Your school team
Your child
- Is the most important player on the team.
- Has strengths which can be built on.
- Has thoughts about his/her disability affects his/her life.
- Knows what bothers or frustrates him/her, but may not know how to deal with it.
- May be able to provide ideas to help make school and learning better.
You – the parent(s)
- Is/are the second most important player on the team.
- Know the child better than anyone else.
- Can offer creative ideas to help child.
- Needs to participate in child’s education.
- Can support the school at home.
You can support the school and teachers by
- Showing a sincere interest in school and what the child is doing.
- Attending all conferences.
- Keeping communication open with child’s teacher and school.
- Supporting the child in school activities and homework.
- Staying active on the education team and advocate for your child.
Classroom Teacher(s)
- Discusses strengths, concerns and strategies to improve learning abilities.
- Works with the health care team and family to promote an understanding of your child’s disability.
- May also be able to:
- Advocate for your child with other staff.
- Communicate with you regarding your child (email, phone, notes).
- Develop highly structured learning environments.
- Reinforce what family may be doing at home or what child is working on with a therapist.
- Provide consistency in persons and events.
- Teach about social, life and problem-solving skills, decision-making, peer relationships and stress management.
- Provide structured transition between activities.
Teachers can help parents by
- Accepting parents as advocates who have an intense desire to make life better for their child.
- Providing parents with information about support groups, special services in the school and the community, and family-to-family groups.
- Offering to give parents referrals to helpful groups.
- Encouraging parents to organize support systems, pairing families who will complement each other for school activities.
- Involve parents in specific projects centered around hobbies or special skills that parents can share with students in one or several classes.
- Discussing a child's special talents with parents and use that positive approach as a bridge to discuss other issues.
School Administrator – Principal, Vice Principal or Assistant Principal
- Support teachers' instructional methods.
- Allocate resources and materials.
- Visit classrooms.
- Provide feedback on instructional methods and techniques.
- Use data to focus attention on improving the curriculum or instruction.
- Use data and faculty input to determine staff development.
Administrators can help teachers and parents by
- Establishing parent resource centers to help parents and teachers develop good working relationships.
- Providing basic training to help parents understand special education and the role of the family in cooperative planning.
- Offering workshops on topics requested by parents and teachers.
- Making available up-to-date information and resources for parents and teachers
- Encouraging early childhood and pre-school screening programs and other community services that can be centered in the schools.
School Counselor*
- May assess difficulties in the classroom.
- May advise teachers on classroom management for learning and behavior problems.
- May help plan education and career goals.
- May assist with curriculum planning.
- Provide access to support groups, community support.
- Provide transition to independence support for your child.
School Psychologist*
- Provide support in writing an IEP.
- Provide specialized testing.
- Provide emotional support.
- Educate/advocate with special ed staff and administration staff.
- Support in writing behavior modification plans.
School Nurse* — Registered nurse and licensed school nurse who provides health-related services
- Develops an Individual Health Plan (IHP)
- Provides medical treatment and gives medication
- Coordinates health care needs in school and for school-related activities
- Communicates with teachers and other school personnel about health needs
- Communicates with the health care team about health concerns at school
- Helps teachers provide an appropriate learning environment
Case Manager*
- Monitor IEPS.
- Monitor students progress at school
- Set up meetings if there is a review needed.
- Coordinate efforts to help child with transition to next level school – elementary to junior high, etc.
- Provide a bridge between staff and parents and whatever services child needs.
*may not be included on your child’s school support team.
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