“Knowledge is indivisible. When people grow wise in one direction, they are sure to make it easier for themselves to grow wise in other directions as well. On the other hand, when they split up knowledge, concentrate on their own field, and scorn and ignore other fields, they grow less wise–even in their own field.” – Isaac Asimov
Post #1 in this category. We recommend reading posts in numerical order.
Children with developmental delays, like all children, grow along many integrated paths. They must learn to move, to speak, to play, to think, to relate, to imagine.
Children with developmental delays require more scaffolding prerequisites, more supervision, more guidance, more assessment, more patient teaching, and more meaningful interpersonal connections. Their development is not a single line, with isolated targets and boundaries, but a web of interdependent systems, each influencing the other in subtle and profound ways. When one thread is strengthened, others become more secure.
How can we meet all the integrated areas that need attention? Who decides which goals to emphasize, which methods to use, which skills and understandings to prioritize?
Fragmentation and the Need for Coherence
Modern systems of child rearing, education and therapy often fragment a child’s world. The speech therapist may focus on the child’s articulation, the occupational therapist on sensory regulation, the teacher on classroom behavior, the parent on daily living routines.
Each professional means well, but the child’s week becomes fragmented; an hour of therapy here, a few lessons there, all carried out in different styles, with different priorities, expectations and strategies. The result is inconsistency, confusion, and all too often, a lack of meaningful progress. Each adult mediator may be dedicated and knowledgeable, yet when these efforts remain disconnected and not coordinated, progress can be very slow, fragile, limited and temporary.
Parenting, academics and therapies are rarely coordinated. Parents, teachers, and therapists often work remotely and in isolation, each in their own sphere, each seeing a part of the child but seldom the whole child, or the child’s whole environment.
Parallel Development emphasizes that a child’s progress depends not only on individual effort, but on synchrony, on a closer mindset among all who care for and teach the child. It is an integrated systems approach that calls for added collaboration.
The Development Team
A five-year-old boy with moderate developmental delays and pronounced sensory defensiveness and hyperactivity had been working with three different therapists and two special needs teachers.
His parents were devoted yet confused and frustrated by the inconsistent advice. One teacher said, “He needs more structure and limits.” One of his therapists said, “He needs more freedom to explore.” His occupational therapist emphasized his sensory diet; the speech therapist focused on articulation drills. At home, his mother tried to cooperate, but the approaches contradicted each other.
When the child’s development team began to meet regularly, exchanging progress notes and video clips, there was far more consensus. There was agreement that in most environments, the boy seemed to be either bored and withdrawn or overly excited and scattered.
The occupational therapist explained that music and rhythmic movement helped the child regulate his arousal. His parents and teachers then gave him Bluetooth earphones and tried these strategies at home and in class.
The speech therapist noticed that he spoke more clearly when he was very interested and excited about what he was speaking about. His parents gave examples at the meeting about specific things the child was passionate about.
At the next meeting, nearly all the mediators mentioned that the boy seemed to be more cooperative and focused and began to participate more in their settings.
The Regular Meetings
Team meetings were not always tranquil. There were occasional moments of tension, even friction. At times, there were voiced differences of opinion, a clash of different vocabularies, different values, philosophies and mindsets. A teacher might stress academic readiness as the main goal. A therapist might worry about underlying sensory, emotional or cognitive issues. Parents sometimes expressed frustration, “He can do it at home, why not at school?”
At one meeting, the team debated whether the boy’s tendency to leave his seat was a behavioral problem or a sensory need. The occupational therapist said she found that a brief movement break could restore focus. The teacher, initially skeptical, tried it and reported that his sitting time and participation improved dramatically.
The shared insights of the group were helpful for the child’s learning and wellbeing and for the well-being of his adult mediators.
The Process of Parallel Growth
Collaboration is not always smooth or effortless. It demands humility, flexibility and the willingness to re-examine one’s own assumptions. It requires mutual respect and openness and a readiness to try.
In this example, the teachers became more attuned to sensory cues; the therapists learned to integrate classroom goals into therapy; the parents gained confidence and calm. There was a growing sense of reciprocal learning. The child learning from the adults, the adults learning from one another, and all from the child.
Parallel Development is not merely the progress of a child but the evolution of this child’s team of mediators, learning together and growing together in understanding and effectiveness.
No single discipline or perspective holds all the keys to development. Parents, family members, teachers, therapists, each with their own strengths and limitations, are bound by a common purpose, to help each other to help this child connect, to progress and to live a more fulfilling life.
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