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5 Things You Can Talk With Your Child’s Teacher About

By Carissa Garabedian November 14, 2016
School is now in full swing, kids have gotten settled into their classes, work is regularly coming home, but communication is still essential for us to be able to have a successful year.

This busy time of year is not easy for any of us, but can be a real struggle for kids with special needs.

One thing I have learned in the years of our son being in school is that the MORE information the school can have, the better. With info and details about your child, the staff can accommodate and adjust as needed for your child.

Here are some ideas for you to make use of throughout the school year:

1. Let The Teachers Know What Motivates Your Child.
If your child works well with praise, and really, who doesn’t, give them tips on what makes yours smile. Is it a pat on the back, a snack, a sticker or computer time? Maybe the staff can work these into your child’s day to strengthen the bond.

2. Has Anything Changed At Home?
We've noticed that sometimes our son does not sleep well. He has a hard time “shutting off”. This info impacts all of us, as well as his ability to stay on task. His teachers need to know this. Any info that changes at home can cause a shift for your child. A sibling heading to college, a change in a relationship, someone getting sick, all of these can be triggers for our kids and we may not even know it. Giving the info to school allows them to know to be aware that our kids may have some “off days”.

3. Strengths
Let the staff know your child’s strengths. Is she great at puzzles, word searches or does he have an incredible memory? These skills can be used in many ways at school. Let your teachers know so they can adapt for your child.

4. Expectations
No one knows your child better than you. What are some of the goals you have, or have goals changed as your child settled in? For us, having our son stay on task, not bouncing to music on his computer and to increase his ability to comprehend what he reads are great steps for us to conquer. We strive for him to be more communicative with peers as well. The staff needs to know this in order to all be on the same page. The more clear you are about goals and priorities, the easier it is for a teacher to support them.

5. Have A Plan With Staff
Our teachers have full class loads, many kids have different needs and they realistically cannot know what we need if we do not tell them.

Let your school know what you can do, what you would like, and how to best access you. Is your current method of communication working, or could it be better? If you would like emails, calls etc, let them know. If a communication log works better for you, help to set that up. Whatever it may be, talk it out with your school and create a plan.

At the end of each day, week and year; what we really need is communication to be shared with those that are teaching our kids. All of our ideas may not be able to be implemented, but without asking and trying, we won’t know. It has been my experience that the school staff has appreciated the input and ideas.