There is nothing that can prepare any parent when they find out that their child has special needs. It is like someone has kicked you in the gut. This label changes the way you think your child will be perceived by others and how they will move into the world on their own. There is a sense of major loss and failure as a parent.
Aside from the typical parental worries, will my child meet someone, will my child get picked on, what their schooling experience will be like a sense of urgency erupts. Below are some really important pointers that may aid you in navigating through the trenches of helping your child if she/he has special needs.
Get your child assessed. Make sure that you have properly assessed your child's ability with a psycho-educational assessment. This can be done free through the public school boards however because of the high demand, getting your child assessed could take anywhere from 1 -2 years. The other option is to get an assessment done privately. Typically an assessment that will evaluate your child will cost anywhere between 2000-3000.00$
Speak up- When dealing with your child's school, don't be ashamed of your child's needs. At the same time schedule a meeting time with both current teacher and principal to measure what your options are for your child in the class.
Keep the lines of communication open -Don't just email and/or call your child’s teacher or administration team, schedule time for face to face follow up sessions. Being able to read ones facial expressions prevent any mixed meaning between text to erupt. At the same time, this informs your child's educator that you are on top of things and things cannot be shoved into a corner and forgotten about.
Request formal meetings so that information can be documented. Formal meetings within the public school board can consist of a team meeting where parent, teacher, principal and M.A.R.T teacher (methods and resource teacher) are present and specific strategies for your child can be documented. This allows all parties involved a chance to know what your child's strengths/weaknesses are and how she/he can be accomodated in the classroom setting. The next step after a team meeting once your child has been formally identified as “exceptional” would be to have an IPRC meeting (individual placement and review committee). At this meeting your child will be formally identified and any recommendations either you or your child’s educator may have will documented. If you are unclear about IEP (individual education plans), team meetings or IPRC’s please follow the link to understand what these processes entail.
http://www.limestone.on.ca/programs/special_education/IPRC_Parent_Guide
Push - not only will you have to work diligently with your child on their academic and social success in school, but you must be gently insistent on making sure that all the appropriate measures discussed at your meeting(s) are carried out. If not, push until they are. You are your child's voice, remember in the long run all this will pay off as you see your child succeed academically and have the same opportunity as typical children do.
Join a support group - Make sure that if you have the chance to join a support group that has parents who are dealing with the same issues as you are, you do. This will give you an opportunity to vent and at the same time learn about other measures there are for parents like yourself.
Get down and get up- Getting down on your situation is completely natural. Don't forget that you are not alone dealing with your child's situation. Every child learns in specific ways that are unique to them. Because your child may have some obstacles academically, does not mean that they will not lead a productive fulfilling life. Look at the positive gains they have made and just remember that they will do fine, they have you in their corner!
If you are interested in finding out more about what you can do to support your child in their current school, please join the Light In The Attic team when we host Dr. Norm Forman, author of "Exceptional Child -Ordinary Schools" on Thursday February 23rd at 6:30 pm at the newly renovated state of the art Attic centre! Just follow the link below to register.
http://www.lightintheattic.ca/reg.html
