Emma Wagner

Professor Mitchell
SED342

Family Project
 Family Overview
There are four members (mom, dad, older brother, and sister).
The mom was a speech pathologist, and the dad was a high
school teacher. The brother graduated from college and is now a
teacher. The daughter has a certification of completion from high
school. She is cognitively impaired and suffers from anxiety and
OCD.

The family has a strong relationship and was very open to

sharing their story. I was touched by their story. The parents
did what was best for their children while having very time-
consuming careers. They were involved in the community and
many activities. When the parents look back at raising their
children, they only think of the great memories they made.
Both of their children live successful lives now.
 Family Characteristics
Family as a whole:
There are 4 members of the Hunt Family: mom, dad, son, and
daughter. They are a white, middle-class family.

Individual Members:
Marsha, who is the mother, is the caretaker. All the family functions
run through Marsha. She is the planner.
Warren, who is the father, has a more quiet demeanor. He was in
charge of doing recreational activities with the kids.
Neil, the son, helped take care of Ellen. He was her best friend. It was
also a hardship in his life.
Ellen, the daughter, is bright and bubbly. She is a drama queen who
loves to shop. She holds the family together.

Unique Circumstances:
Ellen is cognitively impaired which was unexpected. The family had
to learn how to adapt to life with a daughter who needed special
services.
 Family Interactions
As said before the family is very close, but that does not mean they did not have struggles.
The mother was the primary caretaker of the daughter. The mom attended IEP and transition
meetings. The mom also arranged for the daughter to be in many activities to keep her busy.
When the dad began his new job teaching at his daughter's high school, through her, the dad
formed relationships with his students. The dad and daughter's favorite activity was to watch
movies together. The brother had a harder time growing up with a sister who was cognitively
impaired, but he spent lots of time with her. He helped out with Ellen.
Now the family is still close even though they do not live near each other. The daughter lives in
New York at Camphill. The parents are still in Southern Michigan. The family visits the daughter
two times a year, and she comes to them once a year. The parents call her every Sunday at 11
a.m.
The son is married. The daughter lives in a group home and works at Camphill. She loves to heard
and milk the cows.

Marsha and Warren are still happily married. They are both retired now. When Ellen was young,
Marsha and Warren still made time for date night once a week. Marsha would have one of her
friend's daughters come over and "hang out" with Ellen.
 Family Functions
Affection- The Hunt family shows affection for one another by spending time together.
They all held each other to high expectations.
Self-Esteem- The family did not mention any hindrance to their self-esteem except with
Ellen who did not have much growing up.
Spiritual- The family is Catholic, but there was no celebration of religion.
Economics- Both parents had jobs in education. They did not struggle financially. They
receive SSI. Ellen lives at Camp Hill which has no cost.
Daily Care- From a young age, Ellen was determined to be mostly independent. She
likes to present herself in a fashionable manner. She will never be seen without a purse.
Marsha did most of the care for Ellen. Ellen did have a "ladysitter" that would come help
out as well.
Socialization- Ellen had no problem socializing until after she graduated high school.
Then most of her friends went off to college. At Camp Hill, Ellen has a whole family.
Recreation- movies, Special Olympics, parades, gymnastics, Girl Scouts, Helping Hands
Educational- The family held high expectations for education because they were
teachers. They respected teachers and other staff members. The school was like their
second home.
 Family Life Cycles
Ellen began walking at age 3.
Ellen was not potty trained until the age of 7.
Ellen started picking her skin at age 21.
At age 21, Ellen had an increase in temper tantrums.
Ellen graduated high school with a completion certification in 2002.
In 2004, Ellen moved to Camp Hill.
She was ready to start a new chapter in her life. Marsha and Warren had
a hard time leaving Ellen.
Ellen is an active community member, has a career, and lives with her
family.
The family still gets together at least 3 times a year.
Marsha wanted Ellen to be in a self-contained classroom.
Ellen and her family did not have many transition supports
 Extended Family Work

Neil's Speech
Wife Pathologist
Marsha's Family/Household Friends
Aunt
Many of Marsha's
Warren and Marsha Hunt School friends had
Work daughters Ellens
Walder Preschool age, and they
High Elementary Catholic became friends
School Neil Ellen School in Toledo
Bedford High School
Teacher Ellen attended ISD after
42 years 39 years
old old
high school
Neil went off to college Pets
Recreation
Health Care
Camping Retirement
Cat
Movies Insurance
Out to Dinner medicate
(SSI)
 Partnership Plan
To enhance the partnership with the Hunt family, I would use the seven
principles of partnership. By following these principles I would have a
better relationship with the family allowing for more effective IEP and
transition plans. The seven principles include communication, respect,
equality, trust, competence, advocacy, and commitment. Ellen's parents
had limited support for Ellen's transition after high school. They had to
find Camp Hill all on their own. If I was the special education teacher on
her caseload, I would have helped Ellen with her transition plan for
post-secondary school. I would have listened to Ellen's wants and
needs that were not being met by analyzing the transition
assessments. She was ready to be more independent from her family.
Summary
Overall I learned a lot from my multiple interviews
and conversations with the Hunt family. It was
refreshing to see how well this family advocated for
themselves. They were able to find a successful
environment for Ellen to live in. Although they did
not have many transition supports, the family
adapted and found success.
Thank You!