Post 7B- Prezioso response to Cika

7B Gia Prezioso- Response to Jennifer Cika

1. What is Self-Determination?

Self-Determination is the ability to make your own decisions about your life without others intervening. It includes making choices, decisions, solving problems, setting goals, self-advocacy, management, regulation, awareness, and knowledge. These are seemingly simple aspects of everyday life that most of us take for granted. Often times, individuals identified as having an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder lose this self-determination and it impacts their life tremendously. Self-determination is the ability to make decisions for yourself, to be in control, something which all adults strive for.

2. What are Emotional Behavioral Disorders?

According to IDEA, emotional behavioral disorders are a category of disability that includes one or more of the following characteristics: An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors, an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers, inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances, a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression, or a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems. As defined by IDEA, emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia but does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance. In addition, these individuals may display behaviors of hyperactivity, aggression, withdrawal, immaturity, and learning difficulties.

3. What is the connection between Self-Determination and Transition Planning?

Self-determination, or being capable and able to make one’s own decisions is greatly connected to transition planning. Students without the ability to make decisions about their lives may never continue education beyond high school, may never obtain a job, and can end up dependent on others for their entire lives. When schools are able to teach self-determination, they are equipping the students with the skills necessary to plan their future beyond school. Self-determination is a key component in planning for the transition between high school and the rest of these students’ lives.

4. How does a student’s lack of Self-Determination affect their post-secondary education and life outcomes?

A lack of self-determination in a student affects their post-secondary education in a multitude of ways. First and foremost, their ability or inability to decide their future determines the outcome of their life. If a student has no direction or decision of where they want to go in life, it is hard to get them there. When students are in our control in school, we do a lot of this decision making for them. Typical students begin making these decisions for themselves in high school and beyond. If a student lacks this elf-determination, they end up being dependent on others for their entire lives. This results in a lack of post-secondary education, a lack of independence, and life outcomes that are not always positive. Self-determination is a skill that affects their entire future and is important to develop.

5. What is one strategy used in building a student’s self-determination?

Of the many strategies for helping to build a student’s self-determination, one is assessment. Assessment can be used to help the student discover their strengths and weaknesses, not only becoming more self-aware, but helping them increase their self-determination skills. By helping the students identify these strengths and weaknesses, they are able to set achievable goals for themselves and realize the potential options they have for their futures. After assessment, future planning is possible, which helps to increase their self-determination skills.

Jennifer,

I appreciated your research and found it to be very enlightening. This being my first year in the classroom with an EBD student, I resonated with a lot of your words. It is easy to make decisions for kids, but it is more important to teach them self-determination to make the decisions for themselves. I think that a lot of times, especially with students with disabilities, we as educators, want to help the students, which sometimes turns into making decisions for them, but in your research, you really stress the importance of teaching students to self-advocate, as it will help them be more successful in their future.