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CHILDREN LEARN BEST IN NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS,
AND IN EARLY ON, THE PHILOSOPHY
IS THAT PARENTS ARE THE TEACHERS.
SO WE WANT TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS
TO TEACH THEIR CHILD IN THEIR OWN ENVIRONMENTS.
YOUNG CHILDREN RECEIVE THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED
TO GROW AND DEVELOP IN YOUR TYPICAL ENVIRONMENT
THAT YOU SEE ANY CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF 3.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IS A PLACE
WHERE A CHILD WITHOUT A DISABILITY
WOULD BE EXPECTED TO BE.
THAT CAN BE HOME. IT MIGHT BE DAYCARE.
WHAT IT'S NOT DESIGNED TO BE IS A SEPARATE PLACE
JUST FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE GETTING EARLY ON SERVICES.
THAT'S NOT A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE TO BE IN THE HOME ENVIRONMENT
AND EVALUATE THAT CHILD IN THE HOME,
IT'S A MUCH MORE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
IT'S WHERE THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE,
THE PARENT FEELS COMFORTABLE,
SO THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY NORMALLY DO ON A DAILY BASIS.
AND YOU CAN IDENTIFY THEIR NEEDS A LITTLE BIT BETTER, I THINK,
AND SET GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND PROVIDE TOOLS FOR THEM
THAT IT'S MORE INDIVIDUALIZED.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT SAYS THE CHILD CAN LEARN IN ANY GROUP --
WITH THEIR SIBLINGS, WITH THEIR SISTERS,
WITH THEIR BROTHERS.
THEY CAN LEARN IN THAT TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT.
WITH THEM COMING TO YOUR HOME, IT'S MORE COMFORTABLE.
YOU'RE IN YOUR OWN SETTINGS.
THE KIDS CAN PLAY AS THEY NORMALLY DO.
THEY FEEL MORE AT EASE
AND MORE COMFORTABLE WITH SOMEBODY
INSIDE THEIR OWN HOME.
YEAH, IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE THE THERAPIST
COME TO OUR HOME FOR SEVERAL REASONS.
ONE, JUST THE CONVENIENCE OF NOT HAVING TO TAKE EVERYBODY OUT,
BUT SECONDLY, THEY DID A LOT OF THERAPIES
WITH OUR TOYS, WITH OUR EQUIPMENT,
YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT WE JUST NATURALLY HAD AT HOME.
AND WHATEVER TIME SHE CAME IN THE DOOR, THEY WERE JUST HAPPY.
THEY LIKE TO SEE HER, AND THEY KNOW SHE'S GOT TOYS.
EVERY TIME, SHE'S GOT NEW TOYS.
SO THEY PLAY TOGETHER AND LEARN TOGETHER.
I FEEL IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR HER TO BE IN HER NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
BECAUSE, ONE, IT MADE HER MORE COMFORTABLE.
THERE WASN'T AS MANY DISTRACTIONS.
AND SHE WAS MORE WILLING TO LEARN.
AND IT WAS NICE BEING IN HER NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
SO THE REST OF THE FAMILY COULD BE INVOLVED.
AND THEN SHE FOUND THAT WHAT SHE WAS DOING WAS IMPORTANT,
BECAUSE EVERYBODY ELSE TOOK VALUE IN IT, ALSO.
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO PACK UP ALL MY CHILDREN
TO TAKE THEM TO A VISIT.
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE.
WE WOULD HAVE MISSED A LOT OF VISITS.
THE LAW SAYS THAT CHILDREN GET EARLY ON SERVICES
IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.
IT'S NOT JUST A GOOD IDEA. IT'S WHAT THE LAW SAYS.
IF YOU START WITH GETTING SERVICES FOR A CHILD
IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT EARLY ENOUGH,
THEN IT MAKES IT NATURAL FOR THAT CHILD TO RECEIVE SERVICES
IN THE GENERAL-EDUCATION SETTING AT THE NEXT STEP OF THEIR LIVES
WHEN THEY'RE STARTING EITHER PRESCHOOL
OR WHEN THEY GO TO KINDERGARTEN AND START SCHOOL.
IT'S JUST ASSUMED, THEN,
THAT A CHILD WHO GREW UP IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
GETTING SERVICES AND SUPPORTS THERE
WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THE SERVICES AND SUPPORTS THEY NEED
IN THE GENERAL-EDUCATION SETTING, TOO,
AND THEN, WHEN THEY GRADUATE, ALLOW THEM THE OPPORTUNITY
TO WORK COMPETITIVELY
AND TO LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE.