Setting your Child up for Success at School

For a child with special needs, attending school can be very difficult due to sensory aversions, behavioral concerns, and difficulty engaging with peers and teachers. This difficulty the child has can carry over to the child’s family making the school year (and navigating school) very difficult for the child and their family.
 
Try the following strategies to set your child up for success in school:

• Establish communication with your child’s teacher at the beginning of the school year. Make sure you take the time to introduce yourself, your child, and any other family members who may be involved with your child’s schooling or communicating with the child’s teacher. I encourage families to do this at the beginning of the school year – don’t want until you have questions or concerns. This way you have already established the best way to communicate with the teacher (phone, email, etc.) and this way the teacher is familiar with your child and family. That way if there are any questions or concerns, they can be addressed quickly.

 

• Familiarize yourself with any IEPs, 504 plans, or supports/services your child needs to be successful in school. If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, make sure you are familiar with the document and what supports and services your child is supposed to be receiving. This way if you have concerns about what services your child is receiving you can compare this with what services are outlined in the IEP or 504 plan.

• Don’t have an IEP or 504 plan for your child? No problem! If you feel that your child with special needs may benefit from having additional support or services in school, reach out to your child’s principal and teacher and let them know that you would like to have them evaluated for services.

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See you soon!
Michael Jankowski, MS, OTR/L