How to Select the Right School for Your Special Needs Children?

Answer 1

Choosing the right school for a child is a difficult enough task; it becomes even more complicated when the child in question has special needs. This is an important decision that will affect your child for at least thirteen years, so follow these steps to pick the best school for your child.

1. Evaluate the extent of your child’s special needs and how much accommodation you think they will need. You can go one of two ways—a school specifically for students with special needs or a standard school with an integrated special education department. In some cases, children with extensive needs that are very limited in their academic potential do better at a school for special needs students. They have more specialists and are less likely to encounter a teacher who is inexperienced with special needs students. If your child has mild special needs and can function well with children without special needs, an integrated program could be the better choice.

2. After you’ve limited your choices to either a special needs school or an integrated program, you can look at all the different options in your district. Look at the statistics for special needs children—what percentage of the school do they make up? How many students have the same needs as your child? How many teachers per student are available? How many student aides or paraprofessionals are available at each grade level?

3. Make appointments to meet with the principal of each school, as well as the special education department head and any teachers that would be working with your student during their first year of school. It takes a bit of time to talk to everyone, but they will all be directly involved in the writing and execution of your child’s Individual Education Plan. It’s important to make sure that you are working with professionals who understand your goals for your child and are willing to work with you.

4. After you’ve taken all of these matters into consideration, you need to follow your instincts and choose the school that will help your child excel and make them happy. The last step is the most important—if you choose a school with uncooperative teachers, you will end up fighting a long, uphill battle. Make allies of those who are at your child’s school and your child will have a great chance at success.