A new school year is starting. Are you ready? For families of students with special needs, getting ready for a new school year involves more than buying new shoes, and gathering up school supplies. It also involves a partnership between parents, teachers, and school administrators. As a former teacher, who has worked in classrooms designed to meet the needs of children who had a variety of special needs, I thought I would share some advice that can help your child have a great school year.
While some kids cannot wait for the new school year to start, this is often a source of anxiety for children with special needs. All kids thrive when they have a set, daily, routine. Summer has been going on for a few months, and is almost over. Suddenly, the routine your child has gotten used to is going to change, in big ways! This can be especially anxiety provoking for students who have special needs, (whatever those needs may be). Fortunately, there are some things parents can do to help their child adjust to school.
Make a school year routine, and stick to it!
Designate a new, school appropriate, bedtime. Your child might have gotten used to staying up late at night, and sleeping in over the summer. Now is the time to change over to a new bedtime. Make sure your child gets enough sleep. Kids who come to school sleepy don’t learn as much as those who are ready for their day. Sleepy children tend to show more problematic behaviors than children who got the right amount of sleep. This means that your child might be spending his school day resisting the help and instruction that he is there to receive. It can also mean that your child will be very embarrassed about the behaviors he exhibited when he was sleepy. Getting enough sleep can spare your child some potential anxiety.
Get involved with the team.
Teachers of special needs students often work in a team: the teacher, the teacher’s aids, the school counselor, and the principal. The most important part of that team is you, the parent! Please show up for IEP meetings. Please ask questions about anything you are unclear about. Please follow through with decisions that have been agreed upon. Please respond to phone calls from the school, and notes that are sent home with your child. Your child will have a much better school year if everyone works together to help make that happen.
Bring your child to school on time.
Classrooms designed to meet the needs of special needs students run on a specific routine. If your child is late, that means she misses part of this routine. Instead of starting the school day by going over the calendar, she is jumping in, and starting with math. This can be very hard for a child to adjust to, and a source of anxiety. It is also important that you don’t allow your child to miss too many school days, because the more school she misses, the more time it will take for her to adjust to the school schedule. Most children find comfort in knowing what will happen next at school. Give your child the best opportunity possible to gain that knowledge, and comfort.