Be your child’s advocate
Be your child’s advocate
When a child is in preschool to about eight years old they mainly want to please their parents. I remember those years with my own children. The papers they brought home from school you could tell from the gleam in their eyes they were very proud of their work, and they could hardly wait to show me.
It’s no different with any child including those with special needs. They love to please too. Many children still today are not able to come home with that gleam in their eye because their school is missing vital tools that could benefit them in the classroom. But even worse some children are doing poorly because the school is lost on what to try next to get a child on the right track.
I saw a report from a mother whose own son wasn’t even tested for what the school said they suspected was his problem. So the mother was mad, her son was miserable, and the school claimed they had done everything they could. They did not know what her son’s problem was.
After this child’s mom got her sons IEP papers, she meticulously went line per line reading everything. She said all of his IEP papers so she got the old ones out, and went over those as well. She wanted to know what changed, and anything else that looked out of place. She found one thing in all of those papers that was out of place. The one thing in those papers that was out of place was that back in his younger days in school they suspected he was dyslexic. But he was not old enough to be tested. She knew then to get him tested because everything so far was not working. She did get him tested, and today after he was diagnosed with dyslexia he shined in school, and today he is in College.
The best advocate for a child in school is the parent. Don’t take “no” for an answer. Don’t take “don’t know” for an answer. There is always a reason for a child doing poorly in school. In school there are multiple people looking after your child’s education. But that does not mean they have lots of time to sort it out. All children can do well in school regardless of some of their disabilities. If one is not found, then it’s time to move on to another cause. But make sure you exhaust and check and re-check before you move on. Never ever give up on your child. Your child’s life and career are at stake. Children deserve the best education they can get. The worst thing a parent ever wants to hear from a teacher or from an IEP meeting is “I don’t know”. If you do hear this, then it’s time for you to get in full gear, and become your child’s advocate. Every parent deserves to see that happy gleam in their child’s eyes for a job well done.
