If your child has special needs, you might have some extreme feeling about getting ready for back to school. There may be some relief as well as some anxiety about the year ahead. Your child probably also has mixed feelings. You can make the transition easier on you both with some simple tips and activities. These few simple tactics can make the transition of going back to the special education program go smoother than usual for you and your family.
What were the issues from last year? You don't need to dwell on the issues from last year, but you might want to talk about them with your child. Discuss what you both learned from last year and how that information can be applied to the year ahead.
Rouse some excitement. Your child faces many obstacles, so he or she may be leery about the coming year. Be sure to bring up the things he or she enjoyed about school and talk about new subjects that will be introduced in the coming year. With age comes more privilege as well as more responsibility so make sure to point out the high points of the year ahead.
Role play. You can help your child practice dealing with specific situations by role playing how he or she might handle things. A child in special education may have to handle bullies more than most kids, or they may be the one doing the bullying. Introduce scenarios that are likely to happen and help your child develop different ways to handle them. He or she may have a hard time doing this with you. If they do, ask a friend or family member to the role playing.
Practice or create more coping skills. Being out of school over the summer may mean that your child has gotten out of practice with some of the coping skills they use. You might review them by asking your child what they are going to do in certain scenarios and then reminding them of the coping skills they use. Many children also benefit from tokens for anxiety. Whether it is a stress ball, or even a coin they can fidget with, make sure your son or daughter has something to help them with their anxiety as they again make this transition from the home environment to the school environment. You can even talk about specific situations and when the token might be used best.
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Source: Personal Experience
