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Advocating for your child, New Parents of Children with Autism, Parent Support, Uncategorized Comments (0)
Ensuring your child receives a proper education can be quite a task. Parents of children with special needs sometimes feel helpless when relying on a public school system to appropriately meet their child’s needs.
Every school system will be a different as your child in terms of the available supports, training of staff, leadership, etc. Learning how to work with your child’s educational team is an essential piece to your child’s education.
The following are tips for working with your child’s team:
Identify the Need
Come prepared. Developing a solid educational plan for your child requires all team members working with your child to understand his/her needs and effective strategies for supporting these needs. Identify areas of deficit and prepare a list of objectives to discuss with your team related to specific areas of support, behavioral, academic objectives, etc.
Do Your Homework
Speak with other families, educators, professionals, find literature or other resources to begin to learn how to best support each of your listed objectives.
Inform Staff
Share these strategies, and any available resources with your team members. Provide staff with appropriate literature, materials, websites, etc. throughout your child’s school year to assist you team in developing appropriate supports.
Be a Team Player
Remember this is a team. Become a solid member of this team. Build relationships. Listen to ideas of other team members, and learn how to advocate for your child with your knowledge of him and effective interventions vs. your emotions. Removing your emotions from discussions about your child is nearly an impossible task, but the more you advocate for your child with your knowledge rather than your emotions, the more effective you will be in advocating and working as a team to meet his/her needs. Educate yourself on your child’s disability, state and federal educational law, and best-practice standards for interventions.
Use Data
Review data to assist in problem-solving and making decisions on your child’s progress and the effectiveness of interventions.
Effectively Communicate
Work on developing effective communication channels with necessary staff. Communicate regularly on your child’s progress and needs. Share information from home with team members that may be helpful in supporting your child.
AmyShymansky @ October 15, 2009
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