With this belief system in mind, I have decided to serve the many families who have a

participant at Extra Special People, Inc. (ESP) through family education and support. We are
hoping to do three events, two of which I will assist with and one that I will totally be in charge
of. My seminar will have the intention of introducing families to the different alternative
therapies, businesses, services, and organizations that are offered locally here in Athens. I have
set out to provide resources, research, and assist with getting their ESP participant involved in
these services.
Most of the time, many of our ESP families do not even realize what is available in their
own backyard! Outlined by my supervisor as well as the Parent Advisory Committee at ESP,
there is a definite knowledge gap between services that are offered in Athens and services that
are actually utilized.
In a national survey done questioning the importance of family involvement in a person
with a disabilitys life, it was shown that the family is critical to the development of a positive
identity, high self esteem, and high self determination (Singer, 2002). The family not only
allows a person with disabilities to take risks, but also to have a personal advocate for education
and community inclusion (Singer, 2002). The family can also provide an increase of autonomy,
and care for a person with a disability, ranging in levels of assistance and education (Singer,
2002). The family can serve as a facilitator of positive change for the person with a disability in
also all areas of life (Suppo & Floyd, 2012). Through all the literature and research done
concerning family and disability, there is one constant theme: family training and education is
key to better outcomes for all parties involved (Suppo & Floyd, 2012).
Although there are many ways that a family can help a person with a disability, a family
can at times feel stress if there is not a goodness of fit level between the services being offered

and the family itself (Singer, 2002). This is why it is key for families to try many different types
of alternative therapy and other services to see what best fits the person with a disability as well
as the family as a whole (Singer, 2002).
I hope that my event at ESP helped families discover what is a best fit for them, leading
to a more positive experience for the entire family. For example, having a family member take
part in hippotherapy could benefit the family as a whole because there could be other members in
the family who like being on a farm and working with animals. This would mean the whole
family could get involved in the therapy, leading to a more successful outcome through mutual
support. However, hippotherapy may not be the best route for a family if one or more of its
members are afraid of horses, creating stress and negativity. Family education about available
services is key to achieve positive identities and outcomes for a person with disabilities.
It has been proven time and time again by researchers that no diagnosis is an end all be
all. Every single person with a disability is different, and no diagnosis provides blanket answers
or treatment plans that will be effective. There is a lot more research to be done to discover the
best way to meet the needs of each individual who has a disability (Lord & Bishop, 2010). One
thing that is clear however is the diversity that can be found in children and adults with
disabilities, and that this diversity changes throughout the lifespan (Lord & Bishop, 2010).
Therefore, the assessments and interventions done need to be even more diversified than even
the individual is to accommodate for variability (Lord & Bishop, 2010). What is key to
appropriate therapy and services is the careful assessment of each individual at different points
throughout their lifespan (Lord & Bishop, 2010).
For example, when I was a child I was afraid of dogs, all types. Big or small, cute or
mean, I ran screaming and crying in the other direction. However, now that I am a young adult, I

have learned more about animal safety and immensely enjoy the company of dogs. Therefore,
when I was young a service dog would not have been right for me. In contrast, using a service
dog would be a perfect fit for me in the present day.
This example, and many others, shows why there should be assessments throughout ones
lifetime that are independent of each other (Lord & Bishop, 2010). Meaning, my fear of dogs as
a child should not influence my present day assessment. Otherwise, I would miss out on a great
opportunity based off of a now nonexistent fear. This can relate specifically to Autism Spectrum
Disorder in that a person with Autism could continue to need significant supports as they grow
older while another person can have more limited supports with the same positive outcomes
(Lord & Bishop, 2010). By providing different types of therapy throughout a persons life, we
allow them to receive supports and services that are more inline with the multiple and
intersecting characteristics that they may display at different time periods (Lord & Bishop,
2010).
Families can be the most effective pillars of positive change for a person with a disability
in nearly all areas: social, emotional, communicative, and behavioral (Suppo & Floyd, 2012).
However, families who have a member that has a disability often face discrepancies between
what services their family member needs and the availability of services in their immediate area
(Suppo & Floyd, 2012). This discrepancy can also be caused because of a lack of knowledge of
available services (Suppo & Floyd, 2012). I am hoping that through providing direct education
about alternative therapies and other services in the Athens area will allow ESP families to
provide the highest amount of positive change for the person with a disability. As outlined by
Suppo and Floyd in their 2012 study, many families seek web-based support to find out about
services in their area. However, many families are met with a maze of information that most of

the time creates more questions than answers (Suppo & Floyd, 2012). Through my seminar and
expo as well as resource materials, I can help direct parents through this maze by giving them
localized agencies that they can immediately begin to utilize.

References
Lord, C., & Bishop, S. L. (2010). Autism Spectrum Disorders: Diagnosis, Prevalence, and
Services for Children and Families. Social Policy Report, 24(2), 3-21. ISSN: 10757031
Singer, G. S. (2002). Suggestions for a pragmatic program of research on families and disability.
The Journal Of Special Education, 36(3), 148-154. doi:10.1177/00224669020360030501
Suppo, J., & Floyd, K. (2012). Parent Training for Families Who Have Children with Autism: A
Review of the Literature. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 31(2), 12-26.