8 Back-to-School Tips For Parents of Kids With Special Needs ~ health and fitness,celebrity news,fashion blog,beauty women,whole foods,quotes about love

vendredi 18 août 2017

8 Back-to-School Tips For Parents of Kids With Special Needs

Back to school can be an anxiety-provoking time for parents under the best of circumstances. Making sure your kids have the right clothes and the right supplies can be overwhelming, but when you're the parent of a child with special needs, you have to make sure they have the right program in place, too.

Here are some tips to help make sure you and the school are ready for your child to go back to school.

1. Look over your child's current Individualized Education Plan.

If your child with special needs receives special education services, then she has an Individualized Education Plan outlining her needs, academic goals, and services needed to meet those goals. Before school starts is the time to make sure you recall all the services and accommodations your child's IEP has in place. If you can't find a current copy, get in touch with the school or the district's special education office to request a copy.

2. Double-check all the pieces of the IEP are in place.

Once you're up-to-date on what your child's plan says, it's time to check in and make sure all the services will be provided this school year. Reach out to your child's case manager or the school's IEP coordinator and ask specifically how the accommodations and services will be implemented. After all, as mom Mary M. asks, "If parents do not stand up for their child's IEP who will?"

OK, so what next?

3. Meet your child's new teachers and tell them about your child.

Special Education Advisor points out that many kids with special needs have some quirks that teachers ought to know about, but your child also has wonderful things about him that the teacher should know about, too.

Make a point to sit down with or schedule a conference call with your child's new teachers to tell them the good things and the not-so-good things they need to know about your child. Reading a child's file isn't the same as learning about him from someone who knows him.

4. Ensure that transportation is set up.

Special transportation is frequently a service on an IEP, meaning the school will provide transportation other than the regular bus to get your child to her school or special education program.

If you haven't heard yet, check in with the bus company or special education office to get the details about where and when your child will be picked up. Then you can do a "run-through" to make sure your child understands the routine.

5. Organize and reorganize activities and therapy appointments.

You may have changed your child's schedule around for the Summer, but LDOnline.org reminds parents of kids with special needs that before school starts, it's time to start planning a more school-hour-friendly routine. Talk to your child's service providers, get after-school care or activities set up, and try to start the new routine a few weeks before school so it's an easier transition for your child.

6. Take your child to tour the school.

This is really only necessary if your child is going to be in a new school this year or is having a hard time remembering the layout of his school. But if a tour will ease his anxiety, call the school and set one up.

7. Start a new communication notebook.

Mom Nora L. says she sends a communication notebook to and from school with her child to help her and the teachers keep on top of what's happening with her son. It's a great way to stop playing phone tag with the school and let them know if your child is having a rough day.

It's also a good idea to start a new log to keep track of phone calls about your child; you just need to keep track of who you spoke to when and for what reason.

8. Go back-to-school shopping early.

If your child is anything like my child with special needs, who has Asperger syndrome, then he's very particular about his clothing and supplies. They have to feel and look just right. Plus, he gets overwhelmed in crowded stores.

Now's the time to shop; you'll not only avoid the rush, but you also have some time to return clothes that are uncomfortable for some elusive reason or notebooks that are the absolute wrong color.

vendredi 18 août 2017