Hi, friends!
Welcome to this week's edition of Trendline. Every article we share is chosen with one goal in mind: helping you spend less time searching for answers and more time focusing on what matters most, your child.
This week, we're covering how to help set your child up for success when starting a new school year.
Thanks for being here. We're so glad you're part of the Trendline community!
— The Trendline Team
Back-to-School Success: Helping Your Child Start the Year Strong
New teacher. New classroom. New classmates. New routines.
For many children, back-to-school season means a lot of change all at once.
A little preparation can help make those changes more predictable—and give your child's new team a head start in understanding how to support them.
Start rebuilding the routine
If summer has changed your family's schedule, begin moving toward the school routine before the first day.
Gradually adjust bedtime and wake-up times. Practice getting dressed, eating breakfast, packing the backpack and leaving the house.
For children who benefit from visual information, consider a countdown calendar, visual schedule, photos of the school or a simple story about what the first day will look like.
If there's an opportunity to visit the school, walk through the building or meet the teacher ahead of time, consider whether that would help your child.
Introduce your child—not just their diagnosis
Teachers may receive an IEP, evaluation reports and other paperwork.
But those documents don't necessarily tell them who your child is.
Consider making a one-page “About Me” sheet. You can find one here in our resource shop!
Include your child's strengths, interests and favorite topics; communication style; sensory preferences; motivators; signs that they may be becoming overwhelmed; strategies that help them regulate; important safety considerations; and a few things you really want the teacher to understand.
Keep it short enough that someone can actually use it.
Behavior support should be proactive
When behavior interferes with a child's learning—or the learning of others—IDEA requires the IEP team to consider positive behavioral interventions and supports and other strategies to address it. (EDBlogs)
That matters because behavior shouldn't be viewed only through the lens of discipline.
The team can consider questions such as: What is happening before the behavior? What might the student be communicating? Is the work too difficult? Is the environment overwhelming? Does the student need a communication, coping or regulation skill? Are existing supports actually being implemented?
The Department of Education has also explained that when behavioral incidents repeatedly occur despite existing supports, an IEP team may need to consider whether those supports are being consistently implemented or should be changed. (EDBlogs)
Schedule your own 30-day check-in.
Put a reminder on your calendar for about a month after school begins.
Ask yourself: How is my child doing emotionally? Are services occurring? Are accommodations being used? Are we seeing new challenges? What is going well?
You don't necessarily have to wait for the school's next scheduled meeting to raise a concern.
Helpful resources worth bookmarking.
IDEA — What's Required in an IEP?
The Department of Education's official federal IEP requirements.
Read the IEP Requirements
Positive Behavioral Supports
The IDEA regulation requiring teams to consider positive behavioral interventions and supports when behavior impedes learning.
Read the Behavioral Support Requirement
IDEA Discipline & Behavior Q&A
A useful Department of Education resource explaining how behavioral supports and IDEA's discipline protections interact. (EDBlogs)
Explore the IDEA Behavior & Discipline Guide
Center for Parent Information & Resources
Find the Parent Center serving your state for help understanding special-education rights and navigating the IEP process.
Find Your Parent Center
Have a topic you'd like us to cover?
The Trendline is here to make complicated systems a little easier to navigate. Send us the questions you're running into—from insurance and Medicaid to IEPs, ABA and planning for adulthood—and we'll continue breaking down the information families need.
Educational information only. Laws, Medicaid programs, waiver eligibility, insurance requirements and available services vary by state and individual circumstances. This newsletter is not legal or medical advice.
