Working with Families
from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds
Dr. Jozi De Leon
New Mexico State University
Culture, Race
and Ethnicity
- Culture: The totality
of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and
all other products
- Race: A group of
people distinguished or classified together on the basis of genetically transmitted
physical characteristics
- Ethnicity: A group
of people sharing a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic
or cultural heritage
Culture, Race
and Ethnicity
- Culture is learned
from birth in the context of family, community, and environment
- By the time children
are five or six years old, they have internalized many of the basic values
and beliefs of their native culture, including rules for social interaction,
appropriate behavior, and learning style
Culture, Race,
and Ethnicity
- Culture is all
the things that make us who we are
- Cultural competence
is a program's ability to honor and respect the beliefs, interpersonal styles,
attitudes, and behaviors of families served and multi-cultural staff providing
the services. It includes values at the levels of policy, administration and
practice
Steps to Becoming
More Culturally Responsive
- Learn about your
own cultural background
- Learn about the
culture of your profession, co-workers, agency, and other service providers.
Recognize the similarities and differences.
- Learn about the
cultures of the families. Recognize the similarities and differences
Steps...
- Learn about the
historical, present and emerging cultural practices of each family and community
- Identify positive,
culturally appropriate ways to demonstrate respect for different lifestyles,
values, and culture.
Steps...
- Identify and use
resource people to learn about the culture
- Help families identify
and use culturally appropriate resources and support networks
- Remember to say
"I don't know" and "I want to learn."
Cultural Continuum
- Level 1: Cultural
Awareness: Acquiring basic information
- Level 2: Cultural
Sensitivity: Developing understanding
- Level 3: Cultural
Responsiveness; Using knowledge to respond appropriately
- Level 4: Cultural
Competence: Using knowledge and skills to explore, develop and provide services
A Comparison of
Perspectives
- Mainstream Values
- Family consists
of parents and children
- Relationship
of family members determines responsibility
- Education is
highly respected
- Health is viewed
in terms of body or being
- Specific treatment
is provided by specialist
- Child development
is viewed in terms of developmental milestones
A Comparison of
Perspectives
- Mainstream Values
Continued
- Written agreements
and signatures are binding
- Asking questions
and giving eye-contact show interest, attention, and respect
- Silence during
conversation is uncomfortable and implies lack of interest/knowledge
A Comparison of
Perspectives
- Other Cultures
- Family includes
extended family and community
- The family
or community determines family member responsibilities
- Age and life
experience mean more than years of education
- Health is viewed
as a combined state of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being
A Comparison of
Perspectives
- Other Cultures Continued
- Treatment is
provided to the "total" person and family
- Child development
is viewed in terms of culturally determined events
- Personal/verbal
agreements are binding
- Asking questions
and giving eye-contact are disrespectful
- Silence during
converszation signifies time for thought and respect for the speaker
Importance of
Introductions
- Taking the time
for introductions is a valued and essential practice in many cultures
- Introductions
are viewed as a way to show respect
- The formalities
of introductions are highly valued
- The time taken
for introductions and "small talk" is a necessary part of the process of
building a trusting relationship
Key Areas to
Explore
- What are the
families' concepts about relationship?
- What are their
definitions of family and their roles/responsibilities?
- What is their
temporal focus?
- Historically
what has the interaction been with the families and service providers?
Showing Respect
for Culturally Different Perspectives
- Provide more
holistic intervention to families by:
- Listening
and acknowledging their ideas, concerns and feelings
- Find ways
to demonstrate emotional support and respect
Showing Respect
for Culturally Different Perspectives
- Do not assume
all families use traditional healing practices
- Determine if
the family is using traditional healing by:
- Asking each
family if they are or will use traditional healing practices
- Stating that
you respect their decisions and want to support their efforts to help
their child
Showing Respect
for Culturally Different Perspectives
- Do not ask a
lot of questions about the traditional treatment
- Explain to the
family that you do not need to know any details
- Explain that
you do not want to schedule appointments that conflict with traditional
activities
- Explain timelines
and impact of traditional healing
Showing Respect
for Culturally Different Perspectives
- If you need to
ask a family questions, always explain:
- Why you want
to know the information
- How the information
will be used to help their child
- That it is
alright if they need to discuss a question with other family members
before answering
Showing Respect
for Culturally Different Perspectives
- Acknowledge the
feelings of all family members
- Ask how you might
assist and support them, or offer suggestions, such as providing an interpreter
Suggested Methods
for Increasing Family Involvement
- Develop a local
resource network of parents and service providers from the community
- Work with other
providres to develop a coordinated system of services for families whose
children have special needs
- Get a copy of
any resource directory that includes services for targeted community
Suggested Methods
for Increasing Family Involvement
- Assist parents
of children with special needs to access the information and training they
want/need
- Identify, recruit
and train parents from the community to be involved in planning committtees,
advocacy boards
- Support administrative
efforts to recruit and hire professionals, paraprofessionals, and parents
from CLD communities
Making Things
Work with the Resources You Have
- Determine who
works best with the populations you serve
- Have discussions
on what makes families feel comfortable with that person and vice versa
- Learn aspects
of the culture that will make families feel more comfortable with you
Making Things
Work with the Resources You Have
- Families should
be given the option to choose a case manager they trust and feel comfortable
talking to
- The case manager
should be familiar with and show respect for the cultural beliefs and practices
of the family
- The case manager
should explain information in an understandable way
Making Things
Work with the Resources You Have
- Providing on-going
assistance and follow-up, as well as information and resources builds trust
- When referrals
are made, accompany the family or provide as much information as possible
- Ask family who
they want to include in their child's treatment program, encourage and facilitate
the participation of family
Making Things
Work with the Resources You Have
- Identify members
of the community or cultural group who can be trained to work with the families
you serve
- Establish an
assistant apprenticeship program to assist you in meeting the needs of CLD
families
Notes:
Activity: Making
Things Work...
- What resources
do you have?
- What families
do you serve?
- What gaps exist
in your ability to provide service to these families?
- What might you
be able to do to fill in those gaps?
- ESTABLISH PLAN
Working with
Interpreters and Translators
Definitions
- Interpreter
- Conveys information
from one language to the other orally
- Translator
- Conveys information
from one language to the other in written form
When?
- Ask the family
if they would like to have an interpreter
- Use an interpreter
when you need to communicate to the child or family in a language you do
not speak
- When in doubt
it is always safe to have an interpreter at hand
Who?
- High ability
in both languages - oral and written
- Can choose individuals
that are more proficient orally for interpreter role
- Ability to use
same style, dialect as family
- Identify individuals
within courts, schools and public agencies
Who?
- Staff?
- Family members?
- Family friends
or neighbors
- Community members?
Who?
- Skilled
- Can they
pass a test in two languages
- Do they keep
up with information well
- Do they appear
to communicate the message
- What kind
of feedback do you get from families or others about the interpreters/translators
skills
Who?
- "Highly" Trained
- Has been trained
in interpreting process
- Understands
technical language
- Understands
the differences in types of translating processes; i.e., assessment, intervention,
casual communication for understanding
How?
- Review interpreting
activity prior to event
- Allow interpreter
to prepare if necessary
- Develop trust
and confidence
Assessment
- Must have understanding
of rationale, procedures and information that is obtained from tests
- Should be allowed
to review the test questions and examine their cultural relevancy
- Teach appropriate
probing without violating testing procedures
Assessment
- Train instructors
to administer and score correctly
- Perform reliability
checks on testing
Conferences
& Conversations
- Review purpose
of conference or meeting
- Review the
type of information that is sought prior to meeting
- Be aware that
interpreter can omit, add, substitute or transform the message
Intervention
- Use the interpreter
to adapt and make intervention culturally relevant
- Provide intervention
plan in writing
- All translated
materials can be cross-checked with another bilingual person
- Review intervention
materials and discuss purpose. Demonstrate.
How?
- Brief, interact,
debrief
- Allow interpreter
to ask questions during interpreting activity if needed
- Professional
should take notes of the interaction between client and interpreter
- Discuss observations
Chart about
bilingual experience:
| Bilingual
Experience |
Subsequent
Experience: High Opp./Motivation |
Subsexquent
Experience: Low Opp./Motivation |
| Prior Experience:
High Exposure to L1 & L2 |
Simlultaneous
Bilingualism |
Receptive
Bilingualism |
| Low Exposure
to 1 Language |
Rapid Successive
Bilingualism |
Slow Successive
Bilingualism |
Principles
of Language Development
- Children learn
language to communicate
- Language flourishes
when children have an opportunity to practice language
- Children learn
2nd languages in many different ways
- Support the
child's home language development
Principles
of Language Development
- Interacting
in meaningful ways is important to language development
- Children learning
a 2nd language should be encouraged to experiment
- Mixing language
is normal in bilingual development
- Language dominance
is situational
Evaluating
Oral Language Development
- Obtain information
from family members
- Observe the
child's language abilities in different contexts
- Make a determination
about the child's ability to use/understand both languages
Questions
for Parents
- How old is
your child?
- WHat language
was your child exposed to first?
- What language
does your child use most frequently at home?
- What language
do you use most frequently in talking to your child?
Questions
for Parents
- What language
is most often spoken to adults in the home?
- What language
is most often spoken to children?
- What do you
believe is your child's strongest language?
Appropriate
Language Assessment
- Involves regular
and periodic observations in many settings over time
- Relies on procedures
that reflect on-going routine and activities
- Avoids placing
child in artificial situations
Guidelines
for Assessing CLD Children
- Assessment
must be developmentally and culturally appropriate
- The child's
bilingual background must be considered
- Allow child
to demonstrate abilities in their own way
- Assessment
must take into account both languages
Uses of Language
by Young Children
- To express
feelings "I loves my kitty"
- To express
ideas "All gone book"
- To ask for
help "Tie shoe"
- To engage in
dramatic play "You be car"
- To describe
"mommy lady"
- To solve problem
"Me do it"
- To inquire
"where doggy?"
Guidelines
for Interpreting & Using Information
- Have enough
valid, reliable and representative examples of the child's behavior before
making a decision
- Look for patterns,
not isolated instances
- Think as performance
as constantly changing, not as a specific point on a scale
- Generate multiple
hypotheses about possible meanings
- Hold interpretations
and conclusions tentatively
Presented at:
Working with Families From Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds
--Four-site Videoconference--
Sponsored by:
Wisconsin Personnel Development Project and Birth to 3 RESource
(Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison and CESA 5)