Parental beliefs & values
Parent Perspective
Travel Training:How to Decide if
It’s the Way to Go
How We Gathered Information
• Parent dialogues• Case manager reports• Literature• (Our)Past experiences
Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective
•Information sharing
•Helping people to challenge, and perhaps change, beliefs
What do you think?
• Inappropriate public behavior?
• Too much to learn?
• Setting up son/daughter for disappointment?
• Risk of being treated badly by strangers.
Reluctant parents…
• Behavior in unexpected situation?
• Son or daughter might humiliate himself or herself.
• Parent’s job is to protect child from stress or failure.
• Disruption to family routine.
• Not necessary to be more independent.
• Sometimes we just have to accept the limitations.
What do “open” parents think?
• Increased independence is a valuable, personal goal.
• Life does not “come with guarantees.”
• “We don’t know until we try.”
“Open” parents…
• Recognized own mortality.
• Were concerned about future.
• Transit independence builds
pride & self-confidence.
• Valued learning opportunity.
• Not letting them try is a
dis-service.
• Valued real-world experiences.
• Son/daughter can learn skills to
safely access community.
• Community benefits from
interacting with their son
or daughter.
• Our beliefs…
• Our values / priorities…
• Our expectations…
• What we “know” / facts…
Intervening Role of Cognition
A BELIEF CHECK
• How did I come to this belief?
• Is what I believe still true?
• If I believed something different, what might happen?
• How do my beliefs & expectations influence my feelings?
• How do my beliefs influence my behaviors?
Avoid “why” questions?
Avoid asking…
Why do you feel this way?
Why don’t you want to do
this?
Opening the dialogue…
• What do you imagine…?
• What would happen if…?
• How might your life change if…?
Instead use…
• What would be your concerns?
• What could be done to address concerns?
• To help parent to identify what they believe, and
• To help them to do a ‘belief check’, and
• To update knowledge
Travel Trainer’s Goal
• Sending home the T.T. book • Sponsor parent support groups
• Taking parents out on bus or rail
• Sitting down with whole family
Strategies
• Using movies, internet or other media to illustrate success (and also realistic limitations)
• Sharing testimonials
• Give it to parents / hhp
• T.T. program outreach campaign
• Referring agencies / schools
• Include book in “new client” resource packet
Ideas for using the book
The parent and the rider
are the experts on their lives,
not us!
Never forget….
Cost: $8.00 + s/h
traveltraininghowtodecide.com
To Order books…
Susan UngerTravel Training
Coordinator6500 Franklin StreetDenver, CO 80229
303-447-2848 ext. 1048sunger@viacolorado.org
For more information
Barb BorgCustomer & Community
Services Coordinator2855 N. 63rd. St.
Denver, CO 80301
303-447-2848 ext. 1047bborg@viacolorado.org
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