One of the biggest frustrations for parents of a special needs child is the feeling that the school and especially the teacher do not understand their child. They know their child can participate and even learn in school if attitudes are such that the teachers are willing to try new and different things or the information presented in a different manner or format.

On the other hand, one of the most frustrating things for teachers is having 25-30 very different kids, which they are solely responsible for educating in today’s complex and complicated world. When they have to consider that they might need to teach a concept five different ways at five different levels, and remember who is where and who needs what next, it can become overwhelming quite fast.

For the classroom teacher, there is just not enough time in the day to know each child’s unique learning styles and special needs at special times through special situations in a classroom of that size. Even in smaller classrooms, or with a Resource Teacher or Para-professional, it can be difficult to know at the drop of a hat what works for who when. It takes a long time to wade through the mounds of paperwork they might have on the child. They usually do not have the time or the close personal knowledge to pull everything together into a quick informative reference sheet.

One of the best things you as a parent can do, particularly at the start of a new year, new class, or new semester is to create a one-page summary outlining your child’s strengths and challenges in addition to the ways your child learns best. Just make sure you keep it to a one-page summary so it is easy to store, find and refer back to often.

A picture of your child, along with their name at the top in large letters or bolded would be great. Then list your child’s strengths and challenges, being sure to try to find at least as many strengths as challenges. Your child might struggle with writing, but be an amazing artist and tell stories with vivid pictures but few words. Your child might not be able to participate in PE, but they might have an excellent memory and a real ability to work with numbers and statistical analysis charts.

If there is a particular assistive technology item, or strategy that helps your child learn and produce work, let the teacher know. Let them know if your child is a visual learner, has auditory processing problems, or struggles with gross or fine motor skills.

These are all things you, your child, the teacher, and the whole team involved with your child need to know. The more they know, and the easier you make it for them to refer to the specifics about your child, the better off everyone will be. Less stress, less frustration, more communication, and learning that is more dynamic and enriching will naturally occur.

Just think, a little time and effort put into a one-page summary about your child and their learning needs can have a tremendous impact on how successful your child can become at school. Try it and see what type of results you get!