You, the parents, are always the most important educator and supporter of your child. No one understands your child and their unique needs the way that you do. Your insight into your child’s strengths and challenges is vital to the diagnosis and treatment of your child’s special educational needs. Your partnership in your child’s evaluation and educational plan is key to your child’s success. The educational bureaucracy, the laws governing special education, and the complex procedures required to access appropriate educational services can be overwhelming, confusing, and intimidating. Many families become frustrated and angry with the schools and become adversarial rather than cooperative with their child’s educators. Remember that you and the school are working toward the same goal - your child reaching and exceeding their potential.
The most effective approach with schools is to become a positive advocate for your child and a collaborator with your child’s educators. You will need to be a proactive leader who works in partnership with your child’s teachers/therapists and school administrators. You should be an important member of your child’s multi-disciplinary team that typically includes school administrators, teachers, social workers, diagnosticians (e.g. pediatrician, neurophysiologist, therapists), and you as the parent. It is also effective to include your child’s adoption professional on this important planning team. She/he can provide unique insight into the impact of your child’s pre-adoption circumstances and adoptive placement history on your child’s educational needs.
One of the most important individuals (and often ignored) to include in the assessment and intervention planning for your child - is your child! Who knows better about your child’s unique educational needs and how to support their learning than your child him/herself. By the time children are in fourth grade, most can effectively participate in their own educational evaluation and intervention design.
Your child should be the central figure in the school’s multi-disciplinary team that evaluates his/her learning needs and prescribes treatment/intervention. Both your child and your child’s educators benefit from their inclusion in the process. Your child’s educators gain invaluable insight into your child’s needs and how best to alter their learning environment to ensure success. In addition, your child and his/her educator will build an educational partnership in which they both take responsibility for the implementation, monitoring, and ultimate success of the intervention plan. And let’s be honest, it is much harder for a teacher or school administrator to say “no, we won’t …” to your child than to say “no” to you the parent. Your child benefits greatly from inclusion in the assessment and instructional design process. He/she gains insight into their own uniqueness, takes ownership of their own learning, and learns leadership and advocacy skills that are important to their life-long success.
Every child has the potential to succeed. Students, parents, diagnosticians, educators, school administrators, and adoption professionals all need to work together to assess and then prescribe treatment to ensure that every child achieves. Parents and their children need to be proactive advocates who collaborate with educators to work toward positive outcomes.
Family Connections, Inc. is an authorized New York State adoption agency that has achieved Hague Accreditation from the Council on Accreditation. The agency's staff are experts in the educational needs of adopted children and would be honored to support your family's needs. Please contact Renee or Anita at 607-756-6574 or info@adoptfamilyconnections.org.
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