The relationship between family and school in the world of a child with autism can be a way for parents to encourage learning at all levels. There is a synergy that can be built between family and school that will help your child to feel the need to be involved in classroom activities, and also make it easier for your child to develop social skills that are critical inside and outside the home. It is all based on good communication and using learning as a way to improve social skills.
Strong Communication Between School And Home
The only way to successfully navigate the relationship between school and home is for both sides to maintain a robust level of communication. Many schools offer the option to open up several lines of communication with students’ families using handwritten log books, emails, and social media accounts.
Teachers can update parents on the progress of their children, send pictures of their children in class, and relay any concerns they have about student behavior. Parents are encouraged to respond and offer insights that will help teachers to connect on a more personal level with each student.
Incorporating School Learning Into The Home Life
Parents can help to underscore the importance of school learning with their children by incorporating school lessons into daily family activities. Simple exercises such as counting the number of snacks a child gets after dinner or discussing lessons the child learned in school will help to emphasize the importance of school. By making the things a child learns in school part of every day life, parents can improve a child’s concentration in school and emphasize the value of learning.
Families Being A Part Of School Life
There are plenty of opportunities for families to become part of their child’s school experience. Parents should encourage their children to get involved in school activities, sports teams, and after-school activities to help enhance their school experience. The best way to encourage a child to get involved in their school life is for the family to attend school functions whenever possible. A child that sees their family getting regularly involved in school activities is going to feel more comfortable about school in general.
Levels Of Communication
The family/school relationship becomes easier to manage when both sides use the right type of communication. Child-centric communication is any communication focused on the child’s activities or needs. Schools can relay successes and challenges that the child experiences every day, and parents can offer information on how better to help their child to get through certain behavioral issues.
Constructive input is communication from both sides that is directed at improving behavior and increasing school engagement. Parents can let teachers know ways to positively reinforce a child’s behavior, and teachers can update parents on more effective methods for communicating with their child.
Behavioral guidelines is more of a one-way form of communication where teachers offer parents suggestions on better ways to help a child to improve their social skills. Teachers are experts in identifying behavioral issues and suggesting ways to improve those issues, and this sort of exchange can be very beneficial to parents.
The family/school relationship should be intertwined in order to encourage children to retain what they learn in school and continue their development. Parents and teachers can learn a lot from each other on how to help a child develop, and this creates a partnership between parents and teachers that can make home and school life easier on the child.
Eden II Programs helps the autism community by providing programs and services combined with lifespan support to improve the quality of life for individuals with ASD and their families. Eden II has the greatest ability to help individuals with ASD reach their highest potential for independent, self-sustained living through high-quality ABA services, educational programs, adult day programs, group residential care, family support, respite, and a number of other services. Eden II Programs uses the evidence-based practices of ABA to develop skills, promote independence, and change lives for the better.
For information on programs and services available at Eden II, please visit us online at eden2.org or email us at info@eden2.org.
