The Adeje Summer University addresses the work of families and centers with children with specific support needs 

The Adeje Cultural Centre is hosting, from today Monday 17th until Wednesday 19th of July, within the Adeje Summer University 2023, A course dedicated to professionals in pedagogy and education so that they can carry out a intervention plan for children with specific educational support needs, focusing on the role of the family.

María del Carmen Rodríguez Jiménez, Professor [Name], from the Department of Didactics and Educational Research at the University of La Laguna and director of this course, points out that it is essential for professionals working with this group to collaborate with their families. “Families need to be involved in the workshops with their children so they can learn firsthand what is being done and continue this work at home.”.

There is a wide range of educational needs, from hearing impairment and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to autism spectrum disorder and literacy difficulties, among others, and each requires a very specific approach. Parents must coordinate with the team of psychologists, speech therapists, and teachers, or even with the doctors treating their children, to achieve more effective results.

As a result of this collaborative work, the family will be able to apply this approach to their daily lives, and the results will be faster. “A child with a hearing impairment will learn much faster if, in addition to the therapy session with their speech therapist, their parents reinforce what they learned at home, if they have also been in the session and know how to practice,” says Rodríguez.

During these three days at the Adeje Summer University, an open and flexible methodology will be used, based on an action-oriented approach. Furthermore, among the objectives of this program are to explore the concept of family quality of life, understand the reactions and emotions of families after their child's diagnosis, and learn about the models of relationships between families and professionals.

The general idea is to implement a support model tailored to each family and to encourage a greater degree of parental involvement, always in coordination with experts.