Only when the strengths, interests and "assets" of each individual and family are recognized can a person experience full inclusion in family, school and community life.
Early childhood for all children is a time of learning and adjustment. Through love, support and opportunities to learn and explore their world, families, communities, and schools provide the foundation for the lifelong successful development of a child. Therefore, IHDD focuses on teaching families, teachers, and community to recognize and focus on strengths and assets.
Early Childhood Mission Statement
Early childhood intervention efforts at IHDD focus on recognition of the individual strengths, interests, and preferences - "assets" of each child and family in order to support their participation in everyday family, school and community life. Through participating in activities together, doing the things children do, children learn from one another while developing positive relationships and friendships. Because the ages zero to five are the most critical for a child's language, reasoning, problem solving, social skills, and behavioral and emotional health developement, IHDD aims to engage families and providers in a positive, strengths-based focus from the very beginning. As a result, families and services providers develop strong collaborative relationships that are responsive to the family's unique blend of culture, community and resources and promote the successful development of the child.
Take A Look At MeTM
Many services for children from disadvantaged backgrounds are often focused on identification and remediation of weaknesses and deficits. As children grow and develop, families experience a seemingly unending series of assessments and evaluations, detailing failures and skill deficits. All too often, these experiences create a negative, deficit-focused vision of a child. As this happens, expectations for the person are diminished and the hopes and dreams of the person and his/her family languish. In response, IHDD has developed the Take A Look At Me™ Portfolio to address the barriers that individuals and families encounter. This 20+ page book, which has been translated into Spanish, French, Vietnamese, etc. and is offered in both early childhood and school-age and adult versions, allows families to express themselves through both imagery and language. Through photographs, personalized artwork and written descriptions from the series of open-ended questions, an individual, along with family and friends are encouraged to reflect upon and demonstrate the hopes, dreams, and goals that are the foundations of building a healthy, well-rounded and self-determined life. Once completed, the portfolio can be shared with family, friends, teachers, and others to present a positive, holistic picture of an individual’s strengths and interests in a manner that is simple and focused on the person in the context of the family. To learn more about using the portfolio as a tool for empowerment in a wide variety of settings, visit our website www.takealookatmeportfolio.com and look for our new website www.strengthsbased.com coming soon!
For more information on specific projects, follow the links on the left, or contact: Kim Horner - khorner@ihdd.uga.edu or Mary Rugg - mrugg@ihdd.uga.edu.
