USING COMMUNITY RESOURCES TO IMPROVE STUDENT COMPETENCE IN INTERACTIONS WITH DISABLED CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES

Susan A. DeRiemer, Ph.D.*, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN, 37208 U.S.A.

Purpose

Medical students enter training with knowledge of and attitudes towards the disabled reflective of those of the general population.  A series of activities using community resources was designed with the goals of changing student attitudes towards working with disabled children and their families, improving their ability to communicate with children and their caregivers, and increasing knowledge of available community resources.

Methods

Activities were introduced into a required sophomore class entitled “Growth, Development and Aging” developed in 2006 for Meharry’s reorganized basic science curriculum.  Lectures on normal development were supplemented with three types of activities: 1)  A web-based assessment of subconscious bias,  2) A panel of parents of children with disabilities (2 hours), and 3) Observation and interactions with children at local special education schools and resource centers (1-2 hours).  Associated with each activity was a short written assignment that included a self-evaluation of the impact of the experience.   Questions on the impact of class activities on attitudes towards working with the disabled were also included in the course evaluation.

Results

Qualitative evidence from student assignments, while subjective, suggests that interactions with children, parents and special education professionals leads to increases in comfort level, use of effective communication strategies, awareness of physician-family dynamics, and interest in inclusion of disabled children and their families in future practice. 

Conclusions

Relatively brief exposure of medical students to positive views of the potential of children with disabilities is a useful strategy to lay the groundwork for future competence in serving these patients.