Publisher's Synopsis
What do a fish net, flashlight, and boxes of Goya rice flavors have to do with work? Are you trying to help a young person in your life with finding and keeping competitive employment? This is for typically developing as well as individuals with special needs. If so, then this book is for you.
We all know the pride that comes with doing a good day's work. We can't give it to someone; they have to earn it. While my background has been primarily working with students with special needs, these life lessons are applicable to everyone.
As a Special Education Teacher, College Professor, and also Career Coach, I have worked with hundreds of typically developing students, adults, and individuals with special needs. I was an instructor in a work-based educational program in a hospital setting where students were given unpaid internships to receive real-world training for competitive employment. The ideas provided incorporate the on-the-job training and classroom instruction I delivered.
This book is the first of three regarding props that will help educators and caregivers explain different concepts. It is from a series focused on providing activities to help elementary through higher-level educators, and parents in preparing young people for competitive employment. This journey can and should begin as early as elementary school. The earlier you start developing these skills, the greater success they will see in all aspects of their lives.
Competitive employment will not look the same for everyone, especially for individuals with special needs. It will depend on their stamina and overall abilities. Every individual should feel some level of control over what they do so they will be invested in the outcomes. The key is that they are contributing members of society, build their self-esteem, and feel a sense of pride in whatever work they do.
Some of what you will learn in this book will focus on the following:
*Getting Support - Back Brace
*Antenna - Giving and Receiving Information
*Remote Control - Handling Yourself and Your Actions
*Extension Cord - Extending Yourself
*How a Rope Demonstrates Securing Ourselves
*Window Blinds - Pretending you don't see them
*Pot Holder - Handling "Hot" Situations
The results of studying this book will be that the reader will have a better understanding of abstract concepts and their value of them in their personal and professional life. There is so much to learn when becoming an adult and starting work. Anything we can do to provide strategies to handle life's challenges will significantly improve their chances of success.
This book isn't like other resources as you will be given tested and proven props that have helped people with various experiences and abilities reach their full potential.
As educators, caregivers, and parents we want to protect children from the disappointments we all face throughout life. We can't always do that but we can give them the tools to be as successful as possible. If we continue to shelter them, they will never know the feeling of delight from having worked through a problem and won out in the end. We want them to learn the skills to overcome obstacles and handle disappointments. They need to struggle. It often goes against our instincts to allow this to happen. I have seen first-hand the excitement on my student's faces when they have done their best work and prospered. Ask yourself if you want to deprive them of this.
