Advocacy in Action: Five back to school tips for your children with special needs

Most children have some anxiety about returning to school according to John Piacentini, Ph.D. of UCLA's Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. Your

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children may be starting a new school, moving to a new classroom or getting a new teacher. The uncertainty of these unknown places and people is usually the cause of their anxieties.

You can reduce your children's back to school anxiety by preparing them for their return to school. Here are some tips to help get you and your children with special needs ready for the new school year.

1. Time to get organized

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Organization is a common problem for many children with special needs. Disorganization results in missed assignments, tests or children not having the correct books for homework. Start by reviewing any organizational tactics used in the past. Consider what tactics worked and what didn’t work.

Talk with your children and get their input on where they need the most help. Then, together with your children, make a plan. When making this plan consider:

what type of school bag will work best
will a calendar or diary be helpful
what type of binder or folder will be used for loose papers
how will homework be communicated – will it be written down or dictated
whether or not having two sets of school books/tools would be helpful
if color-coding books by subject would help
what your children’s new timetable will be at home and at school

Your children should have a separate area for doing homework and studying. This area can be in their bedrooms or another room. The homework/study area should include:

desk
pens, pencils and other supplies
calendar
clock
timer
class schedule
home timetable

You will need to work with your children to teach them how to get organized.

“School Organization Tips for Students with ADHD or Learning Disabilities” from ADDitude has great tips for teaching your child about prioritizing work and time management.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities has a list of apps that help with organization and study.

2. Review your children's IEPs

If your children qualified for individualized education plans (IEPs) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the US, or under the law of another country, you need to review your children’s IEPs from the previous year. Ask yourself; are there objectives or goals from those IEPs that need to be changed? What do you think are your children’s most pressing needs for the new school year? Does the current IEP reflect these needs? Depending on your children’s age, consider involving them in the IEP process.

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Prepare a list with any concerns, questions, or suggestions you have about your children's IEPs. If you want to set new goals and need some ideas, check out the IEP Goal Bank. Contact your children's school and schedule a meeting to discuss your concerns with school staff. Do not wait for the school to contact you.

The Special Education Guide has a comprehensive and easy to read explanation of the IEP process in the US. A short overview of the IEP process is on the website of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.

3. Help prepare your children's school

Remember that you know your children better than anyone. You know what worked for them and what has not. Use your knowledge to educate school staff about your children.

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A simple way to share your knowledge with school staff is by preparing a one or two page summary of information on your child. This summary should include the following information about your children:

diagnoses
strengths
weaknesses
strategies that work
strategies that don’t work
calming methods
medications
emergency contact numbers

Keep your summary short and format it so that it is easy to read. If you have articles or other information that explains your children’s diagnoses, consider distributing copies of those as well. Give copies of these materials to all school personnel who will have substantive interactions with your children.

The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities website has fact sheets on many special needs. You can print out the fact sheets and give them to teachers as the sheets usually include tips for teachers.

4. Prepare your children with special needs

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Ideally, your children already had a tour of their new classrooms or schools and met the teachers. If this tour has not happened yet, find out if you can bring your children to the new school or classroom before the official opening day.

Confirm all basic school information including bus pick up and drop off times, school starting and finishing times, classroom, teacher, aides etc. Use this information to reassure your children about the routine they will be following when school starts.

Ask your children if they have any concerns or worries about the new school year. If they do, is there anything you can do to alleviate or lessen them?

Care.com discusses common worries children have when they are going back to school.

Suite 101 has some more tips on the back to school transition.

5. Are you ready for back to school?

You are the best advocate for your children because you know your children best. You cannot be an effective advocate for your children if you do not have a good working relationship with the people involved in your children’s

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education. Think about how you can foster your relationship with your child’s teachers, aides and school administrators in the new school year. Here are some ideas: