How to Become Your Child’s Champion for Academic Success
You might not be thinking about the next school year as it is the midst of the summer break but the start of a new school year will soon be upon you. Whether your child is having trouble with academics and/or social situations in school, now is the time to begin to think about how you can best be an advocate at school in order to help your child succeed.
The consequences of Childhood Trauma on Schooling
When a triggering event or action occurs, your child will become dysregulated. Many children with trauma have troubles soothing themselves (self-regulating). Traditional styles of schooling and teaching often label children that act out as “bad kids.” Discipline is used to attempt to get a child to do what the teacher or administrator wants, but because children with trauma have a hard time trusting adults, discipline rarely works and only serves to further traumatize your child.
Your child will also have difficulty focusing and learning. They are also other impairments like Dyslexia or ADHD that make them learn and achieve difficulty. It is easy to see how things can get out of control when mixed with peer pressure and social life situations, in the school atmosphere. School is not always easy to adapt to even in the case of children without trauma.
This is why it is of utmost importance to be the biggest supporter of your child at school.
Ways of being the best advocate of your child at school.
Here are some tips to help you become a better advocate for your child’s academic success.
1 | Find Your Support System
If you haven’t already, it’s important to find your people. This can be support groups for parents of children with trauma, religious leaders, and your child’s care team (doctors and therapists). This group of people can help give you ideas and guide you in how to better advocate for your child in the school system.
2 | Educate Yourself
3 | Communicate with Educators
While the science of how the brain is affected by trauma is nothing new, there are still plenty of teachers and school administrators out there who are not familiar with these scientific findings. Some teachers may become frustrated when your child acts out and responds differently than their peers. It is also your responsibility as an advocate to your child to provide trauma materials to the school your child attends so they may teach the scholars.
4 | Access Educational Supports
It’s perfectly normal that some children need more support with learning than their teacher can provide. This includes getting an IEP (individualized educational program). Federal law requires that students who need additional learning support get an IEP. This applies to students in public and charter schools, but does not apply to private schools, though some give learning support to students.
Being on an IEP allows your child to utilize more school resources including visits with a learning specialist. It also makes sure that, your child gets accommodations such as additional time on tests or modified school timetables.
- Obtain a referral or diagnosis: You can ask your foster/adoption agency, child’s doctor, or child’s therapist for a diagnosis and letter stating that your child should receive learning support from the school. You can also request the school test your child for learning disabilities.
- Request services: Once you have the referral, you’ll need to request services from the school. They will be required to meet with you within 15 days.
- Record: Note-take during your meetings and archive all emails and other forms of communication that you get in relation to the school. Meetings can be emotional; hence bring a family member or friend to accompany you so as to keep you calm and take notes.
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Follow-Up: At the end of each meeting, you must have a strategy about how the influences of concern will be tended to. Asking questions can aid in ensuring that people are accountable e.g. knowing who will do what and when.
5 | Request Homework Adjustments
When homework is interfering with the well-being of your child, discuss this with the school in relation to what is happening in the home.If needed, make a case for reduced homework or a homework holiday for your child. (See the resources section below.)
6 | Practice Self-Care
Lastly, make sure you practice self-care. The advocacy and parenting are work. By far the best thing you can do as an advocate to your child is to ensure that you are in the best shape you can possibly be as that needs the energy to do what has to happen. Do something on a hobby, go to a walk or listen to some music.
Final Thoughts
Resources
Where Do We Go From Here? – a book by “Child Trauma Sherpa,” Scotty Aemis, which helps parents guide their children through trauma and into Positive Safe Relationships.
The Center for Parent Information and Resources website (U.S. Department of Education) – includes information on IEPs
Wrightslaw – a website created by attorney and disabilities advocate, Pete Wright, which includes sample letters families can use to request an IEP and other documents
The Homework Myth – a book by nationally known educator, Alfie Kohn, which helps parents make a case for changes in homework