Therese+Kwiatkowski

Hello! My name is Therese Bagley Kwiatkowski and I am in the 2 year Masters Program.I graduated from SOU with my B.S. in Elementary Education in 2010. I hope to teach kindergarten somewhere in the world once I graduate. I love teaching young children! I love thier never ending curiosity, sweet innocence and excitement about discovering the world around them. I am honored that teaching chose me to be part of this amazing journey alongside students. Currently I teach at an after-school progam at Helman Elementary in Ashland and feel very fortunate to have all the experiences and opprotunities there before I have a classroom of my own. It is like my very own laboratory! I get a lot of practice with many important aspects of teaching and get to spend my days with great kids.I have always wanted to be a teacher, I have never even considered another career. Through my own journey as a student I had many stuggles and difficulties learning certain subjects. With these experiences I have the opprotunity to understand what it feels like to be a struggling student. Remembering this view helps me remind myself how to be a compassionate teacher advocating for each students learning needs. Every child is different and unique and wonderful in their own way.As I grow as a person, a teacher and a mother I am amazed with how much I know, as well as how much I have to learn.This is the greatest time in my life. I have a 2 year old son, Elliot, and a husband, Jamal. We bought a little fixer-upper in Ashland and are always working on it! I thought it would be more fun....when we are not working on our house we spend much of our time in the outdoors doing things like camping or hunting morels. I love Southern Oregon, but don't really feel "at home" here. I am in the process of convincing my husband to move to Hawai'i for a year or two to fulfill my dream of teaching there before our son is ready for kindergarten. I love being a Mother more than anything in the world. My son is so much fun and amazes me with his rapid development and adorable personality. I have a lot to juggle but somehow am pulling it off! At times I struggle keeping all my ducks in a row. I am getting better and better at it. My golden ticket to success is organization and an early bedtime. I am enjoying my time in the MAT program and am glad I have the support and comradery of a cohort. Cheers to another great term!

CBL Project

I have been researching developmental delay for quite some time now and am excited to share with you my best resources on the subject! I chose to study and report on Developmental Delays because it is such a broad, generic term I wanted a better understanding for myself. I am interested in human development and early intervention in infants, Developmental Delays appear early in a child's development and the best approach to treating any issue is to intervene early. The top 5 things I learned while completing this project are; 1- signs of possible developmental delay in young children. 2- different types of developmental delays. 3- various therapy approaches and treatments available for children with developmental delays. 4- teaching strategies to try with students who are dealing with a developmental delay. 5- I found it very beneficial to watch a few videos on youtube of babies and young children with various levels of developmental delay. I appriciate the experience of those children and their families more from watching and learning how it is to walk a few steps in their shoes.

The best definition and description of 'developemental delay' comes from Healthline.com,

"Definition
A developmental delay is any significant lag in a child's physical, cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or social development, in comparison with norms.

Description
Developmental delay refers to when a [|child's development] lags behind established normal ranges for his or her age. Sometimes the term is used for **[|mental retardation]**, which is not a delay in development but rather a permanent limitation. If most children crawl by eight months of age and walk by the middle of the second year, then a child five or six months behind schedule in reaching these milestones may be classified as developmentally delayed regarding mobility. At least 8 percent of all children from [|birth] to six years have developmental problems and delays in one or more areas of development. Some have global delays, which means they lag in all developmental areas. Doctors try to locate the source of the delay and then design a treatment plan. When the cause of a child's delay is identified, the [|pediatrician] and **family** know better what to expect, and the child can begin to receive appropriate treatment and support. If the problem is a [|genetic disorder], then parents may seek genetic counseling regarding their decision on having additional children. The doctor's **assessment** has various components. The following are some of them:
 * Developmental assessment: The physician's review of a child's current competencies (including knowledge, skills, and personality), and consideration of the best ways to help the child develop further.
 * Family assessment: Interpretation of a child's development from family members, as well as their ideas about priorities and concerns about the child's future development.
 * Multidisciplinary assessment: The assessment by a group of professionals who work with the child and family, directly or indirectly. The assessment interprets different phases of a child's development and types of behavior and skills.
 * Play-based assessment: This assessment involves observation of the child playing alone, with peers, or with parents or other familiar caregivers, in free **play** or in special games. Play provides a diagnostic framework within which children show abilities, feelings, learning style, and social skills in groups." (Healthline.com 2006).

This is my favorite resource for students with developmental delay. It is a gentle reminder of things to do and things to avoid when it comes to teaching students who suffer from developmental delays or other disabilities. It is pretty much common sense, with a little expert advice sprinkled in. It is well written and easy to read. I think it will be a great resource for future teachers who are searching for a little confident shove in the right direction for serving students with disabilities. The webpage is specifically for swimming teachers (something I should never, ever be) but the first few paragraphs are great for all educators. I give this a 5 out of 5. []

This is another very helpful resource about children with developmental delays. It is tied for first place of my favorite resource about developmental delays. I will be showing a quick view of both of them since I cannot decide which is the //best one!// This wiki gives a very clear description of what this disability can look like in all stages of a persons life. I think that it is very well organized and informative. I give it a 5 out of 5 too. []

I found this website for the National Institue on Developmental Delays (NIDD) and it is full of relevant and helpful information for teachers and families concerning Developmental Delays. There are many links to connect you with information on a plethera of issues surrounding this disability. I rate it a 4 out of 5. []

This is an informative video about developmental delays in children and what signs to look for in young children. It is aimed at childen a few months old to a few years old. The early signs of development are shared, what to look for and how to intervene early to help a child get back on track. The video really empowers parents as the ones who know a child best, and will therefor notice a sign that thier child is not developing as they should be. I rate it a 4 out of 5.

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I found this link to be a great article about teaching strategies to use for students with developmental delays. They are strategies that would be helpful to children with other disabilities as well. I rate it a 4 out of 5. []

This is another helpful resource about students and children with developmental delay issues. I would easily recommend this to families of these children. It is good overall information, but the best part about this website is the information it contains about Developmental Delays and where they fall under IDEA and the legal responsibility a state has to serve a child with developmental disorder. As future teachers we know all this information, but most parents will not. This is a great resource with easily accesible language and explaination to whomever reads it. It also gives additional resources for students, teachers and parents of children with developmental delays. I rate this website a 4 out of 5. []

This was a great resource for parents. It is a website about developmental disabilities and the benefits of early intervention. Most of the information is for parents younger children. The website really stresses the importance of simple screening and well-baby checks with a doctor in the first years of a child's life. The website is very easy to navigate and is worded with very understandable language. I rate it a 4 out of 5. []

This website is interesting, I don't know how factual the findings are, but I want to say its a good source....The believed causes of developmental delay are listed and explained. There are many indicators and possilbe causes of developmental delays. Most of which are not something that can be proven, they are thought to be causes. The list is helpful and organized. I rate this website a 3 out of 5. []

This is an article that goes deeper into the explaination of the common causes and believed factors for developmental delays in children. It is a very interesting article full of statistics and facts. I rate it a 3 out of 5. []