6 Tips To Start The School Year As A Special Needs Mom Rock Star
The start of a new school year stirs all kinds of emotions in me as a special needs Mom. I feel all the feels including excitement.
It’s a fresh start. An opportunity to do better as an IEP team. To learn new ways to help my child and I would be lying if I didn’t admit to craving the return of the structure the school year inevitably brings to our family life.
The Mathe crew certainly enjoy long summer days spent doing whatever we please. It’s nice to wake up on a summer day and decide to head to the beach or go for a hike.
While we treasure that summer spontaneity it can be difficult. Max does best with routine and structure. By Day 2 of summer vacation he is asking if he can go back to school!
And while I enjoy the fresh start of a new school year and the return of structure to our lives there is worry…
What new challenges will he face?
Will the IEP team be willing to work together to come up with solutions to problems?
Will he get what is needed in order to succeed in school?
What are we going to have to overcome this year?
In addition to the special needs Mom worries about our child’s education we’re fretting over their social life too.
Will he make friends?
Will he be made fun of?
Will he have a good relationship with his teachers?
When Max was starting his first year of elementary school I was a nervous wreck. Seriously, I was giving myself a bald spot because I twirl and pull my hair (it’s called trichotillomania) when I’m worried or anxious about something.
I was basically worried or anxious the ENTIRE month before he started school. My hairdresser was getting worried because at the rate I was pulling out my hair I was sure to be bald by the end of the year!
There’s always a little bit of trepidation as a special needs mom. Establishing new relationships with new teachers and support staff is entirely anxiety producing but there are things you can do to help start the school year off right.
Through my own trial and error and discussion with other special needs moms I have found these six things to be incredibly helpful.
Thankfully, since I’ve started following these 6 tips I’m not nearly as anxious and my self induced bald spot has started to fill in!
Start The School Year As A Special Needs Mom Rock Star Tip #1: IEP Snapshot
Create a snapshot of your child’s IEP. An easy one or two page reference guide to give to everyone on your child’s team.
Let’s face it, IEP’s can be long with lots of educational alphabet soup and formal lingo. If I was a busy teacher or therapist I would welcome a quick reference I could use to keep all the important parts of the IEP for my student fresh in my mind.
Start The School Year As A Special Needs Mom Rock Star Tip #2: All About Me Page
It’s important the team gets to know your child, especially since some of our kids have trouble communicating.
Yes, the team has the IEP and hopefully you’ve created and given them a copy of your child’s IEP snapshot, but there is SO MUCH MORE to your child than what’s in their IEP!
Listen, if a team member feels more connected to your child it’s going to benefit them. It’s human nature folks.
When we understand a person and feel connected to them we are better able to help and more motivated to do so.
Use the About Me Page to share your child’s interests, dislikes, strengths, the areas where they may need to improve, and fun facts about your family and child.
Start The School Year As A Special Needs Mom Rock Star Tip #3: Send A Collaborative Email
Touch base with the IEP team prior to the start of the school year in an email.
Keep it simple and friendly.
Include your contact information and how you would like to be reached. Ask for any contact information of theirs you may not already have and how they would like to be contacted. Let them know you are happy to work with them to make sure your child has a successful school year.
Start The School Year As A Special Needs Mom Rock Star Tip #4: Schedule A Team Meeting
Schedule a team meeting a month or so into the school year to touch base. A lot of schools have parent teacher conferences after the first quarter and that’s great but that’s two plus months into the school year and typically with just the teacher.
Schedule a meeting the majority of the team can attend and talk about how things are going. Discuss communication between home and school.
What is working well?
What may need to be tweaked?
As a team, develop a plan to address problems or concerns that have been identified.
Start The School Year As A Special Needs Mom Rock Star Tip #5: Medical Me Page
If your child has medical needs, create a Medical Me page. Similar to the All About Me Page but focused on just the medical stuff.
Include the following…
Diagnosis
Medications. Be sure to include dosages if the school nurse is going to administer. I also think it’s helpful to include why they are on the medication.
Allergies.
Insurance information
Physician’s contact information
Which hospital you would like your child to be taken to in case of emergency.
Your contact info in case they need to get a hold of you due to a health issue.
An emergency contact.
I would hand this out to the school nurse, the aide, the teacher, and anyone else who would spend a lot of time with your child.
Start The School Year As A Special Needs Mom Rock Star Tip #6: Acknowledge And Appreciate
These people have your child for the majority of the day. Most of them became teachers or therapists or aides because they wanted to work and make a difference in a child’s life. Keep that in mind when differences arise. You want to try and curate a positive and collaborative relationship and yes, that can be hard at times!
At the beginning of the year a sincere note from you can go a long way. I like to write a note and include a small bag of useful items for the classroom such as tissues, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, and pens. It’s a small token of appreciation that sets a positive tone for the start of the year.
There you have it Mama Bears!
My 6 tips to start the school year off like a rock star!
If you are a super busy Mama Bear who doesn’t have time to create an IEP Snapshot or About Me page for your child with special needs check out
A New Mom’s Guide to Rocking Your Child’s First IEP Meeting
Not only is this a great guide for new Mama Bears it can help ANY Mama Bear gain confidence going into an IEP meeting.
I’ve also included an All About Me and IEP At a Glance template and samples. This way you don’t need to worry about creating your own and can use the samples as guides or simply fill in the templates.
If you found this post helpful then you’ll want to check out
3 Steps To Creating Great IEP Goals
Remember Mama Bears, you know your child and your family and your life best. Some of this may work for you and some of it may not. Take what you will to help you, your child, and your family live YOUR best life! And feel free to share with another family so they can read it and take away something that will help them live THEIR best life!
Let’s rock this special life!
Dandelion Take Away: Set a positive and collaborative tone for the start of the school year by creating an IEP Snapshot, All About Me page, and Medical Me page for a quick reference for your child’s team.
At the start of the year send out a collaborative email and plan a team meeting to touch base about a month into the school year. And show your appreciation by writing a note of thanks and possibly a small gift for the classroom such as a box of tissues and hand sanitizer.
Mama Bear Share: How do YOU start the school year off right?
