Support Your SEND Children When They Start School
It’s now supposed to be the time when we start thinking about children going back to school after the summer break. This can be worrying for any parent, but when you have a child who has special Educational Needs or disabilities, there are extra things that you may worry about. Every child’s individual needs may be different, and they may face some new challenges, especially around settling into school. It’s a new transition process and it will take some time.
Let’s have a look at some of the ways you can support your child with going back to school:
Coping With Change
Change can be challenging for anyone, but for children with additional needs, it’s difficult to cope with that change. It’s a good idea to have regular contact with your school’s special Educational Needs coordinator to discuss any plans for helping your child when it comes to returning to school or starting school. They will provide you with the plans that the school have in place and will get your opinion on what will help your child with their time in the school setting. They would also be able to help recommend and advice on the need for additional support such as Accel Therapies or any further professional intervention.
Questions You Should Ask SENCO
Some of the questions that you should ask your SENCO when going back to school include:
- What strategies have you used in the past for other children with SEND, and how have they worked? Do you think that they would work for my child?
- What strategies have you used with my child, and are they working?
- How can I support my child with returning to school or starting school?
- What methods have you used that I can adapt for my child and use at home to make them feel more comfortable about going to school?
Use Social Stories
Social stories and other resources are a great way of helping your little one understand what will happen when they start school. They can help them understand certain situations and can help when it come to discussing the changes with them. They are designed to help children get used to a new experience or unexpected change. A social story would usually describe what will happen and give them a visual aid so they can refer to the visual aid and the challenges they face.
It’s a good idea to go to school and ask them if they have any social stories that they have used or support other children. It’s quite common for schools to use social stories, so, have a conversation with them for the best ones to suit your childs needs. You could ask them to send them to you so you can use them at home before they return to school to prepare your child better. The more you use social stories, the more you will start to see their benefits.
As you can see, children with special needs may face challenges. However, there are ways that you can support them and make them feel more comfortable with any transition changes that come with starting school.
