4 Things to Begin Each School Year for Parents of Children Receiving Special Services
The beginning of the school year is a time for new beginnings and an opportunity to establish attitudes and routines to be successful. In a previous blog, 4 Things Parents of Children Receiving Special Services Need to Do Each Summer, I reviewed things to do over the summer. As summer comes to a close, I will review things you can do to start your school year off right!
1. Review IEP File and Documentation
While you were having summer fun, it is possible that some of the details of your child’s IEP or 504 plan slipped from your memory. As the school year approaches, it is a good idea to pull out your documents from last year to refresh yourself about key points. Review your child’s IEP services and placement and make note of what services your child should be receiving, how much, and where the services are to be delivered. For example, should your child be getting 30 minutes per week of speech therapy in a small group? How much reading instruction are they supposed to get? Is it in the general education classroom or in a resource room? Also make note of what types of accommodations your child should be receiving. When the school year starts, make sure that the services and accommodations your child is receiving is consistent with what was written in the most recent IEP.
Hopefully, your school year will go smoothly with no problems. However, it is best to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Having neatly organized files and a log of all your correspondence is a part of preparing for the worst. In addition to reviewing past documentation, make a plan for how you will collect and organize future information as you receive it. Future documentation includes your paperwork and documentation. Something that is often overlooked is making a plan to track correspondence with school staff including phone calls, emails, and informal conferences.
If you keep a log of all correspondence you have with your child’s teachers or other IEP team members, you will have the records you need to ask for changes to your child’s plan if needed. For example, if the school tries to deny knowledge of your child’s weakness in a certain area, you can refer to your log of conferences with the teacher on the topic, progress reports, or work samples showing skill deficits. If you need help with documentation, you can refer to The Story System. The Story System is an online course which teaches you fast digital document organization to tell your child’s IEP story.
2. Establish a Routine
As the new school year approaches, you can begin to establish routines to keep things easy and simple for you and your child. Implement or re-establish a bedtime and night time routine to help your child get adequate rest to be prepared to learn. You can also practice getting up at time for school to help your child’s body adjust to the school day schedule. As the school year begins, work with your child to establish a schedule and routine for completing homework and other after school activities.
3. Establish a Communication Plan For Your School Team
Another important thing to do at the beginning of each school year is to establish a communication plan to communicate effectively with your child’s school team. No one wants to be shocked by receiving a report card with low grades. No one wants to get a call from the teacher about unexpected behaviors. When establishing a communication plan with your child’s teacher, work together to determine what methods of communication will work best for you. For example, should you expect to receive information through written notes, email, phone calls, or a classwide reporting system. Also determine the expected frequency of communication. That lets you know if you should expect to hear from your child’s teacher daily, weekly, or on some other schedule. Knowing what to expect makes things better for all parties involved. Read more about How to Effectively Communicate with Your Child’s IEP Team in my previous blog.
4. Help Your Child Acclimate - Set a Positive Tone
Last but not least, is to help your child acclimate to the new school year and to set a positive tone. Attend any open house or other similar events that will allow your child to meet his or her teacher and begin to become familiar with the expectations for the new school year. If your child has difficulty adjusting to changes, talk through the new routine with them frequently to help them adjust. Even if you or your child had difficulty in a previous school year, this is your time to start anew. Set a positive tone for the new school year and communicate that to your child.
Dr. Brandi Tanner is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and former special educator with over 15 years of experience in her fields. She founded Your IEP Source to guide parents through the IEP journey and to empower them to become better advocates for their children.