Assignent Solutionnurs

Classmate discussion #1
Part 1: Some red flags that hinted at neglect and abuse from his parents were the marks on his body, his sleep-deprived, and his malnourished appearance. Also, nobody ever saw Clayten outside of his house, playing with other children, or his own sister.
The mandated reporters in this situation include teachers, CPS reporters, and police officers.
We can empower children and adolescents to come forward by encouraging them to talk openly with those they trust, by telling them “I am here to listen if you ever want someone to talk to.” “This is a safe space, there is no judgment here.” One way to help the more closed-off children feel more comfortable sharing their personal lives is to share your own with them, and show them that being vulnerable is healthy and safe to do with you. Also by letting them know it is healthy to talk to friends, loved ones, and us as teachers.
Thoughts on Oprah’s statement: “Everybody has the power to make a difference in their own lives and in somebody else’s life”?
This is 100% true, no matter how complicated the situation may be there is always a way to make a difference, whether it be asking a child what they did yesterday, asking what they ate, and asking who takes care of them at home. The smallest gesture, comment, and/or question can propel somebody’s life in a completely different direction. For example, when Clayten’s sister would occasionally let him out of the closet to feed him and apply lotion to his dried-out skin, this most likely kept him alive since his parents were not feeding him or giving him water.
Classmate discussion #2
What are some “red flags” that may have hinted at abuse or neglect?
Clayton disappeared from the neighborhood for several months, the victim wondered why nobody noticed or voiced concern when he suddenly wasn’t around.
Mother abandoned the child without warning.
Older sister ran away from home to evade abuse, she revealed details that aluded to child abuse and neglect.
Officer described Clayton as a tired, sick looking young boy.
2. Who are the mandated reporters in this situation?
The two mandated reporters include the investigating police officer, Sheriff Todd Pate. There was a social worker who visited the home but claimed there was no evidence of child abuse.
3. How can we empower children/adolescents to come forward?
Adults can empower children by showing them love and affection. Letting children be children, play outdoors, engage with other children and build trusting relationships with peers and adults. Clayton was brave enough to reveal the abuse and neglect he suffered to a police officer after he was reassured that his father approved of him revealing the truth about his abuse. This led to the child admitting everything to the police officer resulting in an arrest of his parents and his safety into foster care.
4. What are your thoughts of Oprah’s statement: “Everybody has the power to make a difference in their own lives and in somebody else’s life”?
Oprah’s statement serves as an example of how any individual who is diligent can recognize signs of abuse and neglect and be a hero. Essentially, adults should be able to speak up for a child if they suspect a child is in need.
Classmate discussion 3
How do we define disability? The text book definition is “Implies a temporary or permanent reduction in function. We define disability as an act of an accident, illness or genetic disease. A disability can be physical, mental, neurological, etc.  Some disabilities put you in a wheelchair, some make you have to wear a hearing aid or glasses. Some disabilities even effect how you think, walk, talk and eat. Some are visible, some are not. The stigma that comes with the word “disability” is mostly negative. Discrimination follows disabilities as well, this is known as “social stigma.” Social stigma is like a word stain that causes the disabled person to be shunned by others. Disability is most often misconstrued. The common person believes this word means the disabled person cant do they average task as oneself. When in many cases they can, they just have a different way of doing it. About 54 million Americans have some sort of disability.
Why is invisible disability important to consider? Invisible disability can go unrecognized, untreated and shamed on from the public because the ones who have a invisible disability “don’t look sick.” They are pushed more to perform/finish or even begin a certain task that is not possible for them due to their disability and constantly guilt trip for not being able to hold up to their end of the bargain. They do not feel valuable to society because of task they can perform efficiently. They are talked down to about them not being able to push threw their disabilities. Visible disabilities go unnoticed and unrecognized.
The Ted Talk w/Loretta Clairborne first off informed me that professionals, years and years ago, highly advise parents to institutionalize their children who were born with intellectual disabilities. Our communities also denied all kinds of treatments. Health care even. Along with proper education with general population and living quarters, etc. Society would say for individuals with disabilities, to get treated at clinics for their health care needs. We all should be treated with the same amount of respect no matter any disabilities. We should all be seen as a person living in this community, on the same planet. No one should be look down on or ignored due to a disability, mentally or physically. Disabilities do not make the person, it is just another part of what makes them whole. Special Olympics NOW offers health care for their athletes and the Olympics takes place for a year long now, not long just one day. “Very proud of all your accomplishments Loretta! You are one smart, strong land brave lady, Just like your mother.”
The Ted Talk w/Temple Grandin taught me that some of the greatest minds that ever set foot on this earth, Mozart, Einstein and Tesla would highly likely all be diagnosed on the spectrum these days. Autism equals highly intelligent individuals. Individuals on the spectrum are very detailed oriented. These intelligent individuals usually end up having very important, highly respected careers. The world needs all kinds of minds to function and evolve.
The take away for social work, best practices, with this population is…Social workers can come into play in many ways with these topics. They can be advocates, mentors and teachers promoting and helping all these individuals find programs that will fit them into schools, homes and careers.
Classmate discussion #4
How do we define disability and what are the different types?
We define a disability as a temporary or permanent loss of function. The different types of disability are physical, intellectual, sensory, mental, psychiatric, cognitive or learning disabilities, and neurological.
What is is important to consider invisible disability and what does that mean (use examples from the video clips)?
Invisible disabilities are typically intellectual, cognitive processing, or mental disorders. Aspects that are unseen physically by the eyes. For example, looking at Temple Grandin, someone would not know she has a disability just by looking at her. Autism is in more moderate situations not visible to the naked eye. The same was mostly true about Loretta who talked about Special Olympics. Her head being forward and the amount of concerted concentration on her face kinda gave away that she might be a little different.
Explain Goffman’s concept of stigma and how it applies to persons with disabilities?
Goffman explains that stigma is “an attribute, behavior, or reputation which is socially discrediting in a particular way” (wikipedia.org). It is like racial profiling where people are marginalized and thrown in a category that relegates them to a category rather than as an individual. Disabled people who are stigmatized are labeled by others because of their disability rather that taking a person as a whole as a person who can offer their strengths and talents to society.
Right now my son who had a number of intellectual and cognitive disabilities is graduating high school and transitioning into young adulthood. We are working with the Department of Rehabilitation to get him into a work experience job where he would be supported by a PathPoint counselor. The counselor, (who might be a social worker?) will be there to monitor his work situation, help him learn skills, and make sure he is fitting in in his workplace. He and I have tried to go to other businesses on our own (recommended by the DOR) and explain the work experience program which includes 100 hours of free labor for the employer who would participate in the program essentially for free since the state is the one who pays for the hours of work and liability insurance not the business. Despite this arrangement we have been turned down by several Simi Valley businesses, most likely due to stigmatization. PathPoint is our next hope because they have in roads through relationships with businesses who are willing to participate in the program. It is a vulnerable situation for my son since he had a first job from a friend of mine and was unsuccessful and got laid-off. Being rejected is hard but it is harder when you know you have less to offer perhaps than a neurotypical worker. I admire his fearlessness in putting himself out there and learning how to make a life for himself.
What did you learn from the two Ted Talks (The Loretta Clairborne Ted talk about people with intellectual disabilities and Temple Grandin’s talk about people with autism)?
The Loretta Clairborne TED Talk focused in on the fearlessness of people with disabilities in trying to succeed and fit in in society despite being stigmatized. She discussed how being invited to participate in the Special Olympics helped her become fearless. Not only did she get out of isolation physically, but she also got out of her own way by becoming part of a group.
Temple Grandin’s TED Talk on autism and advocating for autistic people was fantastic. I, personally, was familiar with what she had to say because my son has high functioning autism. She described 3 different types of thinkers, photo realistic visual thinkers, pattern thinkers (Mathematicians), and verbal thinkers  who are poor at drawing which I found interesting. She is a visual thinker and sees pictures in her mind when processing her world. She is an advocate for livestock animals. Her ability to see in pictures and perceive different sensory stimuli she has been able to help the animals/ our food have a better experience as they sacrifice themselves to become our dinner. For the slaughter house, they produce better meat because stress hormones toughen the meat- the gift our autism in real time. She was also entertaining, saying that all the autistic kids belong in the Silicon Valley. Then she corrected herself and said not all autistic kids belong. I found it cool that she was funny even if she might not have intended it to be.
Finally, what are the take always for social work best practices with this population.
Understanding the classification systems and diagnostic terminology for disabilities. understanding the roles of all disability vocational rehabilitation specialists, understanding of health disparities and stigma of people with disabilities, understanding the biopsychosocial- cultural and spiritual aspects of multiple types of disabilities, crisis intervention skills, short-term counseling skills, knowledge about culturally competent assessment, counseling, and community resources are needed for best practices as a medical social worker. Also, keeping a person-first outlook on disabilities.