Coaching chats
Supportive Learning Environments and Empowering Special Needs Children for Success: a Coaching Chat with Stacy Anderson [EP 13]
August 4, 2023
Welcome back to Coaching Chats, the podcast where we dive deep into topics surrounding personal growth, education and coaching. In today's episode, we have a very special interview with Stacy Anderson, a passionate advocate for better communication and inclusivity in our education system. Stacy shares her personal journey and the numerous challenges she faced navigating the school system for her child with autism. From difficulties in contacting the school to frustrations with limited parent-teacher communication, Stacy opens up about the struggles many parents face when trying to support their children's education. But Stacy doesn't just highlight the problems; she also offers insights and solutions to create a more supportive and empowering environment for children with special needs. Join us as we delve into Stacy's inspiring story and explore the importance of understanding, compassion, and individualized approaches to education.

Speaker Bio: 

Stacy Anderson has dedicated the past 13 years of her life to being a full-time mum, while also working on kitchens and factory paintings. However, raising her two special needs children brought her immense fulfillment as she helped them overcome their obstacles and witnessed their growth. This experience inspired Stacy to expand her role beyond her own children and extend her support to other people's kids as well. Becoming a counselor at a court seemed like a natural transition for Stacy, as she had always been passionate about listening to people's problems and offering guidance. This unwritten job description of being a counselor proved to be another aspect of her life that she thoroughly enjoyed.

Topics Covered in this episode:

- Difficulties in communication with the child's high school
- Child diagnosed with autism and need for communication and collaboration with teachers
- Lack of direct communication from head teacher
- Frustration with limited and unproductive parent-teacher meetings
- Importance of open communication with teachers without frustration
- Autism should not be used as an excuse, individuals with autism can still learn and achieve
- Example of friend with dyslexia becoming a successful chef
- Exploitation of disabilities for benefits by some parents
- Unique problem-solving skills and perspectives of individuals with autism
- Importance of understanding and compassion towards individuals with autism
- Frustration with negative experiences involving teachers and their impact on trust
- Fixed mindset created by constant "can't do" messages
- Exploitative behavior of holding back a special needs child
- Building confidence and overcoming barriers
- Difficulties accessing therapy and counseling services for children with learning difficulties 
- Lack of urgency and services to address children's mental health issues
- Example of school not providing counseling for self-harming student
- Government's acknowledgment but lack of action
- Concerns about a frightening teacher's behavior with students and other teachers
- Frustration with excessive and arbitrary consequences at school
- Frustration with amount of homework and high expectations on children
- Importance of not labeling children and recognising individual differences and talents
- Society and teacher's treatment of students based on strengths and weaknesses
- Brief mention of special needs children attending regular schools
- Criticism of focusing on what special needs children can't do instead of their strengths
- Negative impact of careless use of diagnoses on children's self-perception
- Importance of giving children space and time to be heard
- Focus on learning how to market and promote their own business
- Building a team with different specializations
- Belief in the importance of life coaching and support for young adults transitioning to high school
- Importance of building confident, compassionate, and understanding individuals
- Child's diagnosis of severe anxiety
- Child's developmental delay and the speaker's initial feelings of devastation
- Encouragement of allowing children to explore interests and learn in their own ways

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