School is almost back in session. It is time to prepare!
Back to school shopping is in full swing at the stores. Are you ready?
You may be ready with all the supplies. But are you ready to get involved and stay involved in your child’s classroom?
When your child has ASD, autism spectrum disorder, it is very important to know what is going on with your child in the classroom.
Getting involved and staying involved in your child’s classroom is critical for a successful school year.
When you are involved you
- are familiar with what is being taught
- are making sure your child’s IEP is being followed through
- know your child is safe
- know how your child’s day at school went
- are better prepared for the rest of the day
I created a list of 10 ways for you to get involved and stay involved in your child’s classroom.
10 Ways to Get Involved
1.Contact the teacher before the start of the school year – either at the end of the year or days before the school year starts. Reach out to him/her and let them know who you are.
2. Let your child meet the teacher and explore the classroom – set up a meeting so they can both meet each other.
3. Let both teacher and your child ask each other questions – possibly have something prepared for you or your child to ask the teacher.
4. Tell the teacher about your child – an IEP does not express your child personality or the way they work. Make sure to tell the teacher about your child’s personality. Their likes and dislikes. What motivates them and how they work best.
I wrote about how I introduced C, my son to his Sunday school teacher. You can make a similar sheet for your child’s teacher.
5. Set up a way to communicate daily with your teacher. The teacher can already have communication sheets or you can give one to the teacher that they can use.
You can subscribe to my emails and I will send you a PDF of a simple daily communication log.
6. Get to know the principal and office staff. Bring them a snack or flowers. They will appreciate it greatly. They will keep a special lookout for your child and anything your child may need.
7. Volunteer in any outside of the classroom activities that may happen during the year. If you can volunteer in the classroom. Or maybe go on a field trip.
8. Be flexible. What you thought your child may need and it’s in the IEP, it may need to change slightly. Maybe the way it looks or the way that it is executed.
9. Schedule as many IEP’s as you see fit. For example, I usually have 3-4 IEP’s in a school year. One, in the beginning, to review how C is doing the first 4-6 weeks of school. The second is his annual in February. Then last one before school is out. That one is when we discuss any changes that need to be made before the new school year starts.
10. Be kind and be grateful. It’s not easy being a teacher. Especially in a public school. Many of these teachers have 29 kids and no assistance.
Communicate, communicate, communicate!
The teacher cannot read your mind. Don’t be shy. Say what you want to happen and then follow up and make it happen. Be annoying if you need to be. Don’t let things slide. It won’t be easy, and maybe even exhausting but your child deserves to go to school and feel safe, comfortable, and successful.
10 ways to get involved and stay involved in your child’s classroom. It’s not always easy and maybe you can’t follow all of these. Just remember the more you know about what is going on in your classroom, the better you can help your child be successful.
You got this mama!
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you;” – Proverbs 3:3
Leave a Reply